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Charlotte Speedway (board track)

Coordinates: 35°05′53″N 80°53′17″W / 35.098°N 80.888°W / 35.098; -80.888
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Charlotte Speedway
LocationPineville, North Carolina
Coordinates35°05′53″N 80°53′17″W / 35.098°N 80.888°W / 35.098; -80.888
OpenedOctober 25, 1924
ClosedSeptember 19, 1927
Construction cost$380,000
Major eventsAAA Champ Car
Oval
SurfaceWood
Length1.25 miles (2.01 km)
Banking40°

Charlotte Speedway was a wooden board track in Pineville, North Carolina, near Charlotte. It operated from 1924 to 1927,[1] hosting AAA national championship trail races.[2]

History

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Financed by local businessmen, the speedway cost $380,000. Nearly 30,000 spectators attended the inaugural event in October 1924, which was won by Tommy Milton.[1] A fatal accident had occurred in practice for the 250-mile race when Ernie Ansterburg lost control of his car at 106 miles per hour (171 km/h).[3]

The May 1925 event drew 55,000 people, but attendance figures had dwindled to 7,500 by November 1926[1] when the AAA national championship trail visited the track for the third time that season.[2][4] The final races were held in September 1927.[1][2] Today, the Southland Industrial Park is situated at the former site of the racing plant, which Charlotte Motor Speedway has replaced as the area's predominant racing venue.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Moxley, Christopher (September 21, 2018). "Fact Friday 166 – The original Charlotte Speedway". 704 Shop. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16.
  2. ^ a b c "Charlotte Speedway". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-03.
  3. ^ "Auto driver is killed on new Charlotte track". The Spartanburg Herald. October 17, 1924.
  4. ^ "Charlotte board track 1926". First Super Speedway. Archived from the original on 2019-11-04.