Bay State Raceway

Bay State Raceway, later known as New England Harness Raceway, Foxboro Raceway, and Foxboro Park was a harness racing track located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States that operated from 1947 until 1997. It stood next to Foxboro Stadium and the site of Gillette Stadium. Track owner E. M. Loew gave the land for Foxboro Stadium to New England Patriots owner Billy Sullivan in order to keep the team in New England.

Bay State Raceway was founded by E. M. Loew (owner of Loew's movie theater chain), Paul Bowser, and Ed Keller. It opened on September 1, 1947. A reported 12,000 people attended the first night of racing. The track's $55,523 handle broke the record for a new track on its first day. When Bay State Raceway opened, it featured many modern amenities, including lights for night racing. However, some of the barns and buildings were still not completed. The remaining structures were finished in time for the 1948 spring racing season.

During the track's heyday, Bay State Raceway drew over 10,000 patrons a night. In 1969, the track had its all-time handle with $737,838. In 1970 the track drew a record crowd of 16,006.

The AFL–NFL merger in 1970 required that all teams have a stadium with a capacity of 50,000. The only stadium in the Boston area that was large enough was Harvard Stadium, but the university refused to lease it to the Patriots long-term. In anticipation that the Patriots might not be able to secure a stadium, groups from Memphis, Tampa, Seattle, Portland, Birmingham, and Jacksonville made bids for the team. In order to keep the team in New England, Loew offered Patriots owner Billy Sullivan fifteen acres of land adjacent to the track for the construction of a stadium. Sullivan selected Loew's location over sites in Saugus, Sturbridge, Haverhill, and Salem, New Hampshire. Foxboro Stadium (then known as Schaefer Stadium) was completed in time for the 1971 season.

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