Happy Birthday---Long Lost Speedways.

[AB195]

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.

[burntout]

Does anyone remember the track on lancaster road south orlando? I saw the joey chitwood stunt show there in the 70's ?

[Flowers42]

Gainesville oval

[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.


Bruce Flowers
#42 Purestock CMP

[AB195]

long lost--

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.

Keep up the good work, and thanks for the input.

[Flowers42]

Link to satellite image

Try this link to view the satellite image.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&cl...01134&t=h&z=17

The structure looks more like a barn than a house.

Bruce Flowers
#42 Purestock CMP

[AB195]

You-The-Man-

Mr. Flowers--
No kidding, you sir, have finally hit the spot where the old Gainesville Raceway had existed.
Terra Server punched it up, and labled it as Gainesville Raceway, and the data and imagry confirmed it so.
The photo is good, the Topo photo confirmed it as such.
And that, my friend, has made you the best Race Track locater in the world, or State, rather.(next to Marty Little)
How did you do this? Proud of you, I am.
I'm giving you the ol' high-five right now.
roger

[ancrdave]

Auburndale Speedway operated in it's current location as Winter Haven Speedway for many years... Was renovated by Bill Reno in the mid-70's and renamed Auburndale Speedway (under NASCAR sanction by the way)... I went to the old track a few times back in the '60s...

[ModelCarMan]

Auburndale Speedway is where we won our first race with the legendary Frank Riddle driving my dad's latemodel, so Auburndale will always hold a special place in my heart!!!

[AB195]

very good-

Very good indeed, boys and girls.
Lets hit a couple others, you historians you.

Phillips Field and Plant Field Raceways.

Phillips Field was a 1/4 ml dirt oval built 11/29/1939, and then paved until 1964, at the University of Tampa Stadium, I think it still stands today, somewhat.
And Plant Field Speedway was 1/2 mile dirt oval located at the Tampa U. Athletic Field, built in 1921, ran until 1942. Again from '46 to 1980. And it seemed to have relocated twice/maybe once. I don't think this was the old Tampa Fairgrounds Raceway, but who knows?

[AB195]

Fort Pierce Florida had two Raceways.

Treasure Coast Raceway on Angle Road, a big 1/4 mile asphalt oval which still stand today, mostly,(1958 to 1974)---
And Gold Coast Speedway, another 1/4 mile asphalt track built in 1957, ran until 1967.

Anybody seen these two? I have seen on the first one, but cannot locate the second one. Where was it at?

[ronabneysr]

i ain't gonna tell how old some one is but daniel keene

use to race when he was a young man at plant field i remember getting tangled up with him and he went cross ways wide open tru back straight a way wall i thought it would kill him and he got stopped just before he went under a truck in middle of in field some of drivers i remember that day natz peters - rw gleen spookie whittle don abney me ron abney and the other twenty five drivers i can't remember

but remember buzz barton was working down on track would roll 55 gallon drum painted yellow and stand behind it in middle of track to line up cars till some one ran over the barell and he got back up in stands

man that was nice track i think it had covered stands man wouldn't racing fun back then with pete folse -ponco alverez here it goes again forgetting them names again

one thing i can honestly say i have never regreted ever going to my first race i have gotten a lot of pleasure out of it and still in my older years i love it as much today as i did the first day i walked into a race track --- some times it is very painful when a driver gets hurt or -------- and when they are in your family you never get over it no matter how manny years go by

rest in peace DENNIS ABNEY died at lakeland speedway at the age of 21 we will never stop loving or missing you

[Boneman]

The University of Tampa stadium and athletic field are the same place. There is a very nice monument near the field that tells of the racing heritage of that site.

[Jimmy McKinley]

And Plant Field Speedway was 1/2 mile dirt oval located at the Tampa U. Athletic Field, built in 1921, ran until 1942. Again from '46 to 1980. And it seemed to have relocated twice/maybe once. I don't think this was the old Tampa Fairgrounds Raceway, but who knows?

There was a 1/2 mile dirt at the State Fairgrounds, where the Ford Amphitheater now stands. Right at the intersection of I-4 and 301. I remember the ONE night we went there; State Troopers were getting people and cars off of the 92/Hillsborough Ave exit ramp behind turn three all night long. The ramp was just high enough to see over the backstretch fence/wall/billboards. And I wanna say it was 1981 we went, because Buzzie had built our Dillon chassis asphalt car that year, and Golden Gate hadn't yet reopened (it would reopen in June of that year); we went to the Fairgrounds on a Friday night, and ran at St. Pete the next night.

There is NO sign of the speedway left. I do know they also ran GTP/sports cars at the Fairgrounds, but I believe they only ran once in the early or mid-90s.

[tccaz]

Treasure Coast Raceway

Treasure Coast is mostly still there Mayflower moving and storage took out most of the fourth turn and front stretch to put in the storage facility. I have been here since 61 and the only other race track that I know of here was on Orange Ave which now would be close to 95 I don't ever remember it being open, it was closed when we moved here, the only track I ever went to was off Angle Rd. Where are you getting this info as I would like to read some of this history myself.

[ancrdave]

Here's an old postcard shot of Plant Field...