Westboro Speedway, also known as Westboro Sports Stadium, was a banked and paved oval

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

located in

Westborough, Massachusetts Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,567 at the 2020 Census, in over 7,000 households. Incorporated in 1717, the town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed ...

, that operated from 1947 through 1985. It featured various types of racing including super-modified and

midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of ca ...

cars.

History

The track was built by Allied Sports Association, a group of five former World War II soldiers, on land that had been part of a farm owned by the DeBoer family. Construction cost was reported as $100,000 (). The first race at the speedway was held on August 5, 1947. Notable drivers to race at the speedway included Joe Sostilio in the track's inaugural season, and

Geoff Bodine Geoffrey Edwin Bodine (born April 18, 1949) is a retired American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers (with Brett Bodine and Todd Bodine), and sister Denise. Bodine lives in West Melbourne, Florid ...

and

Ron Bouchard Ronald R. Bouchard (November 23, 1948December 10, 2015) was an American NASCAR driver who was the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. His brother Ken Bouchard was the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. His father-in-law, Ed Flem ...

in the mid-1970s. In 1982, the track hosted two races on the

NASCAR North Tour The American Canadian Tour (ACT) is a late model stock car racing series based in the northeastern United States, and Quebec, Canada. The current American-Canadian Tour Late Model Tour was founded in 1992 as a cost-cutting, regional touring divisi ...

, one in June and one in September. The final race held at the speedway was contested on September 14, 1985. In addition to its use as a race track, the facility was also a venue for musical performances. Boston-based Aerosmith played at the speedway on August 18, 1974, and the

Gregg Allman Band The Gregg Allman Band, also known as Gregg Allman & Friends, was a Southern rock/blues rock group that Gregg Allman established and had led since the 1970s, during periods when Allman has been recording and performing separate from the Allman Br ...

played at the speedway in 1983. After the track closed and was razed, a

strip mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

branded as Speedway Plaza was constructed on the site.

Incidents

* On May 25, 1962, a spectator from

Gardner, Massachusetts Gardner, officially the City of Gardner, is a city in Worcester County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,287 in the 2020 census. Gardner is home of such sites as the Blue Moon Diner, Dunn State Park, ...

, was killed at the speedway when a race car went into the crowd. * On June 19, 1965, a driver from

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, was killed during a race at the track. * On August 28, 1965, a driver from South Grafton, Massachusetts, was killed during a race at the track.

Sources

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Touring Series & Major Events
at The Third Turn Motorsport venues in Massachusetts Defunct motorsport venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1947 1947 establishments in Massachusetts 1985 disestablishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Westborough, Massachusetts Sports venues in Worcester County, Massachusetts