A NEW ERA BEGINS
With the demise of the San Jose Speedway at the end of the 1977 season, racing would move about 2 miles West down Tully Road to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
Racing was no stranger to the fairgrounds. The AAA held champ car races on the mile in 1951 & 52. Tony Bettenhausen won the race October 21,1951. The field included Freddie Agabashian 6th, Johnnie Parsons 7th, Troy Ruttman 15th, Rodger Ward 17th and Bill Vukovich Sr 18th. Bobby Ball won the race on November 2, 1952 that saw Joe James killed in a lap 47 accident..
The NASCAR Pacific Coast late model stock cars raced there in 1956 & 1957. Eddie Pagan won the 150 lap race on October 15, 1956 with local favorite Clyde Palmer taking 3rd. Marvin Porter was the winner on September 15, 1957 in a race that ended after 116 of the 200 laps after a 9 car accident. In the field that day were Jim Hurtubise, Danny Graves, Marshall Sargent and Parnelli Jones.
The AMA ran the legendary San Jose mile from 1967-1988 with home town hero Joe Leonard winning the first race in 1957. The event was so popular that it was shown on ABC's Wide World Of Sports
The BCRA midgets ran events on a special 1/10 mile dirst track during the county fair in the 1970's while CRA, NARC, GSRA and open comp events were held on the 1/2 mile in 1972, 73, 76 & 77.
For the 1978 season a new 1/4 mile dirt track was carved out inside the 1/2 mile. Ken Clapp and Harold Murrell took over as promoters. The first race would be delayed several months due to severe winter storms that blew the roof off of the main grandstands. Finally on June 10, 1978 NASCAR racing resumed in San Jose with Davey Pombo and Mitch West winning the innaugral events. Missing from the first race was defending San Jose champion Mike Sargent who had been injured in a NARC sprint car race at Calistoga on Memorial Day weekend.
In 1988 the International Speedway Corporation headed by Bill France Jr made a bid to build a one mile paved oval at the fairgrounds which would have brought NASCAR Winston Cup racing to San Jose, however the bid was rejected by the county and Sears Point was awarded a Cup date.
Racing continued at the fairgrounds thru October 1999 when Terry McCarl won the final night of the Trophy Cup with Brent Kaeding taking the overall Trophy Cup title. The fair board did not renew the racing contract for 2000 and instead pursued several development plans, however 12 years after the speedway closed, nothing has been done with the fairgrounds property. The huge main grandstands were razed several years ago. A sad ending for auto racing in San Jose.
