The same thing happened at Ontario and Riverside; greedy land developers always win the last race and along with it, it brings the destruction of another track.
@@PerryWhyte I didn't know that, from what I just read, it is going to become a 1/2-mile track so they can sell most of the land off. I wonder if the half-mile Bristol like track will ever happen.
@@kurt2022those plans have halted and there’s been no further movement unfortunately. I haven’t looked into it recently but a lot of people were speculating they weren’t going to make a short track. Fingers crossed!
As a Los Angeles local, who has been on the very streets that surround where the track was, I had no idea that ever existed. Thank you for this video, excellent as always
Racing at Beverly Hills started 4 years before Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sofia, Duchess of Hohenburg were assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. Crazy when motor racing started out Imperialism was just starting to go out the door.
Historic Sim Studios are working on recreating a collection of board tracks for Assetto Corsa, bringing this point in history to the sim racing community!
Maybe IRacing should consider rebuilding the wooden race tracks in memoriam. Blows my mind that wooden race tracks used to be a very big deal. I can't imagine how much wood it took for an entire facility to be built.
Great video. It's worth mentioning that BHS had a successor of sorts in the form of Culver City Speedway, and it served up even faster speeds. Also, Harold Osmer's "Where They Raced" books (the latest edition is subtitled "Turn 3") are a great source for anyone looking for further information about Southern California motorsports history in general, not just the board tracks.
But when celebrities began moving there, its fate was sealed as the track’s land was much more valuable than the track itself. Part of its property became the Beverly Wilshire.
I think you should also talk about 2 other race tracks that existed in the Los Angeles area, more specifically in the city of Gardena: Ascot Park Speedway & Carrell Speedway
One of the unique features of the BHS track was that the boards were laid on the narrow side up rather than the wide side up! This made the track surface much stronger and smoother, it was also safer as loose boards caused horrific accidents. The cost in construction though must have been enormous!
Beverly Hills resident here, we have a lot of car people who are very aware of the track, and some of us have hunted for years to find memorabilia to no avail
I live in Century City which would have been on the western border of the track. So weird to see those aerial shots and to think all of that barren land on the western edge of the track would some day become the back lot of 20th Century Fox Studios during the Hollywood era and then become the sparkling high-rise district that it is today!
We had a board track here in Cincinnati as well, a 2 mile banked oval built on the north side of the city. I think it was banked 17 degrees, nowhere near as high as Beverly Hills.
Financial speculation by big banks and board tracks -- a one-two punch to ensure a track doesn't last. Unrelated, but there was a dirt track less than 5 minutes walking distance from my house that existed in the 1930s. Land speculation didn't kill this track, a few floods in 1936 did, but I have no doubt in my mind that it *would have* within 10 years anyway, which is admittedly sad. If it wasn't for banks doing that amount of land speculation... well, maybe Chicago and Indianapolis, and not the Charlotte area, would be the hub of motorsport in the United States.
I think it’s time nascar gets back to building new tracks. 1 mile, 1.3 mile, O shaped 1.5 mile, and a 1.75 mile high banked overlapping figure 8 with an overpass to go above the intersection.
So Super Mile Oval, Darlington 2: The Lady in the Long Black Veil, Langhorne but actually good (and safe), And 8-Bowl Speedway. I dig the bottom two for the uniqueness.
Thats cool. Wonder if the track would've been turned into a hore racing track for today or another world of outlaws track as a crown jewl. We will never knoe
That would be a great spot for a city street race like they do in Chicago. Have the race on as many streets as the old track sat upon. It maybe a good spot for the new EV NASCAR series since the city and state are so environmentally aware.
The same thing happened at Ontario and Riverside; greedy land developers always win the last race and along with it, it brings the destruction of another track.
And now it's happened to Auto Club.
@@PerryWhyte I didn't know that, from what I just read, it is going to become a 1/2-mile track so they can sell most of the land off. I wonder if the half-mile Bristol like track will ever happen.
@@kurt2022those plans have halted and there’s been no further movement unfortunately. I haven’t looked into it recently but a lot of people were speculating they weren’t going to make a short track. Fingers crossed!
God forbid people use their own property for what is most in demand. Not like people need housing in California right? Come on.
.... 605 Speedway, Ascot. Irwindale and Perris are under threat. Not to mention all of the dragstrips that have disappeared over the years.
As a Los Angeles local, who has been on the very streets that surround where the track was, I had no idea that ever existed. Thank you for this video, excellent as always
I can’t believe I just asked about this track on the NWP on Wednesday. Thank you so much for shining more light on this long forgotten track!
Gaston Chevrolet was killed there in November 25, 1920 which was the same year he won the Indianapolis 500
And his car was GREEN - hence the superstition.
Racing at Beverly Hills started 4 years before Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sofia, Duchess of Hohenburg were assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. Crazy when motor racing started out Imperialism was just starting to go out the door.
they’ll get sued for noise violation if they put up a plaque
The board tracks are such a cool but brief time in racing history that is all but forgotten or not known by many.
Historic Sim Studios are working on recreating a collection of board tracks for Assetto Corsa, bringing this point in history to the sim racing community!
I've heard board track raceways before but never knew Beverly Hills had one.
Things I didn't know. Thanks! I'd love to see you do Saugus Speedway. Used to race out there in the 90's
Maybe IRacing should consider rebuilding the wooden race tracks in memoriam. Blows my mind that wooden race tracks used to be a very big deal. I can't imagine how much wood it took for an entire facility to be built.
