Dayton Speedway

History

• 1933 - A "Kids Race" was held in September 1933.
• 1934 - The Official opening of the track was Sunday, June 3, 1934.
• 1934-1935 - The Speedway Manager was Paul Ackerman.
• 1936 - On June 4, 1936, the entire track was repaved with asphalt and promised to be the fastest track of its design in the world.
• 1937 - Track was purchased by Frank Funk.
• 1939 - The track was converted to a high-banked 1/2 mile.
• late 1930s - 1970 - Covered grandstands were added.
• 1940s - Billboards on the backstretch began to be displayed.
• 1941-1945 - Closed during WWII.
• 1946 - Reopened after World War II on Friday, June 29, 1946, with the first “Big Car” race ever held
• 1947-1954 - The track infield was 1/4 mile.
• 1949 - Sold in 1949.
• 1949-1958 - It had a single white guardrail.
• 1949?-1954? - The track had a wooden scoring / announcers stand.
• 1950 - It had a single "Strap" Guardrail.
• 1951/52 - Track was converted to rounded guardrails.
• 1952 - Sprint car driver Gordon Ried was killed in a gruesome crash on the frontstretch that also killed three spectators and injured many others.
• Later that year, Jim Rigsby was killed when his car made contact with another car and was launched off the turn 3 banking over 20 feet in the air, landing in a cabbage field 200 feet from the track.
• 1953 - First Dayton 500 was won by Iggy Katona.
• 1954 - Track site was used for a concert by "The Drifters" on August 7, 1954.
• 1955 - The infield track was 3/8 mile.
• 1955 - Jim Romine Olds photo shows bridge
• 1960s - Harlan Fengler era
• 1969 - Black and white stripes were used on the guardrails.
• 1970 - Covered grandstands in photos.
• 1971-1974 - Closed but the track was used for testing.
• 1975 - A new grandstand was built with new owner
• 1976-1978 - Closed but the track was used for testing.
• 1979 - Don Thompson era.
• 1982 - Front of the Concession Stand near turn one nearly collapsed between races one Sunday.
• 1982 - Closed at the end of season due to no liability insurance.
• 1984 - Still for sale.
• 1986 - Still for sale.
• Mid 1980s - The track began use as a landfill, eventually refuse filled the infield to the pavement on the straights. The site was then filled with clay and the track no longer exists.