Would make for a fantastic gift for Father’s Day. Dad would be stoked to hang this up in his garage or workshop. He will wonder where you got such a cool poster, your answer …..Speedway Posters….of course. We have so many posters many different events and  times . Over 100 prints available.

Free Shipping on poster orders of $30 or more thru the Amazon WebStore

• Click here to buy the 1975 Hoosier Sprint Car Racing Program Poster Print in the Amazon WebStore
• Click here to buy the 1975 Hoosier Sprint Car Racing Program Poster Print in the eBay Store

1975 Hoosier Sprint Car Racing Program Poster Print

1975 Calistoga California Sprint Car Racing Poster Print

• click here to buy the 1975 Calistoga Sprint Car Racing Poster Print in the Amazon WebStore
• click here to buy the 1975 Calistoga Sprint Car Racing Poster Print in the eBay Store

In 1937, as the Model A was dominating America’s roadways when a promoter with the colorful nickname of “Fancy Pants” came to Calistoga with a ‘fancy’ idea.  He believed the town’s horse racing track was ideal for another kind of horsepower.  He persuaded the town’s leaders to promote a car race on the Napa County Fairgrounds.  About a dozen cars showed up for an afternoon of hippodrome-style speed exhibitions.  It was the beginning of a tradition that has endured for over 70 years.

Except for the years of World War II, when all racing in the nation was put on hold to conserve fuel and rubber, Calistoga Speedway has hosted open-wheel race cars.  From spindly wire-wheeled wonders with four-cylinder engines to midgets and the V-8 powered, winged and modern sprint cars of today, Calistoga’s first racing heroes were family names that are still found in the Napa Valley, such as Figone, Normi, and Pacheteau.

The first races were sanctioned by the Bay Cities Roadster Racing Association and later the American Racing Association.  The track hit its stride as a racing destination under the nurturing hand of another well-known Calistogan, Louie Vermeil, owner of the former Owl Garage on Washington Street, whose association with the track spanned over 40 years.  Initially, he was a mechanic and later a car owner.  By 1960, Vermeil and others had formed the Northern Auto Racing Club, now known as the Golden State Challenge Series, to boost the professionalism of sprint car racing.  For the next 25 years, Calistoga Speedway was known as the “home” of the Northern Auto Racing Club while Vermeil presided as president.

Some things have changed over the years.  Admission price in the early years was a mere 55 cents.  The fastest cars of the hippodrome days took more than 30 seconds to turn a lap on the half-mile oval.  To be sure, they were daring speeds at the time in rough cars with narrow tires.  But they seem tortoise-like compared to speeds of modern sprint cars, which rocket down the long straightaways twice as fast at more than 120 miles an hour.

Over the years, Calistoga Speedway has hosted some of the best drivers of their eras.  Indy car veterans Jim Hurtubise, Bob Veith, Freddie Agabasion (’52 Indy pole winner), and Earl Motter raced here in the ’50s and ’60s.  Some of the best race car drivers of the next generation took their place, including 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser and Tony Stewart, who has gone on to win championships in the United States Auto Club, the Indy Racing League, and NASCAR stock cars.  Many of the drivers on the track’s all-time win list became nationally known for their talent, even if they raced primarily in Northern California, as the track gained a reputation for requiring the best effort of the area’s best drivers in order to win.

Today, Calistoga Speedway continues its tradition of presenting special events for some of the region’s most competitive racing series, including the winged sprint cars of the traveling Civil War and Golden State Challenge series and the traditional sprint cars and midgets of the United States Auto Club.

by Bill Sessa

1931 Legion Ascot Speedway Poster Print. This print measures 17 inches wide x 22 inches tall. 1924-1936

1931 Legion Ascot Speedway Poster Print

• Click here to buy the 1931 Legion Ascot Speedway Poster Print in the Amazon WebStore
• Click here to buy the 1931 Legion Ascot Speedway Poster Print in the eBay Store

Los Angeles, California….Technically not in Lincoln Heights but should be noted for its proximity and historical importance. It opened in 1924, and met its demise after the main grandstand burned in 1936.

The racetrack was located along Soto Street from Valley Blvd. to Multnomah St. Now Multnomah Elementary School and a housing tract is built on top the racetrack.

The five-eighths mile Ascot Speedway began life as the New Ascot Speedway on January 20, 1924. The banked oval that was originally dirt but constant applications of road oil soon produced a surface that was similar to pavement. The cars that raced at Ascot throughout the years were the ancestors of what we today call “sprint cars”.