Great video. It's worth mentioning that BHS had a successor of sorts in the form of Culver City Speedway, and it served up even faster speeds.
Also, Harold Osmer's "Where They Raced" books (the latest edition is subtitled "Turn 3") are a great source for anyone looking for further information about Southern California motorsports history in general, not just the board tracks.
Beverly Hills Speedway would have been a perfect race track in terms of marketing and advertisement for any racing series!
But when celebrities began moving there, its fate was sealed as the track’s land was much more valuable than the track itself. Part of its property became the Beverly Wilshire.
I think you should also talk about 2 other race tracks that existed in the Los Angeles area, more specifically in the city of Gardena: Ascot Park Speedway & Carrell Speedway
Those 2 tracks hosted NASCAR racing in 1951-????. That's how long NASCAR was in SoCal. It's been there since the foundation of the sport
I wish I could spend just one day back then! It would be amazing!
Cant even imagine what the sound was like. Those engines back then were super throaty
Amazing video! 🙂 You really need to make more historical videos like this!
One of the unique features of the BHS track was that the boards were laid on the narrow side up rather than the wide side up! This made the track surface much stronger and smoother, it was also safer as loose boards caused horrific accidents. The cost in construction though must have been enormous!
Beverly Hills resident here, we have a lot of car people who are very aware of the track, and some of us have hunted for years to find memorabilia to no avail
I would have never imagined there was racing happening here before ! Now that's a good video !
I was just reading on board tracks last week. Great video.
Land speculation ruins literally everything.
Now Beverly Hills is nothing but crime and snobby residents.
Amazing archive footage.
Also known as the Beverly Hills Boards. Artist Robert Williams did a painting detailing the Gaston Chevrolet accident called Death On The Boards.
Just saw it and it’s quite the painting lmao
I have met Robert Williams, he is a friend of a friend. Quite the character and just a really nice guy.
I live in Century City which would have been on the western border of the track. So weird to see those aerial shots and to think all of that barren land on the western edge of the track would some day become the back lot of 20th Century Fox Studios during the Hollywood era and then become the sparkling high-rise district that it is today!
I admit, I was expecting the 90210 theme song to pop up at one point.
Yeah I never knew they were a thing in the US.
We had a board track here in Cincinnati as well, a 2 mile banked oval built on the north side of the city. I think it was banked 17 degrees, nowhere near as high as Beverly Hills.
That must have taken some almighty man power, laying all those boards!
It’s good when this guy uploads videos. Makes me feel like giving a Sh*t about UA-cam nowadays
ok
we use to pray for times like this
Do hope you do the Rockingham Race Track in Salem, NH (also was a board race track as well).
we need an asphalt recreation of this for cup
Yes but I think we already have it in Homestead Miami speedway Beverly Hills Speedway looks like Homestead.
RIP Gaston Chevrolet 🙏
Not completely sure but there could be a tragedy at that track besides the King
Financial speculation by big banks and board tracks -- a one-two punch to ensure a track doesn't last.
Unrelated, but there was a dirt track less than 5 minutes walking distance from my house that existed in the 1930s. Land speculation didn't kill this track, a few floods in 1936 did, but I have no doubt in my mind that it *would have* within 10 years anyway, which is admittedly sad.
If it wasn't for banks doing that amount of land speculation... well, maybe Chicago and Indianapolis, and not the Charlotte area, would be the hub of motorsport in the United States.
I think it’s time nascar gets back to building new tracks. 1 mile, 1.3 mile, O shaped 1.5 mile, and a 1.75 mile high banked overlapping figure 8 with an overpass to go above the intersection.
So Super Mile Oval,
Darlington 2: The Lady in the Long Black Veil,
Langhorne but actually good (and safe),
And 8-Bowl Speedway.
I dig the bottom two for the uniqueness.
@@valutaatoaofunknownelement197yeah a Darlington 2.0 in the West coast maybe in Idaho.
Now there is a golf course in the middle of Beverly hills
Motorsports during its infancy
Very informative video ! Enjoyed
If this happens to Laguna Seca, I am gonna go crazy
A booming real estate market
Seems like a wooden track would be an exceptional fire risk for racing.
Yep espicially in California where wild fires happen. I guess it's a good thing it didn't last very long.
imagine a Next Gen on a board track
Man, can you imagine the horrible blisters racers would get?
Thats cool. Wonder if the track would've been turned into a hore racing track for today or another world of outlaws track as a crown jewl. We will never knoe
Its ashamed what they are doing Auto Club right now.
Imagine if the track lasted, would NASCAR race there?
Beverly hills speedway Beverly hills California Beverly hills 200
Time 001 Why is there a parking lot outside of the speedway?
Just think if different decisions had been made we’d be talking about the Hills 500 not the Indy 500
Street circuit similar to Long Beach? Bring back racing to Beverly Hills?
Yes no barriers and no warning of the event. That would spice things up a bit.
Hi
Hello
Just use a boring machine to make the track underground under the same location.
Marty Robbins
Los Santos
That would be a great spot for a city street race like they do in Chicago. Have the race on as many streets as the old track sat upon. It maybe a good spot for the new EV NASCAR series since the city and state are so environmentally aware.
There really should be a Historical Marker on the site where the Track once stood. The fact its almost forgotten