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Plant Field Was Racing's Winter Home For Many Years
REUNION: A group of former racers gathered for the dedication of a plaque at the site of the old Plant Field race track in Florida. (Max Dolder Photo)
During the glory years of U.S. short-track racing, Tampa, Fla., was often called the “Winter auto racing capital of the nation,” as many of the country’s best racers went there to race during the winter months.
One of the reasons for that was a stadium known as Plant Field. Plant Field was named for railroad and hotel magnate Henry Plant, who built the half-mile horse-racing track in the late 1800s.
The track hosted its first auto race in February 1921 and continued to host racing events, which were mainly timed with the South Florida Fair, which was later renamed the Florida State Fair. Races were held at Plant Field until 1980.
Charlie Roe won the first race at Plant Field.
Races there were mainly promoted by famed racing director J. Alex Sloan and featured mostly IMCA sprint cars, at least during the glory years of the facility.
Talented racers from around the country, including Jimmy Wilburn, Emory Collins, Gus Schrader, Ted Horn, Frank Luptow, Tommy Hinnershitz and Bobby Grim, raced there during the winter months.
Plant Field also served as the spring-training home for Major League Baseball teams, including the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers and Cincinatti Reds from 1913 through 1954. Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson are among the baseball greats to have taken the field at Plant Field. Reportedly, the longest home run of Ruth’s career was hit at Plant Field.
While racing is no longer held at Plant Field, the facility remains and hosts sporting events for the University of Tampa.
In February of this year, a plaque was erected on the site, remembering the history of Plant Field. The new grandstand is just about where the old one was. The plaque is located at the south end of those grandstands.
A large collection of the racers who once participated there returned for a splendid reunion under the Florida sun. Among those in attendance were Ralph Ligouri, Will Cagle, Buzzie Reutimann, Willard Smith, Pancho and Randy Alverez, Jamie Frankland and Jack Arnold. Longtime NSSN photographer Max Dolder was among the attendees.