57Tbird Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Was the dirt track not there in the 30's??I don't think so, but I'm not positive. I always thought that the track came after the park was built. Maybe Sparky can comment. There was a dirt track off Stella Link between Bray's Bayou and Bellaire Blvd back in the late 20's - mid 30's, referred to as Bellaire Speedway, I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue92 Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 (edited) There has been some discussions in the Chronicle Archives on where the name of the street Buffalo Speedway came from Chron Well I think I may have found a clue. While on google earth 2 nights ago I found a 1944 map of Houston with this on it. It's right where Pershing Middle school is today. If you turn off the road layers you will see this track was before the streets Buffalo Speedway and Stella Link existed. Would be nice to find the history of this track. Was it a horse racing track or a auto racing track? It looks kind of large to be a horse racing track tho. Edited October 2, 2011 by blue92 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I asked my dad (he's 86 and grew up in West University) if he knew what it was. He didn't remember it at all, but he told me that the building on the southwest corner of Bellaire and Stella Link was National Instruments, where he worked at the end of the war.I agree that it looks like it's probably for auto racing, especially when you look at the large area it covers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue92 Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Stella Link was there in 1944, Buffalo Speedway wasn't.I spent sometime today between Google Earth and Historic Aerials comparing the size of this track to the old Meyer's Speedway out on S.Main & Hillcroft, what I discovered is that the inside oval on this track and Meyer's Speedway are roughly the same size. I'm wondering if it was a track that pre-WW2 IndyCar type cars raced on or was it a test track for a tire company. I did see that Sella Link was there but it doesn't look like a paved road, kind of like West Belt during the mid 70s was there but was a white shell gravel road. Between 76-78 I used to drive West Belt twice a week from Westheimer to Ailef. it was rough but cut off 45 minutes getting to Southwest Houston for me. As far as it being a stock car track I don't really think there was any stock car racing with pre-WW2 automobiles. Nascar racing didn't get started until 1949. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FIREhat Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 NASCAR may not have, but stock car racing dates to Prohibition. Stock cars still race on dirt tracks across the country, including in Harris County. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riomar Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 There has been some discussions in the Chronicle Archives on where the name of the street Buffalo Speedway came from Chron Well I think I may have found a clue. While on google earth 2 nights ago I found a 1944 map of Houston with this on it. It's right where Pershing Middle school is today. If you turn off the road layers you will see this track was before the streets Buffalo Speedway and Stella Link existed. Would be nice to find the history of this track. Was it a horse racing track or a auto racing track? It looks kind of large to be a horse racing track tho. It looks kinda like a old auto race track. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue92 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 There has been some discussions in the Chronicle Archives on where the name of the street Buffalo Speedway came from Chron Well I think I may have found a clue. While on google earth 2 nights ago I found a 1944 map of Houston with this on it. It's right where Pershing Middle school is today. If you turn off the road layers you will see this track was before the streets Buffalo Speedway and Stella Link existed. Would be nice to find the history of this track. Was it a horse racing track or a auto racing track? It looks kind of large to be a horse racing track tho. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue92 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 You mean this old race track seen on Google Earth 1944 historical view? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderroller Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 You mean this old race track seen on Google Earth 1944 historical view? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderroller Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I have seen that '44ish pic before on posts/threads out here in the past. I believe that was truly a popular race track back in the day around where Pershing Middle school is now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I have seen that '44ish pic before on posts/threads out here in the past. I believe that was truly a popular race track back in the day around where Pershing Middle school is now. I think it was some sort of private thing. There's no parking, no stands, no buildings. Could have been for horse training. The small track is about 800 yard, maybe more, 880 would make it 4 furlongs. The big track is over 1.25 miles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebonilm Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 You mean this old race track seen on Google Earth 1944 historical view? No, i'm already aware of that one, where pershing middle school is now. i'm just an idiot and legitimately thought that drainage ditch was a race track. it was the aerial view that fooled me. :/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 No, i'm already aware of that one, where pershing middle school is now. i'm just an idiot and legitimately thought that drainage ditch was a race track. it was the aerial view that fooled me. :/ Don't feel bad, I've similar gaffes in trying to ask what something used to be. Some of those are best left unsaid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtisT Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I am currently in the Bellaire Coffee Shop and they have a copy on the counter of "Life and Times Around Bellaire, Texas 1909-2013" Fourth Edition by J. Michael McCorkle. Page 15 shows a photo of the race track (now Pershing MS) from 1929. "Bellaire Raceway Park, built in the mid-1920s, south of Bellaire Boulevard at Stella Link. The multi-purpose raceway consisted of a short inner track and a longer outer track. Automobiles and horses raced on the inner track and on special occasions airplanes raced cars along the outer track. In this scene, helium balloons are preparing to launch for a distance race... Local real estate agents often distributed free tickets to the various races as a means to promote the area and encourage people to visit the City of Bellaire." There are some grandstands shown at the central western section, overlooking the straightaways of the inner and outer tracks. I wish I could post the photo, but I respect the copyright. Interesting book. I had no idea that there was once a monorail in 1956 on South Main and Kirby (1/4-mile test track) because this was a proposed site for the 1962 World's Fair. "But the people of Houston did not want to look like Chicago or New York City. Eight months later it was removed by popular demand and moved to the Texas State Fair in Dallas."And there was another monorail around the Hobby Airport parking lot! In 1972. But, according to this book, the local taxi driver's union killed plans to extend it to downtown. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 This race track sure had a lot of names. I was researching this track and I've heard the names: South Houston Speedway, Gulf Coast Speedway, Houston Speedway, and finally Bellaire Speedway. Funny how there wasn't any mention of either Stella Link or Buffalo Speedway (where the track was located.) Were those roads even around back then? Did the racetrack not have an address? This speedway had both Horse and Automobile racing, and had an annual balloon race/celebration. The speedway was active in the 1920s. All the Texas newspapers spoke about it. Houston Speedway. Gulf Coast Speedway. Bellaire Speedway. South Houston Speedway. A picture containing a race car driver and with a poster in the background with "Houston Speedway" written on it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 Houston Speedway was just a massive track. Ironically, 2 other oval tracks were built in the life span of the property. Sadly, in present day all of the tracks have came and went. Only thing remains is a new, rearranged, baseball field. Google Earth views. 1944: 1953, school track number 1: 2004, school track number 2: Present-day 2022 features no track: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 Pershing Middle School was built on that site. The building that is now on the SW corner of the property was built, and the old school demolished, I lived a few blocks South of there for a while in the Early 80's, in some apartmetns where the YMCA now sits 1953, Pershing Jr High, then 2 blocks full of 4plex apartments, then the block with Mark Twain Elementary: 1978 Pershing Jr High, the 4plexes, but with a cleaners, a convenience store and some other crap, then the apartments on the West side of the block where the elementary school sat. Between those apartments(I lived in the North building about 1/3 of the way East, and the school, was a really crappy apartment building. Surprisingly, there was little crime there, given that the apartments weren't great, and the 4plex buildings were getting pretty run down. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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