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History of Massachusetts Motorsports

 

As difficult as it is to believe today, Massachusetts actually has a long history of motor racing as evidenced by the 60+ tracks that operated in this state at one time or another in the last century. 

 

Massachusetts - Former (and one current) Race Tracks

Author: mod134 (Jul 5 2007, 09:48 AM) Orig here.


1. Alumni Field – Lowell
1/5 mile dirt oval (6/20/38 – 9/29/41)
On Rogers Street
Site status: unknown

2. Athol Fairgrounds – Athol
½ mile dirt oval (c. 1937 – 7/04/41) (1947)
Site status: unknown

3. Baylies Stadium – New Bedford
1/3 mile paved oval (6/05/1940 – 9/10/41)
1/5 mile dirt oval (1948 – 4/18/1949)
Motorcycles 1948 (aka: Cawley Stadium)
On Coggeshill Street
Torn down in December 1949
Now part of I-195

4. Bellingham – Bellingham
1.5 mile dirt oval (1949 )
The track was dirt for the first race
1/5 mile paved oval (1949-1951) (1953)
Site became an ice cream parlor (still operating?)
Site status: unknown

5. Beverly Airport – Danvers
2.6 mile paved road course (7/05/55 – 1956)
Site status: unknown

6. Boston Gardens – Boston
1/10 mile indoor dirt oval (12/10/36 – 12/17/36) (2/04/37 – 2/25/37)
1/10 mile flat indoor wood oval (1/14/37) – possibly outdoor track
1/10 mile banked indoor wood oval (11/11/37 – 1/27/38)
Site is now the TD Banknorth Garden and a government building

7. Bridgewater Grange Park –Bridgewater
½ mile dirt oval (7/04/36)
Site status: unknown

8. Brockton Fairgrounds – Brockton
Located west of town on State Route 123
½ mile dirt oval (early 1920s) (1927 – c. 9/13/41)
1/5 mile dirt oval (late 1940s’)
The tracks were torn out in 1973
The grandstands was destroyed by fire in 1936
Ran IMCA springs in 1920’s
Reportedly had 94,000 fans for AAA big car race here in 1934
1/2 mile track still exists and runs motorcycle races occasionally

9. Cambridge Fairgrounds – Cambridge
½ mile dirt oval (c. 1935 – 8/19/39)
Site status: unknown

10. Charles River Park – Cambridge
1/3 mile dirt oval (November, 1898)
The race was won by a Stanley Steamer
Site status: unknown

11. Chatham Speedway – Chatham
1/5 mile dirt oval (mid-1970’s)
1/5 mile paved oval (1977)
Site status: unknown

12. Dracut Speedway – Dracut
Ό mile paved oval (6/03/1946 – 1955)
The track was built and promoted by Alex Beloit
Located at the corner of Loon Hill Road & Broadway St. (Rt. 113)
Site is currently a field and some buildings; land recently sold to become a strip mall.

13. Eastern State Expo Coliseum – West Springfield
At the Eastern States Expo
1/10 mile indoor dirt oval (3/04/94 – 3/05/94)
Ran Mini-Sprints
Building still exists at the Big E

14. Eastern States Expo Speedway – West Springfield
At the Eastern States Expo
½ mile dirt oval (c. 1917 – c. 9/20/41)
Ran IMCA big cars in the 1920’s
Ran AAA big cars in the 1930’s
U.S. Army used site during World War II
5/8 mile dirt oval (9/19/47 – 9/20/52)
The fair started in 1912
5/8 mile paved oval (9/25/53 – 1968)
Site redeveloped with buildings

15. Evergreen Speedway – New Bedford
½ mile dirt oval (c. 5/30/39 – c.1940)
The site is now the New Bedford Airport

16. Fall River Speedway – Fall River
(aka: Bigberry Stadium)
Ό mile dirt oval (6/09/39 – 7/24/42)
The site later became a playground
Site status: unknown

17. Golden Cove Race Track – Chelmsford
½ mile dirt oval (9/21/35)
One race only
Site status: unknown

18. Great Barrington
½ mile dirt oval (c. 10/03/36 – c. 1941) (9/22/46)
Horse Track (still exists on Main St. near Silver st., across from Mahaiwe Cemetary)

19. Horace Mann Speedway – Franklin
(aka: New Franklin Speedway)
½ mile dirt oval (7/04/40 – c. 10/12/40) (9/02/46)
1/5 mile paved oval (5/30/41 – 7/30/42)
Formerly a horse track
The site is now a shopping plaza on Route 140
Site status: unknown

