Thornton Speedway or Thornton Race Track

Years of operation:  1924 - 1926

Location: 175th & Halsted St., located southeast of the current intersection of 175th St.& Halsted St. and well northeast of the old Washington Park horse track in Homewood, which operated from 1926 through 1977, track was a little east of Halsted St. and ran parallel to 175th St., occupying space of the now closed Menards store and part of the road (Brown Derby Road) that connects Ridge Road to 175th St. 

Notes:  half-mile dirt track that saw auto and motorcycle races held sporadically over a three-year period; track renovated in 1924 for harness racing; motorcycle races, promoted by J.R. “Jack” Leach of Hammond, Ind. (48 State St.), scheduled for 9/7/24 – first ‘cycle races in “Chicago District” in several years; series of races for the Chicago Colored Race Drivers Association held in 1925 – “Big Bill” Jeffries – promoter & driver – office at 2978 S. Prairie Ave. in Chicago; Charles “Dutch” Baumann of Indianapolis wins 20-mile feature race on 6/27/26 ahead of future Indianapolis 500 winner Billy Arnold and Walter Martins, track described as “soft and dangerous” – several greyhound dog races also held this same day; dog races held in 1926 as horse racing is shut down at Washington Park; dog races on and off with battles continuing in court into 1931 – dog racing finally ruled by the courts to be illegal in Illinois; as late as 1953, a proposed speedway is mentioned to be built on the old site.