HISTORY59 - Motorsport Racing in Phoenix
This topic, particularly the history of Formula One racing in Phoenix, was suggested by Pat’s son David, who also provided a research link. After a little study, I decided to broaden the topic to overall motorsport racing so that I could also include the history of Phoenix’s closed-track Indy car, stock car, and sports car racing, and drag racing as shown in the figure below. My simple introduction to the cars I will be discussing. I’m going to start at the beginning of motor vehicle racing in Phoenix - the 1908 Cactus Derby race from Los Angles to Phoenix. Then, I’m going to cover the racing history of the major tracks in the Phoenix area, in order of their opening year, including the Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix Raceway, Wildhorse Pass Motorsport Park, and finish with the short history of the Phoenix Street Circuit and Formula One racing in Phoenix. My principal sources include “The Cactus Derby Races of 1908 - 1914: Los Angeles to Phoenix,” axeladdict.com; “