Old track?

[Jack Burroughs]

Met a guy at Bubba's last sat. nite, he told me that he raced at a banked oval in the keys back in the 50's, then when it closed he towed all the way up to Hollywood, I too went to hollywood when I attended U of M, 1958 and 59, he knew some of the cars and drivers I remembered, anyone know where I can find out more about that track in the keys?

[Boneman]

Stock Island Speedway was the name of the place. It was on an island just north of Key West. I never went, it was a bit before my time, but I heard it was kind of crude. Fun racing, just a little on the rustic side.

[ancrdave]

A couple of aerial photos of Stock Island Speedway...

[Tweety16]

Aerial view of Stock Island today

I hope I put the link correctly. This is a recent aerial view of what is left of Stock Island Speedway.
http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/photo/stock-island-speedway?context=user[/url]

[gene davis]

I was down there in the mid 60's in the army and went to the races there. I think it was a 1/3 mile. Good races, with people like Buddy Griffin and others running. All I remember about where it was, is that I turned by a crystal burger joint to get there.

[Jack Burroughs]

Old Track again.

Thanks guys, sure nice that someone can remember these things, There are lots of places that once had tracks up norf, from board, paved and dirt ovals for 6 day bikes, motorcycles and midgets before WWII, places that I drove past for yrs. and others that I never could've even immagined.

[Jimmy McKinley]

Met a guy at Bubba's last sat. nite, he told me that he raced at a banked oval in the keys back in the 50's, then when it closed he towed all the way up to Hollywood, I too went to hollywood when I attended U of M, 1958 and 59, he knew some of the cars and drivers I remembered, anyone know where I can find out more about that track in the keys?

Well, could he also have been talking about Florida City? It was a banked *little* short track; they ran Mini Stocks and TQ Midgets there. You said that he said "When it closed, he towed up to Hollywood". I say that because, about the time Florida City closed was when Miami-Hollywood was running (opened in '69, closed in '77), correct? Was Stock Island banked at all?

If you're talking Hollywood in '58 and '59, that would be what is referred to as "old Hollywood".

[Trash Inturn4]

Comment by Don Burbage on June 23, 2012 at 7:53pm

My father owned the buisiness of the Stock Island Speedway in 1966 and 67. His name is Jim Burbage. Him and my mother raced on that track as well. His numbers were J14 and J89. I don't know for sure what car numbers my mom raced as she usually either ran my fathers car or one that a friend of my fathers loaned her. She ran in the powder puff races. I recall a women named Highla Sweet that she raced against. I also recall a man named Mike Dozell who drove car number 12 and also another car number OX. I was just a little kid at the time but for 2 summers I recall having to pickup trash under the grandstands and sometimes finding change which was a very big deal for me. We used to put the trash in a burning 55 gallon trash barrel and once there was a hot rod that had fallen out of it and I stepped on it with my bare feet as us kids never wore shoes then. I recall real well how that hot piece of metal left I blister across the bottom of my foot. If anyone is intrested I will talk to my Mom and Dad and get more information about the track. As of now I can tell you for a fact that it was a 1/3 mile track as I recall my father talking about it many times and I have asked him about it as well. Also, the apartment in the picture were built on the infield which was a pond with water in it. I saw a friend of my Dads flip my dads J14 car upside down in that pond and my mom thought it was my father in the car so of course she was hysterical about it because she did not know that my father and his friend has swapped cars befor the race. IF you look at the picture with the apartments the back stretch is at the top of picture the part of the pavement at the top of the picture, which is indeed the original track in which the top of the picture where the track is visible is turn 3 and of coarse the paved turn at the bottom of the turn is turn 4. The front stretch of the track is at the bottom and the pits were located on the outside of the track in turn one which it at the corner of 3rd street and 3rd avenue in that part of the parking lot. people who came to watch the races parked in a gravel parking lot at the bottom of the picture. There was a 12 foot wooden fence in turns one and two behind this fence there was some old junked stock cars and then the road. My father went through this fence one night and made his way back to the main road and then turned to the right and then back to the right again into the pits which were on the back side of turn one and then back out on the track. They had already stopped the race and were looking for him when he showed up on the track. Anyway as I said if anyone is interested I will certainly talk to my father and get the information you might want. Also I can remember a few more stories as well. Thanks, Don Burbage

. Comment by Bobby Williamson on September 26, 2010 at 7:02pm
Johnny, according to a long-time Key West resident, it was originally a dog track.

