Dayton Speedway
The Dayton Speedway was a race track in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It has been called the "Fastest 1/2 mile (plus 210 feet) in the world".
The track held events for NASCAR, AAA, MARC, ARCA, ASA, USAC, etc.
History
The track was opened in June 1934 as a flat "D shaped" 5/8 mile dirt track. The original track was a "copy" of the Legion Ascot Speedway.[1]
Timeline - The following is a timeline of events from 1933 to the present:
[1]
- 1933 - A "Kids Race" was held in September 1933.
- 1934 - The Official opening of the track was Sunday, June 3, 1934.
- The first race was won by Ken Fowler of Paterson, New Jersey. Mauri Rose of Dayton, was second.
- 1934-1935 - The Speedway Manager was Paul Ackerman.
- 1936 - On June 4, 1936, the entire track was repaved with asphalt.
- The turns were "remade" & promised to be the fastest track of its design in the world.
- 1937 - Track was purchased by Frank Funk.
- 1939 - The track was converted to a high-banked 1/2 mile.
- Funk also raised the banking, twice.
- May have buried old Trolley cars to help fill the space.
- Added an "oil substance" that "made the track as hard as pavement" (on hot days the stuff would get soapy and rain over the cars and drivers).
- late 1930s - 1970 - Covered grandstands are added.
- 1940's - Billboards on the backstretch begin to be displayed.
- 1941-1945 - Closed during WWII.
- 1946 - Reopened Friday June 29, 1946, with the first “Big Car” race ever held
- at night on the East Coast (Ascot was first in the world).
- Reopened after WWII - as an Asphalt Oval.
- 1947-1954 - The track infield was 1/4 mile.
- 1949 - Sold in 1949.
- 1949-1958 - It had a single white guardrail.
- 1949?-1954? - The track had a wooden scoring / announcers stand.
- 1950 - It had a single "Strap" Guardrail (from 1950 Sprint Car Start on Home Page).
- 1951/52 - Track was converted to (corrugated/extruded) rounded guardrails.
- 1953 - First Dayton 500 was won by Iggy Katona.
- 1954 - Track site was used for a concert by "The Drifters" (August 7, 1954).
- 1955 - The infield track was 3/8 mile.
- 1955 - Jim Romine Olds photo shows bridge (No bridge after 1955?)
- 1960's - Harlan Fengler Era (chief steward of the Indy 500)
- He removed 6 feet off the banks.
- For 3 years, Earl Baltes Ran track (and several other tracks until 1979).
- 1969 - Black and White Stripe were used on two High Guardrails.
- Infield Scoring Stand (Benny Parsons Photo).
- 1970 - Covered Grandstands in photos.
- Black and White Stripes were used on two high guardrails.
- 1971-1974 - Closed, but the track was used for testing.
- 1975 - A new grandstand was built with new owner
- Black and Gold (yellow) stripes were on two high guardrails.
- 1976-1978 - Closed, the track was used for testing.
- 1979 - Don Thompson Era
- Red White Blue trim was applied to guardrails.
- Label "Greater Dayton Speedway" was placed on Infield Scorers Stand.
- The surface was repaved twice.
- 1982 - Front of the Concession Stand near turn one nearly collapsed between races one Sunday.
- Guardrails and restrooms were a mess.
- 1982 - At end of season, closed, due to no liability insurance.
- 1984 - Still for sale.
- Guardrails needed to be replaced.
- Grandstands needed repair.
- One groove left in turns 1+2 and huge potholes in 3+4.
- Straights were surprisingly good but banking needed attention.
- 1986 - Still for sale.
- The Flagman stand floor had rusted out.
- The top section of infield scoring stand was gone.
- Scales were gone from in front of I.S.S.
- mid 1980s - The track began use as a landfill, eventually refuse filled the infield to the pavement on the straights. The site was then filled with clay and the track no longer exists.
Notes
- ^ a b "Dayton Speedway Lives", 2009, webpage: Dayton Speedway Lives.
References
- Quotes from "The Hills, Going, Going...." article in the October 1986 edition of Stock Car Racing Magazine.
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External links
- Dayton Speedway Lives - website for regular updates and photos.
- The Dayton Speedway - Track history and photos.