Along with the rapid rise in popularity of automobiles in the 1910s and 1920s, the interest in motorsports exploded. Some of the most popular competition venues of the time were board tracks. These were circular or oval race courses with surfaces constructed from wooden planks, typically 2 x 4s laid on the 2” edge. They were relatively inexpensive to build, and the steeply-banked curves allowed higher speeds.

Art Pillsbury, who designed the Kansas City Speedway and more than half of the other championship-caliber board tracks nationwide, employed the “Searle Spiral Easement Curve.” The effect on car handling was so pronounced that, according to Pillsbury, a correctly engineered track could be driven without steering input from the driver. The car would steer itself simply due to the track geometry.

The track had two grandstands, one along each straightaway Concrete tunnels built under the track for infield parking could accommodate 5,000 cars. The entrance to the speedway was at 91st and Holmes, and on race days all roads south of 75th were marked with directions. A special streetcar line hauled passengers to the track for an extra 5-cent fare. Admission to the track ranged from 50 cents for children to $10 for box seats.

56,000 people attended the inaugural race, including the mayor, the governor, and racing legends Barney Oldfield and Ray Harroun (winner of the first Indy 500). A microphone was set up so that race details could be wired back to the Kansas City Star building as soon as they happened.

17 drivers, mostly in Duesenbergs and Miller-designed specials with 3-liter, straight-eight engines, competed in the first race. Hometown favorite Pete DePaulo raced a “Junior Special” prepared by W. W. Brown’s Machine Shop on Grand Avenue. Tommy Milton in a Miller-designed Leach Special won the race averaging 107 mph.

Subsequent 250-mile auto races were held on July 4, 1923, October 22, 1923, and July 4, 1924. The track also hosted motorcycle racing, usually featuring factory teams of Harley-Davidsons and Indians, including a series of AMA National Championship races held on Labor Day, 1923.

The track, however, had been built over a swamp, and in less than two years, the untreated wood showed considerable deterioration. During the final race, workers red flagged soft spots from below the track until, with still 100 miles left, the competition was called to a halt. No race was ever run there again. The Kansas City Speedway never turned a profit and was already in bankruptcy before the third and fourth races. The 192-acre property was sold in November 1924, and today it is part of the Bannister Federal Complex. No trace of the speed, noise, and crowds remain.

[ With appreciation to Steve Hartwich for information and photos ]

Image Top Left:
Contemporary article explaining the starting procedure and meaning of the different colored flags.

Image Top Right:
The list of entries and hand-written results (including Roscoe Sarles in the Durant Special, the one fatality ever in the history of the track). Tommy Milton, the winner, competed the 300-mile race in 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 52 seconds, at an average speed of over 107 mph.

Image 2nd on Left:
The 1.25 mile oval Kansas City Speedway cost $500,000 to build in 1922 (about $7 Million in 2014 dollars).

Image 3rd on Left:
Motorcycles, mostly factory-backed Indians and Harley-Davidsons, also raced at the speedway, including ones with bullet-style side cars. The first race program.

Image Middle Bottom:
W. W. Brown’s Machine Shop on Grand Avenue prepared the “Junior Special” for hometown favorite driver Pete DePaulo.

Image Bottom Right:
The artist’s illustration of 2” wide lumber shows how a section of board track might have appeared. Made of 2x4s laid on their narrow 2” edge, the track was very strong due to being 4” thick.