Polo Grounds

A 1/4 mile dirt oval used in 1940 and 1941 inside the Polo Grounds east of 8th Avenue at 158th Street in Manhattan. In 1948, Alexis Thompson built a portable wooden track for use on the grounds, but shortly afterwards he sold the track and shipped it to the Rose Bowl in California.

When the Giants Baseball team moved from the Polo Grounds to San Francisco in 1957, a 1/4 mile paved oval was built around the baseball diamond by Ed Otto for stock cars. Racing ceased in 1962 when the New York Mets moved in, and the grandstands were demolished in 1964 to make way for public housing.