20. Hyannis Port
1.0-mile dirt (sand) oval road course (5/12/35)
Raced on the sand dunes
Site status: unknown

21. Interstate Speedway Park – South Attleboro
½ mile dirt oval (1922 – c. 1924) (c. 1933 – Sept. 1936) (4/19/38)
(aka: Attleboro Speedway)
The site is now a shopping center
Site status: unknown

22. Lakeville Speedway – Lakeville
Probably was Massachusetts’ last dirt track
½ mile dirt oval (late 1920’s) (1938) (10/19/41 – 11/11/41) (c. 1946) (c. 1964 – 1975)
(aka: Camp Joe Hooker) (aka: Middleboro Fairgrounds)
Named after Gen. Joe Hooker when it was a horse training Army camp
(aka: Golden Spur Speedway)
Located near Middleboro
Track layout still visible

23. Lawson Speedway – Scituate
Dirt oval – 1920’s
Site status: unknown

24. Lowell - 10.6 mile city street road course (1907 – 9/08/09) (Sept. 1912)
(aka: Merrimack Valley Course)
Ran AAA champ cars

25. Lynn – dirt oval (1932)
Site status: unknown

26. Marlborough – ½ mile dirt oval (1934 – 11/11/35)
Site status: unknown

27. Marshfield Fairgrounds – Marshfield
½ mile dirt oval (1933 – 8/25/34) (7/04/36)
Site status: unknown

28. Marstons Mills
Paved city street road course (6/29/35)
Site status: unknown

29. Medford Bowl – Medford
Ό mile paved oval (9/07/46 – 1954)
Located on Revere Beach Parkway
(aka: Mystic Valley Speedway)
The site was to become a drive-in theater, but was turned down by council
Site is now an office building

30. Mohawk Stadium – Lunenberg – oval (c.6/25/48 – c.1949)
The site later became a drive-in theater
Site today is the Tri-Town Drive-In Theater, which may be in its last year and is set to become an apartment complex.

31. New Bedford – Ό mile paved dragstrip (c. 1957)
Located at the airport

32. Northampton Fairgrounds – Northampton
Located at the Three Co. Fairgrounds
½ mile dirt oval (1933 – 9/07/41)
(aka: Driving Park)
A horse track (still exists, on Fair St. near I-91)
Horse racing ended with the 2005 fair. 2006 fair was the first without horse racing in 50+ yrs.
[Long-term track status: uncertain]

33. Norwood Arena – Norwood
Ό mile paved oval (6/14/48 – 1972)
Johnny Bernardi was the first winner
Raced on 5/31/48 & 6/07/48 were rainouts
Pete Hamilton started his career here
Dave Dion was the last Late Model champion
Site now an industrial park [Near the Boch dealerships] Looking for the name of the industrial park.

34. Orange Dragstrip – Orange (Fitchburg)
Ό mile paved dragstrip (1954 – c. 1970s)
Site status: unknown
 

35. Oxford Fairgrounds – Oxford
½ mile dirt oval (1930’s)
Maybe located at the Sturbridge Fair
Site status: unknown

36. Pynchon Park – Springfield
1/5 mile dirt oval (5/22/37)
Former site of League Park; Pynchon (aka: Hampden Park) was home of the Springfield Rifles/Giants/Cubs/Nationals minor-league baseball team.
Destroyed in 1966 by fire
Located next to the North End Bridge. Site of the Hilltop Steak House today.

37. Radio Bowl – Medford
1/3 mile paved oval (8/17/41 – c. 8/31/41)
Ό mile paved oval (6/10/41 – 9/23/41)
Site status: unknown

38. Readville – Boston (Hyde Park)
mile dirt oval (1902 – 5/31/37)
Ralph DePalma won his first ever race here in 1908
Ran IMCA in 1915
Also Ran AAA big cars
Originally built as a horse track
Used by the government as a landing strip during World War II
Destroyed by the hurricane in 1938
Actually located near Hyde Park
Site status: unknown

39. Rhythm Inn Speedway – Millers Falls
1/3 mile dirt oval (5/25/51 c. 1959)
Track layout is visible in the woods

40. Riverside Park – Medford
1/5 mile dirt oval (1937)
Ό mile dirt oval (6/22/38 – 9/21/39)
Ran Midgets
Site status: unknown

41. Riverside Park Speedway – Agawam
1/5 mile paved oval (6/02/48 - 1972)
Ό mile paved oval (1972-1985)
Ό mile high-banked paved oval (1986 – present)
Site is now the Superman: Ride of Steel roller coaster

42. Rockdale Park – Peabody
½ mile dirt oval (7/03/30 & 9/01/30)
Was a harness track that opened in 1925
Site is now housing development
Site status: unknown Seeking name/address of the housing development

