History
Opened in 1952 as Southland Speedway, the one-mile paper-clip oval was the second superspeedway after Darlington and the first lit for night racing. It hosted a AAA Indy car race won by Troy Ruttman on July 4, 1952, and seven NASCAR Grand National races from 1953 to 1958.
The last race, the July 4, 1958 Raleigh 250, was won by Fireball Roberts. The track closed soon after Daytona opened and was demolished in 1967; the site is now an industrial park.
Why it matters: NASCAR's second superspeedway and the first to stage night races.
Timeline
- 1952
The one-mile oval opened north of Raleigh.
- July 4, 1952Raleigh 200[1]
Troy Ruttman won the AAA-sanctioned Raleigh 200 Indy car race.
- May 30, 1953First Grand National race[1]
Fonty Flock won the Raleigh 300, the first of seven Grand National races.
- July 4, 1958Last Grand National race[1]
Fireball Roberts won the final Raleigh 250.
- 1967Demolished[1]
The track was demolished.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Seaboard Industrial Park and a CSX rail siding on the former front straight[1] |
| Surviving remnants | About 90 feet of the backstretch survives in woods near a substation on Tarheel Drive, per Wikipedia. |
| Mapped location | Approximate historic location |
Venue facts
| Other names | Southland Speedway (1952–1953); Dixie Speedway |
|---|---|
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Venue type | Speedway |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | NASCAR Grand National, AAA |
| Opened | 1952[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | 1958[1] |
| Demolished | 1967[1] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Closure | Wikipedia says the track closed shortly after Daytona International Speedway opened. |
Documented details
Sources
- Raleigh Speedway, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, demolished, events, opened
- Latitude and longitude of Raleigh Speedway, latitude.to. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: coordinates, opened
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.