A little automotive history

[blacksheep-1]

Anyone ever hear of board tracks? Think of old school bowling alleys with the board on their ends instead of flat, now think of a 1.5 mile banked oval made like that, now think of running 150mph on it,
in 1929.

Frank Lockhart 147.7 in 1926

ATLANTIC CITY SPEEDWAY

The Atlantic City Speedway was a 1.5 mile, 50' wide high banked board oval, The track was built in 1926 on land owned by Amatol company, and hosted eight American Automobile Association sanctioned...

www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Watched that same show and it was amazing, but thanks for digging up some close up old photos, as it is much more dramatic and death defying in these shots. Never realized the spectators were sooooooo close. Good find my friend.

 

[Dave_W]

I've heard of them. Then again, I've heard of Ray Harroun, Barney Oldfield, Harry Hartz, and Wilbur Shaw.

@Bill Pemberton - what was the show you saw? I found this with some googling -

 

[blacksheep-1]

I've heard of them. Then again, I've heard of Ray Harroun, Barney Oldfield, Harry Hartz, and Wilbur Shaw.

@Bill Pemberton - what was the show you saw? I found this with some googling -

If you watch this movie, a lot of those guys are in it, they did a bunch of cameos.

 

[blacksheep-1]

I was asked about my favorite racing movies, no one remembers the Big Wheel, but it was a classic for its time, the other movie people forget is "Winning" another classic around 1968.
of course there is Gran Prix and LeMans but they are more popular, the modern stuff is crap. except the one about Lauda

 

[barstowpo]

Don't forget the movie To Please a Lady.

 

[Fat Boss]

I'm familiar with board tracks, but I was indoctrinated young. My dad's a former National President of the Horseless Carriage Club of America.

 

[Dave_W]

If you watch this movie, a lot of those guys are in it, they did a bunch of cameos.

I'm pretty sure I saw that at some point but had forgotten about it.

The Crowd Roars (1932) with James Cagney has a lot of vintage racing footage, including Indy 500 and many driver cameos, along with some inside jokes. There are a couple scenes at Tom Beal's lunch stand that used to be in Gasoline Alley, and one involves a poster of the odds of various drivers to win. A driver at the lunch counter asks why he's not on it, and the owner says something like, "If you get faster, you might get on it." The driver is Louis Schnieder, who won the Indy 500 the previous year.

 

[blacksheep-1]

I'm pretty sure I saw that at some point but had forgotten about it.

The Crowd Roars (1932) with James Cagney has a lot of vintage racing footage, including Indy 500 and many driver cameos, along with some inside jokes. There are a couple scenes at Tom Beal's lunch stand that used to be in Gasoline Alley, and one involves a poster of the odds of various drivers to win. A driver at the lunch counter asks why he's not on it, and the owner says something like, "If you get faster, you might get on it." The driver is Louis Schnieder, who won the Indy 500 the previous year.

great stuff!

 

[PaddyPrix]

They had one in Los Angeles as early as 1910, and like ACS, pretty sure NASCAR went and f****d that up too. Didn't go 150 though, probably the technology's fault moreso than the track.

Several long lost Southern California race tracks were the first in the world

An examination of race tracks since 1910 reveals many firsts in Southern California.

www.ocregister.com

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Well the positives were unlike Riverside, when they tore up this track they had plenty of materials to build the new homes in the area, ha. Crazy how close the spectators were to the cars roaring by!

 

[Voodoo Stoned]

Ah, the value of land in LA - supposedly that is what doomed the Culver 1 and 2 tracks, and Beverly Hills too. Surprise surprise.

The Historic Culver City Racing Scene – Culver City Historical Society