MARCHBANKS SPEEDWAY - HANFORD CA
(Hanford Motor Speedway)
Marchbanks Speedway (also Hanford Motor Speedway) was a racetrack located in San Joaquin Valley near Hanford, California. It hosted open-wheel and NASCAR cars, as well as motorcycle racing, in the 1950s and 1960s. It was originally built by local farmer B. L. Marchbanks, and named after himself. He built the track in the middle of cotton and corn fields southeast of Hanford after failing to get approval for his first plans: a horse-racing track that would support legalized betting. Marchbanks staged his first rodeo at what became Marchbanks Stadium in 1950 on a half-mile track that featured a quarter-mile straightaway for quarter-horse racing. When the prospects for legalized betting faded, Marchbanks focused on auto racing and debuted with jalopy races. Even in the early days of NASCAR, Bill France Sr. saw opportunity to broaden the series of his Southern-based series in California. He found a willing partner in Marchbanks The track began as a half mile
dirt track. It had several configurations. It even had a paved 1 4/10 mile, high-banked racetrack shaped like Pocono, (later on)and also hosted speed runs for watercraft in an infield lake. The track has quite a history. Marchbanks remains little known today, but was the first superspeedway west of the Mississippi, and it was California's first high-banked paved superspeedway to be run under NASCAR sanction. Many of its races were televised nationally. Along with Cup races, other NASCAR events during that period included five races for the Pacific Coast Late Model series (now known as the K&N Pro Series West), as well as late models, jalopies, hard tops, claiming races, Sportsman and Modifieds. The first Cup race was in 1951, contested on the 1/2 mile dirt. Danny Weinberg would win in only his fifth ever Cup start. It would also be his only Cup win. Marvin Panch would be second while Bill
Norton was third. The Cup cars didn't return to the track until 1960. Auto racing had grown in popularity and a nice crowd of 7,000 fans showed up. NASCAR was running this race on the 1.4 mile paved tri-oval, and the "California 250" drew a nice field of 33 cars. Frank Secrist led the first eight laps; but would experience issues and be out of the race on lap 45. Scotty Cain took the lead after Secrist; but he too would fall out after 55 laps. It seemed having the lead was bad luck on this day, as Mel Larson would lead after Cain, but fall out with 18 laps to go. Lloyd Dane led, but he also fell out. Melvin Porter finally assumed the lead, and was able to hold it until the checkers. This
would be the second of Porters two career wins. Joe Weatherly would finish second. In March 1961, Marchbanks would host it's final Cup event. The legendary Fireball Roberts dominated the track’s final Grand National race in a 1961 Pontiac, leading all 178 laps and winning by more than two laps in averaging 95 mph on his way to a $2,000 prize. The life of this track was short, closing in 1969. Famed promoter J.C. Agajanian worked to bring high-profile USAC Champ Car races to the track in 1967-69. Then USAC balked at scheduling more races at Hanford after the 1969 event, saying the track would have to make $750,000 in improvements. USAC demanded the venue be upgraded, but the owners were not prepared to fund the project.
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