SPEEDWAY BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
Every story has a beginning and it's almost always a happy start, no matter the ending. So it is with Dayton Speedway.
Our lead researcher, Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) has uncovered what we think are the earliest newspaper items that comprise a sort of birth announcement for what would be the famous Dayton Speedway.
Those articles, in .pdf format here, are from October, 1933, and December 3, 1933. (In order to see items in .pdf format you must have Adobe reader installed on your computer. Most of you will already have the reader. For those of you who do not, Adobe reader is free from Adobe and takes less than four minutes to install on your computer. For those of you who don't have Adobe reader and do not want to install it, here's the text of the articles.)
OCTOBER, 1933
"Dayton will become an automobile and motorcycle racing center next spring, Dr. J. K. Bailey, President of the newly incorporated Dayton Speedway Corp., announced late Saturday. The corporation plans to break ground immediately for a $12,000 dirt track five-eighths of a mile long on the West Carrrollton Road, just by the Germantown Pike.
"Paul Ackerman, secretary of the Dayton Automobile club and the Vice President of the Dayton Speedway Corp., said that races will be conducted starting about April 1, with the sanction of the American Automobile Association.
"The location of the track is a natural amphitheater adjacent to the southern property line of the county workhouse, southeast of the city and two blocks south of the Germantown Pike, State route No. [text missing]
"The track will be the only five-eighths oval in this part, those at Hamilton, Winchester and Greenville being half-milers.
"Fifty-four acres of land have been acquired by the Dayton Speedway Corp., incorporated recently under the laws of Ohio with 250 shares of no-par stock, 140 shares of which have been taken by directors. The balance will not be sold except by vote of the directors, Ackerman said.
"Other officers are Robert Snyder, treasurer, and Edwin Thum, secretary. Directors, besides D. Bailey and Ackerman, are Elmer Lewis, Louis Sucher, Albert Scharrer, Joseph Aldredge, John Dorgan and Charles Schell. Other member of the corporation are W.L.Smith, Rol Strait and Dr. Harry Slusser.
"A manager will be appointed next year, Ackerman said."
DECEMBER 3, 1933
"Favorable weather has enabled P. S. Bookwalter, engineer in charge of the construction of Dayton’s new automobile speedway, to make excellent progress and no doubts are entertained the institution will be ready for the opening date, the middle of next May.
"The new speedway, the largest auto track in the state, is to be operated by an incorporation recently formed and consisted of Dr. J. K. Bailey, as president; Paul E. Ackerman, vice president, Robert Snyder, treasurer, and Edward Thum, secretary. These with Elmer Lewis and Louis Sucher, compose the board of directors. The track is located on the Carrollton road just off the Germantown pike and near the eastern side of the workhouse.
"As more favorable weather nears, work will be started on the grandstand, which is to have a seating capacity of approximately 7000. Parking space for 2000 cars is provided along the roadways nearby, while the interior of the track will accommodate 7000 additional cars. The track measures exactly five-eighths of a mile.
"It is now proposed to conduct a series of about six auto races during the season, a like number of motorcycle races, and a few dual races, between autos and motorcycles, in between this schedule. The first race will be run two weeks before the speedway races at Indianapolis."