CIVIC  STADIUM   -   BUFFALO  NY

The facility hosted a variety of sports activities including the Buffalo Bison and NFL's Buffalo Bills.  It was much like Soldier Field in that it had a football field in the center and the race track ran along the outside up against the grandstands.  Fans were also forbidden from sitting in the first five rows of the venue for safety reasons.  It covered a 1/4 mile distance and was paved.  It was constructed in 1937 as a Works Progress Administration project to put people to work during the end of the depression.  It had a seating capacity of over 36,000 when built, and used primarily for college football.  The facility have several names over the years.  Roesch Memorial Stadium, Grove Cleveland Stadium, War Memorial Stadium and "the Rock Pile" are among them.  The facility first started hosting races in 1941 as the Midget series raced there on a regular basis.  The Sportsman Series began racing there in 1951 and ran through 1959.  NASCAR held two races at the stadium.  The first was a convertible race in 1956.  Joe

Weatherly won the pole and led the first 20 laps before being passed by Curtis Turner.  Turner led for 177 circuits, before with three laps to go, he suffered a rear tire issue, causing him to fall out of the race and finish fifth. Weatherly was close behind and assumed the lead when Turner had issues.  He led the final three laps to get the win.  Glen Wood finished second, followed by Larry Odo, Bob Welborn and Turner.  The Cup Series would win their one race here in 1957.  Rex white started up front and led the first 45 laps.  But Jim Reed also had a stout race machine and took over the lead at that point.  He went on to lead the final 55 laps and beat Cotton Owens by over a lap.  The stadium was deemed unsuitable for National Football League play

after the AFL–NFL merger, as it sat fewer than 50,000 people and could not be expanded.  The facility was closed in May of 1989 and demolished.  The land was repurposed for youth and amateur sports.

 

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