California State Fairgrounds Race Track
| Location | Sacramento, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°33′N 121°27′W / 38.550°N 121.450°WCoordinates: 38°33′N 121°27′W / 38.550°N 121.450°W |
| Opened |
1906 (horse racing) 1907 (auto racing) 1968 (new track) |
| Closed | 1970 (first track) |
| Major events |
Golden State 100 AAA/USAC National Championship |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Rice hulls[1] |
| Length | 1 mi (1.6 km) |
| Road course (1955–1969) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.1 mi (3.4 km) |
| Turns | 9 |
California State Fairgrounds Race Track has been the name of two dirt oval racing tracks located in Sacramento, California. The track was built in 1906 for horse racing on the site of the California Exposition. It was active for auto racing in 1907, 1912, and from 1946 until 1970.[1] The Exposition moved to a new site north of Downtown Sacramento in 1968, and the old fairgrounds were closed and sold for development in 1970.
From 1949–1970, the track hosted the Golden State 100, a round of the AAA/USAC National Championship. The race was revived at the new Cal Expo site as a USAC Silver Crown race from 1989 until 2000. Motorcycle racing's Sacramento Mile continues to be held at the new California Exposition as part of the AMA Grand National Championship.
A 2.1-mile (3.4-km) road course was laid out in the parking lots surrounding the oval, and used for sports car racing between 1955 and 1969.[2][3] It hosted a SCCA National Sports Car Championship round in 1955.
Golden State 100 winners
| AAA/USAC National Championship | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sacramento, California |
| First race | 1949 |
| First race | 1970 |
| Most wins (driver) | A. J. Foyt (5) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Meskowski & Watson (tied 5) |
| Circuit information | |
| Length | 1.6 km (0.99 mi) |
| Year | Date | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | October 30 |  Fred Agabashian | Kurtis-Offy |
| 1950 | October 15 | Duke Dinsmore | Kurtis-Offy |
| 1951–1952: not held | |||
| 1953 | October 25 | Jimmy Bryan | Kurtis-Offy |
| 1954 | October 17 | Jimmy Bryan | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1955 | October 16 | Jimmy Bryan | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1956 | October 21 | Jud Larson | Watson-Offy |
| 1957 | October 21 | Rodger Ward | Lesovsky-Offy |
| 1958 | October 26 | Johnny Thomson | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1959 | October 25 | Jim Hurtubise | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1960 | October 30 | A. J. Foyt | Meskowski-Offy |
| 1961 | October 29 | Rodger Ward | Watson-Offy |
| 1962 | October 28 | A. J. Foyt | Meskowski-Offy |
| 1963 | October 27 | Rodger Ward | Watson-Offy |
| 1964 | October 25 | A. J. Foyt | Meskowski-Offy |
| 1965 | October 24 | Don Branson | Watson-Offy |
| 1966 | October 23 | Dick Atkins | Watson-Offy |
| 1967 | October 1 | A. J. Foyt | Meskowski-Offy |
| 1968 | September 29 | A. J. Foyt | Meskowski-Offy |
| 1969 | September 28 | Al Unser | King-Ford |
| 1970 | October 4 | Al Unser | King-Ford |
| [4][5] | |||
The race was revived in 1989 at the new Cal Expo mile track as a USAC Silver Crown event.
| Year | Date | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | June 4 | George Snider[6] |
| 1990 | June 3 | Jimmy Sills[7] |
| 1991–1992: not held | ||
| 1993 | October 9 | Jimmy Sills[8] |
| 1994 | October 8 | Jimmy Sills[9] |
| 1995 | October 7 | Donnie Beechler[10] |
| 1996 | October 12 | Donnie Beechler[11] |
| 1997 | October 11 | Dave Darland[12] |
| 1998 | October 10 | J. J. Yeley[13] |
| 1999 | October 9 | Jimmy Sills[14] |
| 2000 | October 7 | Dave Darland[15] |
References
- 1 2 Galpin, Darren. "Sacramento". The GEL Motorsport Information Page. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
- ↑ di Carli, Guido. "Sacramento Fairgrounds". Circuiti Nel Mondo. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
- ↑ McPartland, Tam. "Sacramento Fairgrounds Racecourse". Tam's Old Race Car Site. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
- ↑ "California State Fairgrounds". Champ Car Stats. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ↑ "California State Fairgrounds". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ↑ "Golden State 100 worth the wait for Snider". The Sacramento Bee. June 5, 1989. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Sills races to win at Cal Expo". The Sacramento Bee. June 4, 1990. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Placerville's Sills wins USAC race". The Sacramento Bee. October 10, 1993. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Three in a row for Sills". The Sacramento Bee. October 9, 1994. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Nalbandian out...". The Fresno Bee. October 10, 1995. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Beechler squeezes into Silver Crown 100 win". The Sacramento Bee. October 13, 1996. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Darland wins; his series lead grows". The Sacramento Bee. October 12, 1997. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Yeley, Tiner win races at Cal Expo". The Sacramento Bee. October 11, 1998. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Sills wins Silver Crown 100". The Sacramento Bee. October 11, 1999. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Sacramento Results". Motorsport.com. October 7, 2000. Retrieved July 25, 2011.