History
Farmer B. L. Marchbanks built a half-mile dirt track in 1950–51 after failing to get approval for horse racing, and NASCAR held a Grand National race there in 1951. The facility grew into a high-banked 1.374-mile paved tri-oval that ran NASCAR in 1960 and 1961 and USAC national championship races from 1967 to 1969, with drivers such as A. J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones and Mario Andretti.
The track, renamed Hanford Motor Speedway in the 1960s, never made much money. Racing ended at the close of the decade, and the track was torn down in 1984 and returned to farmland.
Why it matters: An early paved superspeedway in the West that briefly drew NASCAR and Indy car racing to the San Joaquin Valley.
Timeline
- 1951
Danny Weinberg won a Grand National race on the original half-mile dirt track.
- March 12, 1961Fireball Roberts dominates[1]
Roberts led all 178 laps of a 250-mile Grand National race on the paved tri-oval.
- 1967USAC California 200[1]
The track hosted USAC Championship races from 1967 to 1969.
- 1984Torn down[2]
The track was demolished and the land returned to farming.
The site today
| Physical status | Demolished[2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Farmland[2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Other names | Hanford Motor Speedway |
|---|---|
| Location | Kings County, southeast of Hanford near Highway 43 and Idaho Avenue, Hanford, California[2] |
| Venue type | Speedway |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | NASCAR, USAC |
| Opened | 1951[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | 1970[1,2] |
| Demolished | 1984[2] |
| Physical status | Demolished |
| Owner / operator | B. L. Marchbanks (builder) |
| Closure | Never financially successful. |
Sources
- Marchbanks Speedway, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, coordinates, events, opened
- California's forgotten NASCAR track: Hanford's Marchbanks Speedway, KVPR Valley Public Radio. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, current land use, demolished, opened
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (2)
- Wikipedia gives 1970 as the closing year; KVPR says the last race was in 1969.
- KVPR names the builder R.L. Marchbanks; Wikipedia says B. L. Marchbanks.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.