Roosevelt Raceway

Car racer Eddie Rickenbacker began assembling a group of people to plan a new race to allow the American drivers and cars the chance to battle with the best Europe had to offer. Joining Rickenbacker in the venture were Boston Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, 1908 Vanderbilt Cup winner George Robertson and George Washington Vanderbilt III, nephew of 'Willie K'.

In February 1936 the group announced the creation of a new circuit to host the race, located at Roosevelt Field. To design the course, they enlisted Mark Linenthal, an architect who was involved in the construction of most of the nation's steeply banked board tracks. It was to be a lavish facility. A huge double-deck grandstand overlooked the main straight, while there was also a clubhouse, well-equipped indoor garages and ample parking.

The track design was less successful. Aside from the main long straight, it was a rather tortuous affair, with numerous switchbacks and slow-speed corners in a flat layout which was designed in such a way that all parts would be visible for the grandstands, which would cater for up to 50,000 spectators. There was nothing wrong with the prize money, however, with a total purse of $60,000 for the top finishers. Twelve of the 45 drivers that started the race were Europeans. 

Rickenbacker upped the ante further for 1937, offering an increased prize purse of $70,000 dollars, with awards for lap leaders and the leading American car. It was clear to all that changes to the track would need to be made to pep up the show. In order to up the average speed, the twistier sections in the center were eliminated and banking added at the final turn. In early 1938 the company formed by Rickenbakker and his associates collapsed into bankruptcy.

In May, Los Angeles amusement park owner Frank C. Hulbert announced that he had secured a ten-year lease on the track and would be promoting a 300-mile stock car race there on Labor Day. Despite this, nothing came of the plans and it wasn't until July 1938 that the track would re-open as a venue for midget car racing. 

In early 1940, the site was sold and redeveloped as a harness racing track. The gates opened on Sept. 2, 1940, to a reported crowd of 5,000 eager fans who wagered some $40,000. By 1956 the original Vanderbilt grandstands were burdened by excessive additions and dangerous decay. Within the next season the new clubhouse-grandstand "plant" replaced the old Vanderbilt track without interruption of the racing schedule. The new building was designed by Arthur Froehlich. The architectural plans cost $400,000 and the building was proposed at $12 million. In the end the new "Dream Track" (as it was nicknamed) cost $20 million.

The track closed its doors in 1988. A shopping centre now resides at the location.

Sources:

Monaco, Pete. “Remembering Roosevelt Raceway.” The Spectrum, Desert Valley Times, 28 Feb. 2017, www.thespectrum.com/story/sports/mesquite/2017/02/28/remembering-roosevelt-raceway/98511574/

“Roosevelt Raceway.” RacingCircuits.Info, www.racingcircuits.info/north-america/usa/roosevelt-raceway.html. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026

“Roosevelt Raceway.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Mar. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Raceway