. Comment by Johnny Mallonee on September 26, 2010 at 11:14am
Ah ha you found it too i see. That was the only logicial point I could find that allowed the room to place a track. Only difference I see is you say its a 1/3rd mile and I found two different descriptions of it, one being a 1/2 mile and the other saying it was a 1/5th mile but both cases saying it was paved. I only found one photo of the track that had any bearing of the description of track and thats the one I put on R/R a short time back. Use it to show the track if you wish. The track deal is your show ....
.

[Trash Inturn4]

SHORT HISTORY OF FLORIDA CITY SPEEDWAY (Author unknown)

Florida City Speedway was a high-banked 1/8 mile asphalt oval track located on Davis Highway in Florida City, a few minutes from Homestead, Florida. It is less than 5 miles from the site of the Homestead Miami Speedway that was built in the 1990's. FCS was completed in 1964, and closed around 1976. Presently, a third-world type flea market sits on the site of the old track.



Racing was great fun at Florida City! TQ Midgets ran the weekly shows with occasional appearances by race karts. Mini-stocks were later added: both the modified "A" class, and the stock "B" class.





This was the smallest track I ever saw. Former track champion George Sweeting, who raced about everywhere including the Daytona beach/road course, said that Florida City was the toughest track he ever drove. Its measurements are as follows: straightaway length: 240' corner radius: 120' track width: 35' The bank was estimated at 15 degrees. Lap times for the midgets were in the 10 second range. That will keep a driver busy!



The SFRA (South Florida Racing Association) was a TQ midget group that operated in South Florida. They didn't have a permanent home, but the club raced at Hialeah, and on the dirt at the Harris Field Rodeo Grounds. Brady Mason and Jessie Young were two of the SFRA officials who really kicked off the Florida City Speedway project.



At the time, a Florida City business man, Cholly Del-Ask, had built the concrete wall that was going to surround a storage yard that he wanted to operate at the site of the track. Somehow, the SFRA talked him into hosting a racetrack inside the walls instead. Many of the SFRA racers pitched in to assist in building the track. Opening night was May 2, 1964.



In the beginning, the racing was sanctioned by the local American Legion post. From the early pictures, it is clear that the stands were usually full of paying customers, yet the track was never on firm financial footing.



Activity grew steadily and the TQ class was going strong. However, on May 24, 1969, the future of the track was changed forever.



Gary Smith, a 21 year old TQ racer, was killed in an accident at the track. Remember, these were the days before roll cages and most of the safety equipment that we take for granted today. Gary was the first and only fatality at the track, but the first was one too many. The drivers lost the idea that Florida City was too little of a track to get hurt at, and participation dropped. Soon after, the track closed temporarily.



Enter the SMRA (Southern Mini-Stock Racing Association). This group had been sanctioning races at Hialeah and Hollywood speedways. They were looking for a permanent home, so they stepped in to operate Florida City and reopened it in August 1970. The TQ racers from the SFRA raced too; they often ran every other week. The SMRA was a club made up of the racers. They often spent all day Saturday at the track: cutting grass, cleaning, repairing, and then racing at night. They had their ups and downs before calling it quits in 1974. The track operated sporadically until summer, 1976 when the gates were locked for good.

[Trash Inturn4]

Florida City Speedway

[Boneman]

My on-line Florida City Speedway museum http://www.floridacityspeedway.homestead.com

The website is bigger than the track was. I have enough material to triple the size of the website, but what I don't have is time to do it!