Hammond Raceway
(aka Hammond Speedway )
Years of operation: 1937 –
1942
Location:
2500
Calumet Ave. , Hammond , Ind. Track was located
between Calumet and Sheffield avenues…main entrance to
track located on Sheffield, backstretch ran parallel to
Calumet with more than 2/3’s of the track south of what
is now 129th Street. Years later, the Hammond
41 Outdoor Theatre was erected on northwest corner of
current 129th Street and Calumet Ave.
intersection.
Notes: first race program
(“big cars”) held on Sunday afternoon, September 12,
1937…track described as the “Chicago District’s only
5/8’s mile banked track”...opening day races conducted
under the management of Gerhard H. Schroeter, Manager,
and Adolph Meyers, Associate…“shady” Pete Alberts, also
known as Pietro Alberti, in the Morgan Miller No. 5, won
opening day 20-mile/32-lap feature race over Elbert
Booker, Ben Musick and Mike Salay…Spencer Foreman of
Detroit won 100-lap National Colored Championship event
on October 31, 1937. Leonard Powell fatally injured
during the program…”big car” feature winners over the
years included Booker, Joie Chitwood, Jimmy Wilburn,
Johnny McDowell, Ted Tetterton, Mike Salay, Steve
Truchan, Bayliss Leverett, Everett Rice, Slim
Rutherford, Bill Holland and Tony Bettenhausen…Leonard
“Buzz” Mendenhall fatally injured there on June 5,
1938…dirt track built on dump site and swamp
area…swamp/lake was portion of infield area between
turns three and four…no guard rails around turns—drivers
going over banking either ended up in a swamp or in the
dump…midget races and early period stock car races also
held there…no “big car” racing in 1940 only a few
motorcycle races and one stock car race (9/15/1940-won
by Bob Norman)…Bob Muhlke, Mel Hansen and Ted Duncan
were winners of midget racing main events in 1941…last
race believed to been held on May 24, 1942 with Eddie
Nicholson winning “big car” feature.
