LANSDOWNE PARK Ottawa

Race Tracks in the Buffalo / Ontario Region Which Played an Important Part in the Development of the Sport.

From a wikipedia Page
An aerial view of Lansdowne Park. Note the race track encircling the football field, and the baseball diamond
whose home plate area must have been on the track. They had great seating.

Ottawa has had a beautiful, large sports area for decades. It has not only been the scene for auto racing, but it also hosted the Ottawa Rough Riders football team in CFL, along with many other activities. The venue worked well for racing into the late 1950's, when pressure from surrounding neighborhoods in 1960 caused the racing to be moved to Capital City Speedway, in Stittsville.
The best - known promoter of the track, Gerry Bisson, had the track paved in 1957 and initiated night racing. The entire facility spent a lot of time absolutely vacant before re-hosting football. Racing had begun in 1955.

CanadianRacer.Com Photo 1957: Bisson is having the track paved.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo A sharp - looking coupe, at speed.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Somebody got a little overzealous in the turn.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Legendary NY driver Irish Jack Murphy, helping out publicity.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Someone put an awful lot of work into painting this car.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo What do you bet this guy drove this car home ?
SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo The same car, after modifications have made it look more like a stock car.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo George Anastis wins one.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Ed Joiner and his immaculate '38 Chevy.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo I would assume this is a hobby car.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Good idea: use your sponsor's initials for the car number.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Some nights, it doesn't pay to show up at all.
SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo WHAP !	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Very early stock car - nearly stock - looking.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo A more developed - looking stock car with checkers.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Possibly an early version of a Floyd Geary car from New York. Bill Dalton is the driver.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo 1930's open wheel action.	SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo Great - looking car.

SpeedwayNostalgia.Com Photo
The strange choice of Wednesday for racing is probably due to the facility's use on Sundays by
the CFL football team. Some other pro sport might have had Saturday or Friday.

When I received a program from the old Exhibition Park race track at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in Toronto, I realized that even in the early 1950's, there was a close relationship between drivers in northwestern New York and those of the Ontario province in Canada, eh ? Two of the leading drivers there were from Buffalo, where everyone probably also raced at the Buffalo Civic Stadium.

CanadianRacer.Com Photo
The opening day of racing at the facility, April 8, 1955 - which happened to be Good Friday. Perhaps, like Lansdowne,
another sport already had the place leased for the later weekend days.

An Early CNE Program, Courtesy of Norman Morley
[When these people made a program - they didn't fool around !]

A lot of attention has been paid to the brief period of time in which stock cars raced on the flat asphalt track that circled around the football field at Buffalo's Civic Stadium. The track had to be incredibly flat. Known to locals as "The Rockpile", the stadium came in at $3 million during the Depression when construction had been estimated at $1 million. It was also known as War Memorial Stadium and served as the first home to the Buffalo Bills before Ralph Wilson built his own stadium. The racers were tossed out around 1959. The track's c;aim to fame is a 1950's NASCAR race, either staged with Grand National or the then - popular short track division. Locals Johnny Mackison and Billy Rafter participated.

Merrittville Memories Photo
Benny Lalomia and his 8 Ball were the combo to contend with at Buffalo Civic Stadium. He was dominant at the CNE track in Toronto, too.

CanadianRacer.Com Photo Modifieds wad it up in one of the turns.	CanadianRacer.Com Photo The late model class in action. I love the Plymouth.	CanadianRacer.Com Photo The hobby division doing what they seemed to have done best.	CanadianRacer.Com Photo I would assume this is a hobby car.	Courtesy of Tom K. Jr. Tom Kuzzilla, Sr. with a late model. He is generally associated with modifieds.	Courtesy of Tom K. Jr. A more typical Kuzzilla car.
CanadianRacer.Com Photo The hobby division coming down for the green.	CanadianRacer.Com Photo Apparently they did not come down carefully enough.	Canadian Motorsports HOF Photo Norm Lelliott, one of the better - known grads of the CNE racing, spins his orange Chevy here.	Canadian Motorsports HOF Photo Harvey Lennox, with a typical CNE mod.	Canadian Motorsports HOF Photo The mods in action.	Courtesy of Tom K. Jr. Another Kuzzilla car.
		CanadianRacing.Com Photo I am sure that the hobby division kept the ambulance crew busy.

Courtesy of Norman Morley The cover. Wallie Branston seems to have been a big deal at CNE.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Page 2	Courtesy of Norman Morley The official at CNE.	Courtesy of Norman Morley A column by a local writer.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Check out the "brand new" sports car here.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Some of the drivers.
Courtesy of Norman Morley What do you suppose Moly Film is ?	Courtesy of Norman Morley Flag signals. They haven 't changed much to today.	Courtesy of Norman Morley The Canadian version of Favorite Driver polling.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Brother acts are nothing new in racing, it seems.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Page 11.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Another local column.
Courtesy of Norman Morley The Ontario track seems to be a little more refined and financially - supported than the Quebec tracks of the same era.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Prizes ! Prizes !	Courtesy of Norman Morley 7UP was a bigger deal in the 1950's, and seemingly more popular in Canada. I have seen antique signs from Quebec, too, that say: "7UP Ca Ragoute !"	Courtesy of Norman Morley Page 16.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Score sheet. The overall winner was Jim Howard, with one of the only Mopars.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Remember Crosley? They made fridges... and CARS !
Courtesy of Norman Morley Points standings.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Roster Page 1. Mostly Ontarians.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Roster Page 2. Mostly Ontarians.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Separate point standings: same leader. He did not appear in the results of this particular week.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Extra touchy milk.	Courtesy of Norman Morley A great Bardahl page.
Courtesy of Norman Morley Ontarians' big hope, Wallie Branston.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Quite a few door prizes. Tracks don't bother with this any more. Sponsors are too close - fisted.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Page 27.	Courtesy of Norman Morley 3rd local column.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Page 29.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Super helmet, fella. The sponsor Stoney's is interesting as there was also a Stoney's Diner that was playing a big role in Maine racing at the same time.
Courtesy of Norman Morley Jiffy Lunch Service - is that '50's or what ?	Courtesy of Norman Morley Page 32.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Page 33.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Never forget the sponsors.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Nels Hyland on the Danforth ? Kinda reminds you it isn't in the US.	Courtesy of Norman Morley The Promotion team.
	Courtesy of Norman Morley Typical '50's ads.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Fill it out and win something.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Apparently, what they were all shooting for.	Courtesy of Norman Morley Back cover - as the condition would imply.

ebay auction 1950's program.	ebay autcion 1950's poster.	Historical Aerials.com Photo 1959 aerial view.	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories Bill Schindler, in the midget racing days.	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories Bennie Lalomia - a dominant star in NY and Ontario.	Source Unknown Civic Stadium ticket stub.
Buffalo.net Photo The stadium had huge stands.	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories Billy Rafter, of Clarence Center, NY - with the Gil Bruss 22 - could have raced at Civic. He did race in the NASCAR GN race there.	Source Unknown Some of the cars in the pits for the big 1950 NASCAR race.	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories 1950's poster.	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories A feature lineup heads for the green at the Rockpile.	Source Unknown Post card view of the facility.
	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories Benny Lalomia spinning the 8 Ball. This might be the most familiar photo of the stadium anywhere.	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories Nick Calabretta, putting it on its hat in the turn.	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories Will Hoctor captured action a little later in the track's history.	Merritt ville Spdwy Memories Early action.