The Riverside International Speedway is an automobile racing facility at 151 Legion Road in West Memphis, Arkansas. Its facilities consist of a 0.25-mile (0.40 km) Gumbo clay oval[3] with banked corners, bleacher seating on both straightaways. Amenities include a concession stand. The track was built in 1950 and opened June 10 of that year at an estimated cost of $150,000 by C L Montgomery, originally to showcase midget car racing. It has held a World of Outlaws race.[3] The track is nicknamed "The Ditch".[3]
History
The track was built in 1950 as a venue for midget car racing which was popular at the time.[4] Four area tracks were scheduled for weekly racing from Thursday to Sunday nights and Riverside was designed as the Saturday night option.[4] The first night on June 10 had 45 midget cars entered but it rained out being rescheduled for June 17.[4] On Thursday June 15, 1950 the first race was actually held as a stock car event.[4] The stock cars were gaining popularity in the Mid-South and the midget cars were quickly discontinued.[4]Joie Chitwood brought his "Thrill Show" to the track on October 1, 1950.[4]
Notable drivers
Several World of Outlaws regular drivers who began racing at the track include Sammy Swindell, Bobby Davis Jr., and Jason Sides.[3]
Historical place
Riverside is the oldest surviving dirt track in the Memphis area, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] Riverside is the oldest continuously operating track in Arkansas.[4] It is noted for its high concentration of clay in the gumbo soil (almost 37% clay compared to more typically 22%-27%).[4] Contributing properties include the race track, flagstand, original 1950 ticket booth (now an office), concession stand, cotton candy concession stand, and concession stand / bathroom.[4] The facility also contains the west grandstands that were brought to the facility from Memphis-Arkansas Speedway in 2007-2008 and reconstructed.[4] Its eastern grandstands have aluminum seating.[4] The current wood ticket booth was built in 2008.[4]
