Seminole Speedway was a dirt oval racetrack, located in

Casselberry, Florida Casselberry is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,241 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Casselberry is located at . Accordin ...

(near Orlando in central Florida), that opened in 1945 and hosted some of the first

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

events following the end of World War II. Roy Hall, Red Byron, and Fireball Roberts were known for competing at the racetrack. Seminole Speedway closed in the mid-1950s and was eventually redeveloped as a residential

subdivision Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rus ...

History

Developed by a group of local investors and promoted by

Bill France, Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992), also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill, was an American businessman and racing driver. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based stock ...

, who would later become the founder of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), Seminole Speedway was a quarter-mile (0.4-kilometer) dirt oval track, located in

, near Orlando,Thompson 2006, p. 179 and held its first racing event on December 2, 1945, with Roy Hall beating France in the track's inaugural event. The track hosted the 1945 season finale for the Southeastern States Championship. A one-mile (1.6-kilometer) track was opened at the site in 1946. Red Byron, who would go on to become the first champion in NASCAR's premier series in 1949, won his first stock car event following World War Two at the track, beating Hall, France, and others, driving a Raymond Parks-owned car in February 1946. It was the first race that Byron had entered after 27 months of rehabilitation following being injured by flak as a tail gunner in a

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

during the war. In addition to stock car racing, motorcycle events were held at the track; the 1947 Florida All-Star Motorcycle Races saw a 72-bike starting field and had a $1,500 purse for the event. Racing events continued at Seminole Speedway during the remainder of the 1940s and into the 1950s. Local driver Fireball Roberts competed regularly at the track in both stock cars and

modified Modified may refer to: * ''Modified'' (album), the second full-length album by Save Ferris * Modified racing, or "Modifieds", an American automobile racing genre See also * Modification (disambiguation) * Modifier (disambiguation) Modifier may ...

events. Seminole Speedway closed around 1954;Brown 2003, p. 209 the location of the track was still visible into the 2000s, but is now a subdivision.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * {{refend

External links

A wreck at the track involving Fireball Roberts

2004 aerial view of the abandoned track
Defunct motorsport venues in the United States Motorsport venues in Florida 1945 establishments in Florida 1954 disestablishments in Florida Buildings and structures in Seminole County, Florida Sports venues completed in 1945