Aurora Stadium Speedway 1941 T-Shirt

In 1940, the owners of Seattle’s Playland Amusement Park decided to build a racetrack where they could host various motorsports events. Calling it Aurora Stadium Speedway, the new 1/4 mile dirt track opened in 1941 and quickly became a popular attraction. Aurora hosted hot rod races one night and midgets on another night, usually Fridays and Saturdays, but as America entered WWII, racing was put on hold at the end of '41. The end of the war saw the boys come home, and racing resumed in '46. Soon, the track would get paved and stock cars were added to the mix. As Seattle's population grew into the once rural area, noise complaints by neighbors coupled with the slow decline of the amusement park led to the track was closing down in '58.