Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Not counting IMS. Stopped into a store in Bloomington before a race this summer and saw pictures on the walls of Bloomington Speedway a long time ago....Marsh I think. It looked like it was pre 1950's also the track looked bigger. Were Paragon, Kokomo Lawranceburg all built around the sametime? That must have been a great time to be a race fan. Can you amage that happening now. :)

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Listing just the dirt speedways that hold either weekly or special events for sprint cars; Lawrenceburg 1946, Terre Haute 1952, Paragon 1956, Tri-State 1957, Bloomington 1963, Twin Cities 1963, Lincoln Park 1969, and Gas City 1987.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Heres a few that have been around a while
Indy Fairgrounds - 1903
Winchester - 1914
Bloomington - 1923

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by itsanonwingthing:
Heres a few that have been around a while
Indy Fairgrounds - 1903
Winchester - 1914
Bloomington - 1923

Keith, the Bloomington Speedway that opened in 1923 was a 5/8 mile that closed in 1946. The 1/4 mile opened in 1963.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Paved tracks that hold traditional open wheel racing; Winchester 1914, Mt. Lawn 1934, Salem 1947, Anderson 1948, ORP 1961. All except Anderson opened as dirt tracks and were converted to pavement later on.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Looks like about 4 new dirt tracks in about a 10 year period. How can this be explained? Was it something to do with people coming home from the war or did the whole state go race crazy. How about tracks that were built but are no longer around.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by FOR4:
Looks like about 4 new dirt tracks in about a 10 year period. How can this be explained? Was it something to do with people coming home from the war or did the whole state go race crazy. How about tracks that were built but are no longer around.

The answer to your first question is both. It would require a very lengthy list to answer your second question.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by Dwight Clock:
Keith, the Bloomington Speedway that opened in 1923 was a 5/8 mile that closed in 1946. The 1/4 mile opened in 1963.

Dwight, I've always heard that the 5/8th mile track was at the current location. The B'ton tee shirts and website always had "Racing Since 1923".
http://www.bloomingtonspeedway.com/index2_03.gif

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

http://bloomingtonspeedway.com/history.htm

Says that a 1/4 mile was cut from the old big track, in 1946.

Jerry

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Somebody told me the old track was a mile and they used to run horses and cars on it (not at the same time:emote20:} but that could be all wrong.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Kokomo-1947

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Bloomington is at the same location, just a different track. And how did I leave Kokomo off my list?:kookoo2:

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Dizz Wilson actually had both Bloomington and LBurg built in their current forms. Both tracks were different 5/8 1/2 and someone told me once that LBurg was once in a different location prior to 52 but that Im unsure of

Chuck

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by Dwight Clock:
Paved tracks that hold traditional open wheel racing; Winchester 1914, Mt. Lawn 1934, Salem 1947, Anderson 1948, ORP 1961. All except Anderson opened as dirt tracks and were converted to pavement later on.

I may be wrong and if I am I apologize but I remember watching a story by Donald Davidson that was aired during a telecast of the old Thunder Program from Winchester and in that story Donald said the Winchester Spedway predates the IMS.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Paragon- 1954
Haubstadt- 1957
T.H.A.T.- 1952

Jerry

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Bloomington is in the same location and you can see the outline of the track from the stands today - I have some film clips from around 1947 to 1948 and fans sat on the hillside just like they do today

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

also the Speedrome actually ran 1 race (if I remember right won by Duke Nalon) in 1945 during a brief lift of the racing ban during WWII - so they can lay claim ( there may be others out there that we don't know about) to be the longest continuously running track in the country.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

My family just recently looked at our family pictures and I saw my Dad and some of his friends at we think the Bloomington Speedway they where wearing coats and ties to a race unbelievable. He always talked about a car called the rocking chair special,who would that be?

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by dirtywhiteboy:
I may be wrong and if I am I apologize but I remember watching a story by Donald Davidson that was aired during a telecast of the old Thunder Program from Winchester and in that story Donald said the Winchester Spedway predates the IMS.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

I seem to remember that story being told as well. Of course, my mind certainly isn't what it used to be so don't take that for gospel truth.:emote20:

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

This is real interesting guys, here's my $.02:
Ben Hur Speedway- Crawfordsville, Indiana
Its not a sprint car track but has been holding regular races since it opened in 1961 as a flat track motorcycle track. The Karts took over in the mid 70's and the track has hosted the Indiana State Championship race every year since 1984.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

I think Gas City was built in 1986, but the Bradley's would probably know more about that. I'd like to see Gas City have some more history on their track website.

Montpelier was originally built as a half mile in 1903. The current 1/4 mile was built in 1985.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Salem Speedway - June 22, 1947
Salem Speedway History

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by FOR4:
My family just recently looked at our family pictures and I saw my Dad and some of his friends at we think the Bloomington Speedway they where wearing coats and ties to a race unbelievable. He always talked about a car called the rocking chair special,who would that be?

Bob Kinser drove the car. Galen Fox was the mechanic.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Here is my penny, inflation you know. If anyone wants to know about the history of auto racing in their state, the Allen E brown book "The history of American Speedways " is the best!! :angry-smiley-007::applaud: The way things are going the bull rings could be turned into real bull rings soon.:headbang:
Joe

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Hi Midgy!!

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by dirtywhiteboy:
I may be wrong and if I am I apologize but I remember watching a story by Donald Davidson that was aired during a telecast of the old Thunder Program from Winchester and in that story Donald said the Winchester Spedway predates the IMS.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Far be it from me to question Donald Davidson:respect: on anything related to motorsports history! But on the information available to us mere mortals, Alan Brown's "The History of American Speedways" says 1914 for Winchester.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by FOR4:
My family just recently looked at our family pictures and I saw my Dad and some of his friends at we think the Bloomington Speedway they where wearing coats and ties to a race unbelievable. He always talked about a car called the rocking chair special,who would that be?

The rocking chair special is right at the edge of my memory. :headbang:

No luck.....yet.

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

Originally Posted by Danny Burton:
The rocking chair special is right at the edge of my memory. :headbang:

No luck.....yet.

I think you meant to say you were right near the rocking chair yourself!

Re: Oldest Active Tracks ln Indiana?
 

You are right, my funny talking friend. Besides,I even missed Josh's answer above.

Josh, wasn't that #53 as well?