43. Rockland Speedway – Rockland
Ό mile dirt oval (c. 7/13/40 – c. 7/20/40)
Site status: unknown

44. Round the Houses – Edgartown (Martha’s Vineyard)
Street road course (1935)
Site status: unknown

45. Saugus
1.25 mile dirt oval (1931)
Ran one AAA race
Site status: unknown

46. Saugus
Ό mile dirt oval (1946 – c. 1958)
Site status: unknown

47. Seekonk Speedway – Seekonk
Ό mile paved oval (5/30/46 – 1979)
First race was a Bay State Midget Racing Association won by Oscar Ridlon
Held the first NEMA midget race here on 5/30/53
Also Modifieds here
1/3 mile paved oval (1980 - present)
(aka: The Cement Palace – unofficial)
Owned and promoted by D. Anthony Venditti
Still run by his family
D. Anthony was the 1978 RPM Promoter of the Year
Only operational race track left in Massachusetts

48. Springfield
1/3 mile wood oval (October, 1909)
Built by Jack Prince
The corners were banked at 48 degrees
Ran motorcycles only
Site status: unknown

49. Sturbridge Fairgrounds – Sturbridge
½ mile dirt oval (c. 9/05/36* – c. 5/30/40) *possibly as early as 1922
The race track was almost opposite what is now the entry road from Route 20 Old Sturbridge Village.

50. The Pines Speedway – Groveland
Located at an old amusement park
1/5 mile dirt oval (8/29/40 – 10/09/41) (August, 1946 – c. 1946)
Ό mile paved oval (c. 1947 - 1971)
(aka: The Pines Midget Speedway)
Site is now a recreation area

http://www.thePinesSpeedway.com

51. Topsfield Fairgrounds – Topsfield
1/5 mile dirt oval (7/29/37 – 9/10/41)
½ mile dirt oval (9/10/33 – 7/04/41) (5/30/46 – 1950’s)
Site status: unknown

52. Wayland Circuit – Wayland
mile dirt road course (10/07/34 – 11/17/35)
Site status: unknown

53. Warr Park – Wareham
½ mile dirt oval (c. 1926)
Site status: unknown

54. West Peabody Speedway – West Peabody
Site is now a high school running track
Ό mile paved oval (1946 – c. 1963)
Which high school?

55. West Roxbury Speedway – Boston (West Roxbury)
½ mile dirt oval (1936)
West Springfield Speedway – West Springfield
Former dog track on Memorial Avenue
Ό mile paved oval (7/21/39 – 5/16/42) (4/27/46 –1958)
A fire destroyed the grandstands on 1/05/47
(aka: Century Stadium)
(aka: New Springfield Speedway)
Now site Century Center Shopping Plaza

56. Westboro Speedway – Westborough
Ό mile paved oval (8/05/47 – 9/14/85)
The property now site of the Speedway Mall

57. Westborough
Ό mile drag strip (c. 1957)
Possibly didn’t run
Site status: unknown

58. Westover Air Force Base – Springfield
Paved road course on runways (2/03/54)

59. Weymouth Fairgrounds – Weymouth
½ mile dirt oval (c.5/30/36 – 10/13/41)
Site status: unknown

60. Whitney Lake
1/3 mile ice oval (2/07/54 – c. 1954)
Site status: unknown

61. Worcester Fairgrounds – Worcester
Located at the New England Fairgrounds
½ mile dirt oval (c. 1920 – c. 10/12/35)
Site status: unknown

 

Aerial Photos of locations of a few tracks:

Alumni Field - Rebuilt in 1996 and seats 4,000 fans.


Baylies Stadium
Located on Coggeshall St. (#2) "in an area now partially taken up by Interstate 195 near Washburn Street (#1)."
As a midget and motorcycle track, it operated under 2 names: Baylies Stadium (1940-41) and John Cawley Memorial Stadium (1948-49) [The Standard Times 05/23/04 by Todd Baptista]


Beverly Airport


Boston Garden



Brockton Fair


Dracut Speedway


Eastern States Coliseum


Eastern States Expo


Evergreen Speedway (Now New Bedford Airport)


Fall River Speedway


Golden Cove Race Track
A dirt half-mile northeast of Chelmsford, Mass. Only racing was in 1935. The track faced northwest to southeast. The highway in the photo goes through the middle of where the track rested. The north turns were against the railroad tracks.


Great Barrington




Horace Mann Speedway
Named for the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Mann.
A dirt half-mile and an asphalt fifth-mile were at this Franklin, Mass. location. Track closed in 1942. The upper turns of the track would have been about midway through the mall and the lower turns in the housing development.

Lakeville Speedway


Weymouth Fairgrounds
Then

Now

 

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