On another thread, Orlando SpeedWorld being 35 years old, thought it might bring to light how many years an actual local Florida Raceway might have existed.
Hialeah Speedway was 51 years old.
Florida City Speedway was only 12.
How many years did these Local Florida Raceways live?
(any answers would be OK, this is a birthday/longevity thread)
If any Raceway tops Hialeah Speedway, or not.
-West Palm Beach Fairgraounds Speedway-
-Miami-Hollywood Speeedway Park-
-Lake city Asphalt(now)-
-Lake City Dirt
-Sunshine Speedway-
-Desoto-
-Vero Beach Speedway-
-Old Lakland 5/8 and 1/4
Old Lakland Silver Dollar Raceway-
-Golden Gate Raceway-
-Tampa Fairgrounds-
-Florida Speedway was only 12-
-Old Jax, new Jax Racway
-Old St. Augustine/ New St. Augustine Raceways-
-Melbourne/Eau Galle Raceway-
-Treasure Coast/ Ft. Pierce Raceways-
-Deland Raceway-
-Sara-Mana Speedbowl-
-Naples/Collier Co. Raceway-
-Stock Island/Key West Raceway-
One of the Ft. Pierce tracks ran from 1974 to 1977.
St. Pete started in 1960, as did Golden Gate (closed the first time in 1978, then reopened in 1981 and ran until 1984). St. Pete closed in 2005, right?<?>. I remember the “20th anniversary season” in 1980…
Palm Beach closed in 1983.
Miami-Hollywood oval I believe last ran in 1977<?>. Marty Little might know for sure.
Eau Gallie closed in 1977.
Lakeland’s 1/4 mile ran intermittently until the mid-'90s. Then closed permanently in 1996 to build the 3/4 mile. The 5/8ths I wanna say only ran ever once, back when it opened in 1971.
Not sure about Florida City, St. Augustine, Orange County (dirt track).
[B]Ocala Speedway opened as a 1/4 mile dirt track in 1952.
Expanded to 3/8 about 1962 or 63(?).
Paved as 3/8 in 1995. Back to dirt starting 2008 season.
Still goin’ strong. Thanks to Mike and Angie :ernaehrung004:
Treasure Coast and Ft. Pierce are the same race track but were run by different promoters hence the different names. It ran in the 60s as Ft. Pierce Speedway closed for a short while and opened back up in the early 70s as Treasure Coast I almost lived there on Saturdays in my early teens. Sure do miss that place. There was an even older track in town that was already closed when we moved here in 61 but I don’t know anything about it.
DeSoto opened in 1979. We started running there on Friday nights after Golden Gate closed the first time in 1978. No big “30th Anniversary Season” this year, huh? I think the drag strip may have opened in either '76 or '78, can’t remember, but I do believe it was there before the oval.
Jimmy:
I was at the drag strip I think in '74. I went to a concert there around the end of the year. I had my ex wife with me and I left her 1n '75. I think the oval was under construction then. I think it was '77 or so before I went to a race at the Desoto Speedway. I started video taping there in '83. Bob…
West Palm Beach Fairgrounds Speedway----was 33 years old–
Miami-Hollywoods-lived to be 24-
Sunshine Speedway- lived to be 44-
The old Lakeland Raceways lived to be-1/4 miler actually-26 years old
Citrus County Raceway is-53 years old–gaddam i didnt know it.
Ocala Raceway-is 57 years old (1952 to present)–blow me away-
Golden Gate Speedway-23 years old-
New Jax Raceway-lived to be 38 years old-
Florida City Speedway lived to be 12 years old-
Sun Coast Speedway in Punta Gorda -8 years old-
Beaches Speedway in Panama City-10 years.-
Eau Galle Raceway-33 years old-
Ft. Pierce/Angle Road Raceway-16 years, and it’s still there.-
Deland Drive-In Raceway-lived to be 8 years old-
Jaxksonville Speedway- was only 27 years 0ld-
Old Miami-Hollywood-19 years old-
Sara-Mana RaceBowl-20 years old-
Ft. Pierce/Gold Coast Raceway-11 years-
Old St. Augustine-5 years and dead-
Opa-Lacka-5 years-
Collier County/Naples-32 years old-
Medley Stadium-15 years-
Tampa Fairgrounds-11 years only-
Phillips Field-'39-'64-plus-minus=25 years of existance-
Stock Island in Key West-12 years-
Rocket/Sunbrock/Orlando-9 years on this planet-
Casselberry/Seminole Raceway-8 years-
New St. Augustine Raceway-11 years-
the old hollywood on pembrook rd by cement plant it was opened in 1950 something it is as old or older than hiealeh and the other track you call - miami- hollywood it’s the one that had a drag strip beside it out west of state rd 7 right cause i remember me and my brother racing at hiealeah- and west palm before we had drivers lic::ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004:
Old Hollywood, 1/4 mile asphalt oval was built in 1955, ran until 1969.
The 1/3 mile aspahalt oval next to the drag strip was built in 1969, and ran until 1984, it was destroyed in 1993.
I forgot to mention Volusia County Speedway, built in 1968, it’s 41 years old.
And Ocala, built in 1952, is 57 years old.
How about Pensacola/5 Flags, built in 1953, it is 56 years old.
Mart Little has mentioned on old Gainesville oval, and I just can’t seem to find any information on it. Also, the old Lakeland 5/8 miler had a short existance, and evan a shorter number of races on it. Read an artical on it awhile back, and seem to recall that no matter what the high purses were, the tricky oddball-shaped 5/8 miler couldn’t pull in the cars/teams for a show.
[QUOTE=AB195;32543]Mart Little has mentioned on old Gainesville oval, and I just can’t seem to find any information on it.
There use to be a dirt track located on state road 121 (sw williston rd.) just south of Gainesville near Wacahoota , if what i found on the satellite picture is it ,you can faintly see it’s outline with a home located in turn 2 or 4. I will
try to get more info on it tomorrow.
burntout-
the raceway you are talking about is Old Orland Raceway, on Landstreet Road, on the south side, just east of Hwy. 441.
flowers42-
good work on that, and your probably right. would like to see the image, however, no information can be found on it as to what years it ran. Stike that–3/8 mile dirt oval 1965 to 1967 Julian Klein was a promoter, just can’t find the location.
rayc.-
Auburndale Speedway was built in 1974, to present, and you might be thinking about the former Lake Region Raceway, located near the current oval, which was built in 1951, ran until 1971. The old Raceway was 21 years old, the new Raceway is 43.
