Playa Del Rey Board Track

Los Angeles - 1910
The Playa Del Rey board track was the first of the great wood plank automobile speedways. For years bicycle and motorcycle races were conducted on wooden velodromes, but Playa Del Rey brought the concept to events for race cars. This speedway was designed by Jack Prince, the most renowned designer of board track facilities. Board tracks rose in popularity through the 1920’s largely due to their relatively inexpensive start-up costs, but proved excessively expensive to maintain. Blindingly fast, their appeal was self evident. The opening of Playa Del Rey came in the spring of 1910. Caleb Bragg made a big statement in his breakthrough victory over Barney Oldfield and the Lightning Benz in a best of three match race. Ralph De Palma also appeared at the track. This folder contains 10 files on the topic from the Barney Oldfield scrapbook.

Marmon Enters Playa Del Rey Inaugural

The article in attachment Marmon011310 concerns entries to the inaugural Playa Del Rey board track race event was published in the January 13, 1910, Indianapolis Star. It credits H.H.
Entries For Playa Del Rey Grow

This article was originally published in the Sunday, March 20, 1910 Indianapolis Star. It was part of several articles in a special supplemental section about the upcoming March 28 Indianapolis Automobile Show presented by the Indianapolis Automobile Trade Association (IATA).
AAA Cal Circuit Plan -1910

This article was originally published in the April 24, 1910 Indianapolis Star and was a by-product of news coverage of the first board track race meet held at Playa Del Rey near Los Angeles. The topic was the possibility of the American Automobile Association (AAA) creating a West Coast racing circuit.
DePalma @ Play Del Rey - 1910

This article first appeared in the April 24, 1910 Indianapolis Star and focused on the fortunes of Ralph DePalma at the first-ever board track race meet which was staged at Playa Del Rey.
Harroun Wins at Playa Del Rey

The articles in this attachment were published in the April 9, 1910 Indianapolis Star.
 
Apperson Wrecked at Playa Del Rey - 1910

The article in this attachment was published in the April 11, 1910, Indianapolis Star and reports on events of the previous day.
 
DePalma Stars @ Play Del Rey - 1910

This article was published in the April 14, 1910 Indianapolis Star. It is additional coverage of the inaugural race meet at America's first board track for auto racing, Playa Del Rey. The race meet extended from April 8 to April 17. Other articles about the race meet can be found elsewhere on First Super Speedway:
 
Oldfield, Harroun, DePalma Star - Playa Del Rey 1910

This article was published in the April 16, 1910 Indianapolis Star.
 
Harroun Wins Playa Del Rey Two Hour Race

The attached article was published in the April 17, 1910 Indianapolis Star.
 
Harroun, Bragg Star @ Playa Del Rey

This attached article was published in the April 18, 1910 Indianapolis Star.