The races were virtually the same as the Little 500. The 500-lap roadster race started 33 cars in 11 rows of three with live pit stops from the infield. Even more remarkable is the fact these events were run on the Saturday before Memorial Day, like the Little 500 is today. Qualifying was held one week prior to the race.
Carrell Speedway was a half-mile dirt speedway in 1948, but was paved in time for the 1949 race. These 500-lap events were 250 miles in distance. Surprisingly, 18 cars were running at the finish both years. Dempsey Wilson won the 1948 event, while Bob Denny captured the 1949 edition.
Interest in these events was extremely high. Local newspapers claimed the inaugural 1948 event attracted an overflow crowd of 18, 000. The turnout for the 1949 event was estimated at 12,000 spectators. It’s difficult to say how accurate these figures were since newspapers tended to exaggerate attendance numbers.
The most intriguing comparison between the Little 500 and the Gardena events are the dates of the 1949 races. The Gardena event was run on Saturday, May 28, 1949, while the first Little 500 was run the night before.
These 500-lap roadster races were held in separate parts of the country more than 2,000 miles apart. Both were run within a 24-hour period. It is believed Helpling chose the Friday date of Memorial Day weekend to stay off the date of the Gardena event.
It’s almost certain that Helpling and Hopkins had some knowledge of these other events prior to the early 1949 Little 500 press conference. There was no mention of the Carrell race at the press conference, but one would think they knew of the event, and replicated the idea. The Gardena events were highly publicized in Speed Age and Hot Rod Magazines.
It’s easy to see now why the San Antonio and Gardena events never caught hold. Five-hundred laps on a half-mile track doesn’t bring lapped traffic into play like the high-banked Anderson Speedway quarter-mile.
In addition, the smaller venue with constant lapped traffic keeps fans glued to the action the entire race. Also, 250 miles took a toll on both midgets and roadsters alike at that time.
In addition, most of racing’s biggest personalities, drivers, fans and media members from Southern California were in Indianapolis on Memorial Day weekend for the Indianapolis 500. This surely hampered the interest level and participation in the Gardena events.
Date, location and venue are everything in short-track racing. There is something to be said about Memorial Day weekend in central Indiana. There are hundreds of thousands of race fans in the area for the Indianapolis 500.
Anderson Speedway has proven to be the perfect location, with the ideal date and venue for the Little 500. These seem to be the ingredients for success and the reason the Little 500 has been in existence for 75 years and counting.
This story appeared in the May 17, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
