Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, Arkansas)

The Riverside International Speedway is an automobile racing facility at 151 Legion Road in West Memphis, Arkansas. Its facilities consist of a 0.25-mile (0.40 km) Gumbo clay oval[3] with banked corners, bleacher seating on both straightaways. Amenities include a concession stand. The track was built in 1950 and opened June 10 of that year at an estimated cost of $150,000 by C L Montgomery, originally to showcase midget car racing. It has held a World of Outlaws race.[3] The track is nicknamed "The Ditch".[3]

Riverside International Speedway
The Ditch
Grandstands in 2002
Location151 Legion Rd., West Memphis, Arkansas
Time zoneCentral Standard Time (GMT UTC−06)
Opened1950
Major eventsWorld of Outlaws sprint cars
USCS sprint cars[1]
1/4 mile
SurfaceGumbo Clay
Length0.25 mi (0.40 km)
Riverside Speedway
Location151 Legion Rd., West Memphis, Arkansas
Area18.3 acres (7.4 ha)
BuiltJune 10th 1950 (June 10th 1950)
Built byMontgomery, C.L; et al.
Architectural stylePlain Traditional
NRHP reference No.09001243[2]
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 2010

History

The track was built in 1950 as a venue for midget car racing which was popular at the time.[4] Four area tracks were scheduled for weekly racing from Thursday to Sunday nights and Riverside was designed as the Saturday night option.[4] The first night on June 10 had 45 midget cars entered but it rained out being rescheduled for June 17.[4] On Thursday June 15, 1950 the first race was actually held as a stock car event.[4] The stock cars were gaining popularity in the Mid-South and the midget cars were quickly discontinued.[4] Joie Chitwood brought his "Thrill Show" to the track on October 1, 1950.[4]

Notable drivers

Several World of Outlaws regular drivers who began racing at the track include Sammy Swindell, Bobby Davis Jr., and Jason Sides.[3]

Historical place

It is the oldest surviving dirt track in the Memphis area, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] Riverside is the oldest continuously operating track in Arkansas.[4] It is noted for its high concentration of clay in the gumbo soil (almost 37% clay compared to more typically 22%-27%).[4] Contributing properties include the race track, flagstand, original 1950 ticket booth (now an office), concession stand, cotton candy concession stand, and concession stand / bathroom.[4] The facility also contains the west grandstands that were brought to the facility from Memphis-Arkansas Speedway in 2007-2008 and reconstructed.[4] Its eastern grandstands have aluminum seating.[4] The current wood ticket booth was built in 2008.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Flip Flop 50 at Riverside". USCS. November 6, 2020. Event occurs at 20:35. FloRacing.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. Rogers, Steve (May 3, 2019). "Outlaws ready to take on Ditch". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  4. "NRHP nomination for Riverside Speedway" (PDF). Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
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