Location | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
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Coordinates | 30°18′05″N 81°44′42″W / 30.301316°N 81.745083°W |
Capacity | ~5,000 |
Opened | 1947 |
Closed | 1973 |
Major events | None (defunct) |
Dirt oval track | |
Length | 0.500 miles (0.805 km) |
Speedway Park was a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) dirt, oval, auto racing track, located in Jacksonville, Florida. [1]
It was built in 1946 by Eddie Bland on land belonging to the family farm and later came to be known as Jacksonville Speedway after it was sold in 1954. [2]
Opened in 1947, the track was located at the intersection of Lenox Avenue and Plymouth Street in southwest Jacksonville.[3] NASCAR Grand National Series races were held at the track during the 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1961 and 1964 seasons.[4] The final Grand National Series race at the track was won by Wendell Scott, the first African-American to win in NASCAR's top series.[5]
In addition to auto racing, the track hosted the Duval County Exposition.[6] The NASCAR Grand American Series also competed there.[7] After a final NASCAR Grand National East Series race in 1972 won by David Pearson,[4] the track was closed in 1973; a housing development now stands at the site.[8]