Legion Ascot Speedway

Legion Ascot Speedway was an American racetrack in Los Angeles, California that operated from 1924 to 1936.

Legion Ascot Speedway
LocationLos Angeles, California
Owned byGeorge R. Bentel [1]
Date openedJanuary 20, 1924
Date closed1936
Course typewas a 5/8ths of a mile dirt oval

Beginnings

Racing impresario George R. Bentel and his talented publicist, Bill Pickens, opened The Legion Ascot Speedway on Valley Boulevard/Soto Street, on January 20, 1924.[2] When the track first opened, Jimmy Craft crashed his Frontenac into the guardrail on a curve, and Norris Shears crashed into him, both were killed instantly. In 1926, Bill Bundy and Jack Peticord fatally crashed into Nick Guglielmi, but racing continued. In 1928 the Glendale American Legion Post started promoting the track, and bringing in cars and attracted the best race car drivers such as Bill Cummings, Al Gordon, Ernie Triplett, Kelly Petillo, Wilbur Shaw and Rex Mays, from the American Automobile Association (AAA), it also attracted celebrities such as, Bing Crosby, Andy Devine, Loretta Young, Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Clara Bow and Carole Lombard.[3] In 1929 it reopened as Legion Ascot.

Deaths on the racetrack

Due to the speeds they obtained, there came notable and heavy spectacular crashes at the speedway. Twelve years since the Legion Ascot Speedway opened, only 24 drivers died, it had a reputation for deadly accidents, earning it the nickname “Killer Track.” [4] by 1933 six drivers died, but still racing continued, and Ascot's crowds were bigger than ever.[5]

In 1934 a half-mile oval was built inside the old track. In 1935, Glendale American Legion stopped promoting the races. On January 25, 1936 Al Gordon and riding mechanic Spider Matlock were both killed in a crash, the tragic event caused the end of Legion Ascot Speedway. Four months later the grandstands of the abandoned speedway burned down. Seven years later, Linden Emerson, a former janitor at the track, turned himself in. He confessed that he burned down the grandstand. Today, Multnomah Elementary School and a tract of houses now cover Legion Ascot Speedway.

References
  1. "George R. Bentel Co. George R. Bentel Company, Geo. R. Bentel Co. - 1912-1919 - Los Angeles, California". Coachbuilt. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  2. CECILIA RASMUSSEN (October 10, 1994). "Life--and Death--in Fast Lane at Ascot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  3. "EL SERENO: Legion Ascot Speeway". EL SERENO HISTORICAL SOCIETY. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  4. "The "Killer Track" once attracted fans of cars and speed to El Sereno". The Eastsider. January 14, 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  5. "Ascot Motor Speedway #2, Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, CA". PCAD. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
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