Wasaga Beach Speedway
Wasaga Beach, ON

Status:
Closed

Years:
1954-1970

Name History:

Track Configuration(s):
1/4 mile paved oval

Track Info:

• Built inside of the earlier 1/2 mile dirt oval horse track
• Opened on August 14, 1954
• Original owner was Bob Smith
• Ran Saturday night for most of its life
• Many of the CNE Speedway drivers also raced here
• Late Models were introduced in 1964 (same year as CNE)
• New grandstands replaced old ones in 1965
• 1967 changes - a $350 claiming rule on Late Model Division engines was announced early in the year and the division was changed to Diamond Late Models, something like a Limited Late Model
• An attempt was made to introduce a Super Late Model division in 1967 but this appears to have only lasted a couple of weeks
• Race night changed to Sunday afternoon at the start of the 1968 season and then changed back to Saturday night in late June
• Burt Smith, Pete Harvey and Bill Riley took over as track managers in 1969
• Smith died later that year
• At the beginning of the 1969 season there was an annoucement that the "B" Modifieds were being replaced with a Super Modified division using 8 cylinder overhead engines. The 1969 race reports referred to the class a "Modifieds" and the 1970 reports were back to calling them "B" Modifieds.
• The Stapleton brothers purchased the track in 1970 after it appeared that it was permanently closed
• It appears that the 1970 season started later than usual (possibly in July)
• Raced "B" Modifieds and 6 Cylinder Diamonds in 1970