Stock Car Races at Lansdowne Park
When I was a kid in the 1950's growing up in Alta Vista, I can remember not being able to get to sleep at night because of what you might call loud traffic noise. My dad said it came from car races at Lansdowne Park. Were there car races, and if so, where exactly did they take place?
Your dad had it right. For six years, from June,1955 until the fall of 1960, a promoter named Gerry Bisson organized stock car races at Lansdowne Park. For the first few years, Mr. Bisson ran programs every Wednesday night for about 15 weeks beginning in June. These races were an instant success, bringing in crowds of 5,000 to 7,000 customers who paid $1.00 for adults, 50 cents for kids.
The cars raced on an oval dirt track originally built for horse racing. It was located more-or-less between where the north and south stands are today. The old north stands were smaller than the current stands, and did not come as close to the playing field by about 20 feet as they do today. There were only bleachers on the south side at that time, and they were well back (about 60 feet) from where the south stands are now. The races were so successful that they paved the track in 1957, so they could race 'rain or shine'. They also began to run Saturday programs, and the car races became a special feature during the annual Central Canada Exhibition (CCE).
The directors of the CCE loved the races, and reputedly made more rent money from the car races (almost $13,000 a year) than they earned from a season of Rough Rider Games. The neighbours in the Glebe and Ottawa South were much less enthusiastic. The cars originally ran without mufflers for greater speed, and once the track was paved, they could run much faster. Tires certainly would have squealed on those tight corners.
I guess you weren't the only one being kept awake at night. Intense lobbying by Lansdowne neighbours brought the stock car races to an end on August 17, 1960. Mr. Bisson moved the races out to the Capital City Speedway outside Stittsville.