From 1924 to 1927 the track was only moderately successful under the promotion of several groups. In 1928 the Glendale American Legion Post took over the promotion and brought in the cars and drivers of the American Automobile Association (AAA). The AAA was the leading racing organization in the country and controlled all the major speedways including Indianapolis. The soon to be legendary Legion Ascot Speedway was born!

The hard working Legionnaires did an excellent job of race promotion and soon crowds of 10,000 and more were flocking to races held on Sundays in the winter and under the lights on Wednesday nights. The big crowds brought big purses and torrid competition.

The races attracted the best drivers in the country and Legion Ascot was creating its own stars. Men like Bill Cummings, Al Gordon, Ernie Triplett, Kelly Petillo, Wilbur Shaw and Rex Mays tangled in hard fought and crowd pleasing races. Winning a feature race at Legion Ascot could pay up to $800—a figure that would come close to buying a house in Los Angeles in the 1920s and ’30s.

Legion Ascot, at a time when top movie celebrities had their pictures taken with their racing heroes.

Movie stars rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous and served in honorary capacities…..they sought the honor.

The track became Ascot Motor Speedway and racing continued. On January 25, 1936 the final tragedy struck during a race for two man Indianapolis cars as Al Gordon and riding mechanic Spider Matlock were both killed in a crash.

Need Unlimited photo storage- FREE Trial of Smugmug

     1983 Hoosier Hundred Sprint Car Racing Program Poster Print. Measures 22 inches wide x 17 inches tall . Not too many poster from the 80′s , but here is one. It is from September 10, 1983, the Hoosier Hundred which took place at the  Indiana State Fairgrounds. Offset printed on some really nice super heavy stock paper. Very awesome quality reproduction.

     Mother’s Day is this weekend, and next on the calendar is Father’s Day. This Father’s Day plan ahead and get him a cool poster, you know he will love it. Dad can hang it up in the garage or the workshop.  The LA Roadster should be fun this year speaking of Father’s Day. 

     The Amazon WebStore still has free shipping on orders over $30, so that means you get a sweet deal when you buy more than one.

1983 Hoosier Hundred Sprint Car Racing Program Poster Print

• Click here to buy the 1983 Hoosier Hundred Sprint Car Racing Program Poster Print in the Amazon WebStore
• Click here to buy the 1983 Hoosier Hundred Sprint Car Racing Program Poster Print in the eBay Store

Need Unlimited photo storage- FREE Trial of Smugmug

     Sprint Car racing prints are going pretty well these days. The Midget Racing ones are going faster than most other types or program posters I have. This Ascot Program poster is pretty cool,  An awesome action shot for cover art work. “Johnnie Parsons Presents …..” California racing Association Big Car Races.

     The 50′s and 60s’ was a great era for racing. 

1964 Ascot Sprint Car / Big Car Racing Program Poster Print. Measures 22 inches wide x 17 inches tall. Set your clock back, ….back to July 29, 1964. Now the setting is Ascot in  Gardena, California. The Big Car races, this is an awesome program print. A retro reproduction poster from the 60′s. 

1964 Ascot Sprint Car / Big Car Racing Program Poster Print

• Click here to buy the 1964 Ascot Sprint Car / Big Car Racing Program Poster Print in the Amazon WebStore
• Click here to buy the 1964 Ascot Sprint Car / Big Car Racing Program Poster Print in the ebay Store

1969 Calistoga Sprint Car Napa Valley Racing Poster Print. Measures 17 inches wide x 22 inches tall. Napa Valley Fair Association. Championship Big Car Races. 1080 South Main, St Helena. 

A fantastic reproduction poster print from 1969. An Awesome Sprint Car Racing print. Very rare and hard to find poster print. 

Promo running this year is buy 2 or more poster prints and get “free shipping” when purchased thru the Amazon WebStore. 

• Click here to buy the 1969 Calistoga Sprint Car Napa Valley Racing Poster Print in the Amazon WebStore
• Click here to buy the 1969 Calistoga Sprint Car Napa Valley Racing Poster Print in the eBay Store

1966 Manzanita Speedway Sprint Car Racing Poster Print. This awesome reproduction print measures 17 inches wide x 22 inches tall. Location: Phoenix, Arizona.

• Click here to buy one in my Amazon WebStore
• Click here to buy one in my eBay Store