Ascot Park (speedway)
| Coordinates | 33°51′52″N 118°17′21″W / 33.86444°N 118.28917°WCoordinates: 33°51′52″N 118°17′21″W / 33.86444°N 118.28917°W |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 7,500 |
| Owner | J. C. Agajanian |
| Operator | J. C. Agajanian |
| Opened | 1957 |
| Closed | November 22, 1990 |
| Major events |
CRA NASCAR Grand National AMA Grand National Championship USAC events |
| outer oval track | |
| Surface | dirt |
| Length | 0.5 mi (0.8 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| inner oval | |
| Surface | dirt |
| Length | 0.2 mi (0.4 km) |
Ascot Park, originally Los Angeles Speedway, was a former dirt racetrack located near Gardena in Los Angeles, California.
The Ascot Park track opened in 1957, as Los Angeles Speedway, on the site of a former city dump.
With seating for only 7,500, Ascot Park was smaller than the other tracks of the area including the Ontario Motor Speedway (closed in 1980), and the Riverside International Raceway (closed in 1989). However, the park was equally well-known, due to: its location, surrounded, by freeways for easy access; its regularly scheduled races; and, its heavy radio advertising.
The half-mile course featured tight semi-banked turns, long straight-ways, and a tacky surface that was conducive to dramatic sprint car racing. Other motorsport events, such as Figure 8 racing and motorcycle flat track and TT racing, were also held at Ascot.
The dirt racetrack hosted the United States Auto Club (USAC) championship series, the AMA Grand National Championship motorcycle series and was used in movies like the original Gone in 60 Seconds, A Very Brady Christmas, and CHiPs. Ascot was also the site of the annual USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix midget race on Thanksgiving.
Though he began doing stunt jumps in 1966 at small venues such as fairs and carnivals, Evel Knievel (Robert Craig Knievel) gained international attention with his first televised jump on ABC’s Wide World of Sports at Ascot Park Raceway on March 25, 1967, successfully clearing 15 cars.
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