Portland Speedway

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Portland Speedway
Location Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Opened 1924
Closed 2001
Major events NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
NASCAR Winston West Series
World of Outlaws
Oval
Surface Clay (1924-1946; 2000-2001)
Asphalt (1946-2000)
Length 5/8 mi (1 km)
Turns 4

Portland Speedway was a half-mile race track for auto racing in Portland, Oregon, U.S. It was in existence from 1924 until 2001.

History

The track began as a five-eighths-mile (one km) clay oval in 1924 on the site of a field in north Portland. The track hosted big cars, midget cars, and stock cars before the suspension of racing during World War II.[1]

The track was paved in 1946 as a half-mile oval. NASCAR sanctioning came to Portland after Western Speedways, Inc. leased the track in 1984. Four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races from 1995 to 1998.[2] Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday, Jr. won at Portland during their championship seasons, 1995 and 1996 respectively.[2] Rich Bickle and Stacy Compton won the final two events there.[2]

The NASCAR Winston West Series ran 36 Portland races between 1971 and 2000 with Hershel McGriff winning a series high five times.[2] Other notable winners included future NASCAR Winston Cup champion Bobby Allison, 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope, and NASCAR drivers Chad Little and Ken Schrader.[2] 1994 Portland winner Rick Carelli competed in all four Portland Craftsman Truck Series races, with three top tens and a best finish of third in 1998.[3]

The last race on the pavement surface was on July 30, 2000.[1] The track was converted to a clay surface and hosted the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars in 2000 and 2001.[4][5]

References

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