Happy Birthday---Long Lost Speedways.

[AB195]

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-

[dnsno]

Hendry County Speedway has been hanging in there for over thirty years.

[Jimmy McKinley]

Vero Beach Speedway ran from 1971 to 1977.

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).

[flvideo]

I am pretty sure Desoto opened in 1976. Gene and Stanley built the oval and the drag strip. I can't remember if they both opened the same year. Bob...

[ocalasp76]

Still Open

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

-JIM-

[Darren]

Sunshine Speedway closed

in Nov. 2004, just looked at a t-shirt I got that night. They had to turn people away that night. The place was packed, people sitting on the grass.

[tccaz]

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.

[Ray C]

I got to think the Auburndale Speedway has got to be one of the oldest continually raced track around. I would guess nearly 50 years?

[Rick Williamson]

I got to think the Auburndale Speedway has got to be one of the oldest continually raced track around. I would guess nearly 50 years?

Be carefull you will start telling us your age Ray!

[Jimmy McKinley]

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.

[flvideo]

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...

[AB195]

Years In Existance--

From what I have read........

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-

[ModelCarMan]

East Bay Raceway Park is on it's 33rd year.

What about Volusia Speedway, I know it's older then East Bay?

[ronabneysr]

you are wrong about miami - hollywood

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:

[AB195]

Let's see here......

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.