Speedway Posters

50 years ago … … July 9, 1960 … …  Balboa Stadium San Diego California.

1960 Balboa Stadium San Diego California Poster Print

Balboa Stadium was one of the hotbeds of midget racing starting in about 1937 until the early 1950s (except for the war years). When interest in midget racing started waning, jalopies became popular. The San Diego Racing Association was formed in 1953 and started sanctioning the racing. By 1958 the San Diego Racing Assn had transformed from a jalopy association to more sleek modified sportsman (the forerunners of today’s super modifieds). Jalopy champions of the SDRA at Balboa included Glen Hoagland (1953), Jim Wood (1954), Jack Krogh (1955), Harris Mills (1956), Don Ray (1957), and Mondo Iavelli (1958). Don Thomas (1957) was the inaugural modified champion with Art Pratt being a three time titlest (1958 – 1959 – 1960). Rip Erikson took the honors in the 1961 season that was split between Balboa Stadium and Cajon Speedway. Also holding events at Balboa Stadium during the 1950s were occasional visits by the URA midgets and the NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Models. During the 1950s it was not unusual for more than 10,000 fans to attend a weekly show at Balboa.

Auto racing took place on a 1/4 mile dirt track in Balboa Stadium from about 1937 through July 4, 1961 when the racing stopped so the facility could be used for pro football.

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49 years ago today . July 8, 1961… the place …. Connecticut Dragway. An awesome reproduction poster print. This poster measures 13 inches wide x 20 inches tall.

1961 Connecticut Dragway Poster Print

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This retro poster print is one of four prints of Gilmore Oil .Gilmore Oil –What began as a farmers market and grew to be a successful dairy farm, resulted in Arthur Fremont Gilmore striking oil at the turn of the century in Los Angeles, California. The Gilmore family took their fortune and became very active in the community, constructing Gilmore Stadium in 1934 with the very first race track specifically designed for midget racers.

This reproduction poster print from 1937 measures 15.5 inches wide x 21.5 inches tall. Makes for a great gift.

1937 Gilmore Red Lion Oil Co. Advertisement Poster Print

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1952 Yakima Speedway Poster Print

This poster comes from the great NorthWest of the United States of America . Yakima Washington, 1952 Yakima Speedway Poster Print. This reproduction print measures 17 inches wide x 22 inches tall. Two posters from this track, a ’52 and a ’53 print.

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1934 Syracuse New York State Fair Grounds Racing Poster Print

June 25……….. 1934 ! Syracuse, New York @ the New York State Fairgrounds. An awesome reproduction racing poster print. This print measures 17 inches wide x 22 inches tall.  1934 Syracuse New York State Fair Grounds Racing Poster Print.

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1966 Oakland Indoor Midget Racing Poster Print

1966 Oakland Midget Racing Poster Print.  Measures 17 inches wide x 22 inches tall. This reproduction poster is from 1966 Oakland , California. Bob Barkhimer Associates Inc. presents 1966 Pacific Coast Indoor Championships Midget Auto Races. Sanctioned by BCRA. Oakland Exposition Building.

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1926 Tropical Island Speedway Poster Print

In 1925, Carl Fisher (who built the Indianapolis Speedway in 1909) was developing Miami Beach and envisioned this area as the winter auto racing capital of the world.  He built the world’s fastest 1-1/4 mile “boardtrack” (a wooden, oval race track). The outstanding features of the track were the 50 degree banked turns. Turns banked this steep required a speed of at least 110 miles per hour to keep the race car from sliding down into the infield.  The turns at today’s Daytona International Speedway are banked at only 32 degrees. In 1926, the Fulford-Miami Speedway held its first and only racing event attracting a crowd of 20,000 spectators, some of whom paid up to $15 for a box seat.  It was located at the northern end of Flagler Boulevard (NE 19th Avenue) in today’s Sky Lake neighborhood before being demolished in the hurricane of 1926.?

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Ralph Hepburn 1926 Tropical Island Speedway Miami Florida

Fulford-Miami Speedway. Ralph Hepburn has just won the pole for the February 22, 1926 300-mile race with a lap of 141.90mph. The car is a Miller Straight Eight. Barney Oldfield is on the left. Built by Carl Fisher (of Indianapolis Speedway fame), the 1-1/4 mile (with 50 degree banking!) Fulford-Miami Speedway  held only one race—the track was destroyed by a hurricane in September of 1926. Al Powell Collection.

View of Fulford-Miami Speedway from the crowd

This 1-1/4 mile board track was designed by Ray Harround and built for developer Carl Fisher in 1925. The AAA sanctioned race with a $30,000 purse was run before 20,000 people.  It was the world’s fastest wooden track due to the 50 degree banked turns.