On November 17, 1946, Bill Carlock and Joe Redinger opened a 3/8 mile banked racetrack on Flato Road and named it “Corpus Christi Speedway”. On that Sunday, 40 jalopies competed in six races.
Auto racing had finally come to the Sparkling City.
In 1948, new owners Dick Lundstrom and C. F. Roscher spent $30,000 to completely rebuild the track and grandstands, making it what they claimed to be the “fastest track in the Southwest”.
Except for a brief closure in the 1980’s the popular speedway thrilled race fans for the next 70 years.
Legendary drivers like “Shorty” Rollins became local Corpus Christi heroes and NASCAR champions. Fans still remember names like Carlock, Flanagan, Barnec, Yeomans, Schumacher, Labonte, Hardcastle, Carlucci, Harms, Scholars, Salge, Klause, Yocum, and Garnett.
Let’s face it…… the buck twenty-five for a Saturday night at the speedway in the 1960’s was a real bargain!
In 1968, track owner Dick Lundstrom leased the speedway to Garth and Sam Herro. Sonny Brown became the new track manager. The racetrack was given a complete overhaul and the races continued, as popular as ever. The Labonte brothers first honed their racing skills as youngsters at the Speedway. And racing legends Richard Petty, A.J. Foyt, and Tony Bettenhausen all once took part in races at the Speedway.
The track was sold in 1991 to Donnie Yocum, a popular CC Speedway driver from the 1960’s. Donnie and his wife, Carol, were married in a memorable wedding at the Speedway in July 1969. The couple totally renovated the track once again, and the races continued under their ownership for the next 16 years.
The Yocums sold the legendary track in July 2007 to San Antonio businesswoman Shelma Walton. Fans assumed that the Speedway would go on forever….but that was not to be.
In 2016, after 70 years in existence, the historic CC Speedway track was closed and abandoned. In 2021, the property was sold to the owner of a local towing company. The company planned to move its main yard to the location after demolishing the old raceway.
Over the decades since 1950, the city had other racetracks come and go. But none had the popularity and staying power of Corpus Christi Speedway. It was an iconic Saturday night tradition for many of us who grew up in CC. For Corpus Christi race fans the demolition of CC Speedway was a sad day..... and another piece of CC history lost.
Robert Parks is a special contributor to KRIS 6 News. Parks was a history teacher at Carroll High School for 19 years and is now retired. His knowledge of Corpus Christi history makes him a unique expert in the subject.
