Westboro Speedway

Westboro Speedway, also known as Westboro Sports Stadium,^[1] was a one-quarter mile (0.40 km) banked and paved oval race track located in Westborough, Massachusetts, that operated from 1947 through 1985. It featured various types of racing including super-modified and midget cars.^[2]

Westboro Speedway

Westboro Speedway, circa 1984
Location	Route 9, Westborough, Massachusetts
Time zone	Eastern: UTC−5 / −4 (DST)
Coordinates	42.281°N 71.647°W / 42.281; -71.647
Capacity	7,500 (approx.)[1]
Opened	1947 (78 years ago)
Closed	1985 (40 years ago)
Construction cost	$100,000
Oval
Surface	Asphalt
Length	1/4 miles (0.4 km)

History

The track was built by Allied Sports Association, a group of five former World War II soldiers, on land that had been part of a farm owned by the DeBoer family.^[3] Construction cost was reported as $100,000 (equivalent to $1,408,197 in 2024).^[4] The first race at the speedway was held on August 5, 1947.^[1]

Notable drivers to race at the speedway included Joe Sostilio in the track's inaugural season,^[5] and Geoff Bodine and Ron Bouchard in the mid-1970s.^[6] In 1982, the track hosted two races on the NASCAR North Tour, one in June and one in September.^[7] The final race held at the speedway was contested on September 14, 1985.^[8]

In addition to its use as a race track, the facility was also a venue for musical performances. Boston-based Aerosmith played at the speedway on August 18, 1974,^[9][10] and the Gregg Allman Band played at the speedway in 1983.^[3]

After the track closed and was razed, a strip mall branded as Speedway Plaza was constructed on the site.^[8][11]

Incidents

• On May 25, 1962, a spectator from Gardner, Massachusetts, was killed at the speedway when a race car went into the crowd.^[12]

• On June 19, 1965, a driver from Schenectady, New York, was killed during a race at the track.^[13]

• On August 28, 1965, a driver from South Grafton, Massachusetts, was killed during a race at the track.^[14]

Sources

• Brown, Allan (2017). The History of America's Speedways: Past and Present. Slideways Publications. ISBN 978-0692835562.