There Really was a Grand Rapids Speedrome!

For sure, Detroit is the automobile capital of Michigan and the world.

But maybe Grand Rapids could be called the "speed" capital? Not of the world, but of Michigan. Why?

Does anyone remember the old Speedrome?

This goes back to the 1950s, according to the Grand Rapids Chamber News website, where an oval race track was home to local legends like John Benson Sr., Lee Petty (father of NASCAR legend Richard Petty), and Marshall Teague, who all won while bumping fenders. Drivers from all over the country came to race there in its day.

👇 BELOW: TAKE A LOOK INSIDE NASCAR'S TONY STEWART'S MANSION! 👇

Where Was The Speedrome?

It was just south of where the Whitecaps play baseball now, the LMCU Ballpark, along the Grand River.

The Speedrome's final race was in 1966. It was shut down to make way for the construction of the 131 Expressway. But that certainly wasn't the end of auto racing in Grand Rapids and West Michigan.

The circle track racing moved to the Berlin Raceway and has never left.

And that's not all. You can't forget the Grattan Raceway, where big names like Paul Newman, General Motors, Alfa Romeo, and Porsche all raced.

The Speedrome, or that land, anyway, has an interesting history before the 1950s.

The website, Water Wonderland, says there is a rich history here.

The track opened as the West Michigan State Fairgrounds, and it featured an oval - just over a mile in length - and it hosted automobile and horse racing, according to Allan Brown of Comstock Park. Brown, who has authored numerous motorsports books, including The History of America's Speedways Past & Present, added that the track closed in 1937 before Richard DeVos converted it into an airfield in 1948. Racing returned in 1950, marking the beginning of its glory days when West Michigan's biggest stars, and even NASCAR, came to race.

Ahh, those were the days!