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The Fulford–Miami Speedway was a board race track located in North Miami Beach and was the first speedway built in South Florida. The 1.25 mile track was built in 1925 by Indianapolis Motor Speedway co-founder Carl Fisher. To help build the track, Fisher hired 1911 Indianapolis 500 winner Ray Harroun, who also served as general manager of the track. The track's banking was at 50 degrees, and as a result, cars had to drive at a speed of 110 miles per hour in order to remain on the track without sliding off (in comparison, the Daytona International Speedway's banking is 32 degrees). Because of the speed the track's configuration produced, it was considered as the fastest in the world at that time.
The track held only one event, the Carl G. Fisher Trophy (this is the bill promoting the event) during the 1926 AAA Championship Car season. The race was 240 laps/300 miles and was held on February 22, 1926 with a crowd of 20,000 in attendance. The race's official starter was Barney Oldfield. The pole position was won by Tommy Milton with a lap speed of 142.93 mph, while the race was won by 1925 Indianapolis 500 winner Peter DePaolo. Harry Hartz finished second, less than a minute behind. Out of the 18 cars competing, only six finished the race. On September 17, 1926, the track was destroyed by the Great Miami Hurricane, after which the lumber that comprised the track's surface was scattered across the neighborhood, and was later, after being recovered, used by the city for reconstruction. After its destruction, the area was taken over by the Presidential County Club. South Florida did not have another major open wheel race until 1985 when Tamiami Park held an IndyCar race on a street circuit.
Note that this event was mostly for the affluent of the time. General admission was a whopping three dollars and sitting in the stands would cost between six and fifteen bucks, a lot of money at the time. Most of the Sprint Car and Midget races in the mid-1920s had admissions of around 50-75 cents...
The track held only one event, the Carl G. Fisher Trophy (this is the bill promoting the event) during the 1926 AAA Championship Car season. The race was 240 laps/300 miles and was held on February 22, 1926 with a crowd of 20,000 in attendance. The race's official starter was Barney Oldfield. The pole position was won by Tommy Milton with a lap speed of 142.93 mph, while the race was won by 1925 Indianapolis 500 winner Peter DePaolo. Harry Hartz finished second, less than a minute behind. Out of the 18 cars competing, only six finished the race. On September 17, 1926, the track was destroyed by the Great Miami Hurricane, after which the lumber that comprised the track's surface was scattered across the neighborhood, and was later, after being recovered, used by the city for reconstruction. After its destruction, the area was taken over by the Presidential County Club. South Florida did not have another major open wheel race until 1985 when Tamiami Park held an IndyCar race on a street circuit.
Note that this event was mostly for the affluent of the time. General admission was a whopping three dollars and sitting in the stands would cost between six and fifteen bucks, a lot of money at the time. Most of the Sprint Car and Midget races in the mid-1920s had admissions of around 50-75 cents...
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