Racing legend Ralph DePalma raced at Exposition Park in the 1920s.
Barney Oldfield came here as well.
Think automotive racing history and cities like Indianapolis or Daytona Beach come to mind. How about San Luis Obispo?
For three years the town was a hot stop on the racing tour. Exposition Park opened in 1922 with a large grandstand overlooking a dirt oval next to today’s South Street where Meadow Park and condos are located today.
Racing legend Barny Oldfield once made a personal appearance here though he had retired from racing in 1918 according to Wikipedia. His fame was such he could command fees up to $4,000 to grace a stage. He was the first man to clock a 100 mile-per-hour lap in Indianapolis history.
Another racing legend, Ralph DePalma, broke a dirt track speed record at Exposition Park. He had solid credentials having won the 1915 Indianapolis 500.
In California races were held in Santa Monica and San Jose so a stop in San Luis Obispo made sense. The Daily Telegram regularly carried front page stories about local racers, the growing market for automobile advertising made the topic more than an an academic interest for the astute editor/owner C.L. Day.
In 1923 local driver Fred Luelling won two races in San Jose as reported in the September 24, 1923 Daily Telegram. Two other local racers made good showings, H. Fredrickson placed second in a preliminary race. Horace Wallace had bad luck with a broken connecting rod. A 1950s article published in the Telegram-Tribune said Wallace was killed in an accident at Exposition Park in September 1923 but I could not find the article in the microfilm. Over the next few months we will revisit some of the racing moments at Exposition Park.
Related posts:
Glad you were able to find some information on Exposition Park David. There seems to be few pictures of the track that have survived, but I recall that even as late as the early 80′s, one could still make out traces of the track along the side of the hill where it was. Do you know it there is any definitive history of the track? Builders, promoters, timeline, etc.?
Joe Dunlap
Hi Joe,
I understand the book “The Achievers: Central California’s Engineering Pioneers” has some coverage of the facility but it is not yet in my library.
The Telegram covered events at the track during the operational years 1922-25. The Centurama edition in 1956 had an overview but details were 25-year-old recollections rather than an authoritative research of original material. I’d love to find dates for the 1922 editions that covered the construction and opening of the facility. Unfortunately I don’t have time to spin through a year of microfilm.
Dan Krieger has mentioned Exposition Park in columns but I could not find one that covered the subject in the depth you are looking for. He may have covered it but a search of the electronic archive was thin on Exposition Park.
As I find new-old material there will be more posts on the topic.
Anyone have a good suggestion?
I remember when Barnum & Bailey came to town….at least think it was B&B…and set up at the park. For a 5 year old, that was amazing stuff!
Kinda sad that the track and area was allowed to flounder, die, and then be built over. No doubt, SLO would still be a major stop on the NASCAR or Sprint circuit, bringing oodles of race fans and tourist dollars to town.
There used to be races on the beach in Pismo Beach too. So much history has been lost. There were also motorcycle races that were very popular in Atascadero in the 60′s.
There’s a new interpretive panel at the South Hills Open Space about racing in San Luis Obispo in the early 1900s. Part of the Open Space was called ‘Cheapskate Hill’ because that’s where the non-payers would watch the races.
See the new panels here:
http://www.slocity.org/parksandrecreation/south_hills.asp
Thanks for the comments SSG David, Stan & Link GaiaGraphics.
I used to have a cheap pair of skates. The kind that you needed a key to crank the vice-grip down on your Buster Browns.
About as safe as lawn darts.
Hi David. I had asked you about this race track a while back and I thank you for coming up with this story. I did come across a picture of it which I scanned, so if you could e-mail me I will reply with the picture back to you. Thanks again.
Mike Hedrick
Hey Dave, I loved your story on Exposition Park. My Great Grandfather was Grover Hampton. He was the lead mechanic on luelling’s car, and I believe it was his car that Luelling raced at Exposition Park(his car never lost there) My Great Grandfather told me that the fatality on the track was possibly at the 1923 Labor Day race. A donkey wondered out onto the track and the racer struck it, killing the driver. My Great Grandfather furhter told me that Luelling saw that and walked away from racing (at least at Expo Pk) and never raced there again. He left me many photos of the park and some of the 1923 Labor Day race. I have not seen them in years. If I still have them you are more than welcome to use them!! I have very limited computer access and can call the Tribune, leaving my phone number for us to get in touch. Regards, Dan Barba