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
during Central States Racing Association action…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 (off north turn) or in the
dump, drivers described as “Rim Riders” in newspaper
ads…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…Eddie
Nicholson won 20-lap Central States Racing Association (CSRA)
“big car” race there on 5/24/42…some
of the final races held – Charlie Szekendy of South
Bend, Ind., captured 20-lap “big car” race on 6/14/42
ahead of Pete Romcevich and Bob Muhlke and Mike Salay,
also of South Bend, won a 15-lap “big car” event on
7/12/42 ahead of Slim Rutherford and Fred Hawes.
