Tacoma Speedway Centennial Celebration
by Nancy Covert
Jun 09, 2012
The biggest thing in auto racing west of the Indy 500 used to be in our own backyard…
In 1912 Tacoma roared!
Why?
Because Tacoma had one of the nation’s first automobile speedways.
On July 22, 2012, the Lakewood Historical Society invited automobile aficionados to join them for the Centennial of this historic racetrack. It was celebrated at the Marymount Event Center, home of the LeMay Family Car Collection in Spanaway, WA.
The Tacoma Speedway was located on the site of present-day Clover Park Technical College. In the early 20th century for a span of 11 years (1912-1922) the greatest names in auto racing were in Tacoma, driving some of the biggest, most powerful cars in auto racing history at that time. The purse for the five races held in 1912 was a staggering $25,000. (It would be worth $570,000 today!)
Racers of that era included drivers such as Barney Oldfield, Eddie Rickenbacker, Earl Cooper, Teddy Tetzlaff, Ralph DePalma, Ralph Mulford, Tommy Milton, Jimmy Murphy, and Jimmy Parsons, driving vehicles such as Stutz, Maxwell, Fiat, Duesenberg, Frontenac, Monroe, Mercer and Miller.
Carr’s Restaurant of Lakewood catered the fabulous hors d'oeuvres, while guests meandered through the renowned LeMay Family Automobile Collection that is stored at the former Marymount Military Academy.
Dr. Wayne Herstad, Speedway Historian, discussed the Speedway’s brief, but colorful, history and displayed select items from his collection of Speedway memorabilia. Note: Dr. Herstad continues to add to his speedway history collection. If you have anything related to the Tacoma Speedway please contact him at 253-588-7797.
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