Local farmer B.L. Marchbanks opened as a half-mile dirt oval on his land in 1951 with Danny Weinberg successful in the only NASCAR race to be held in this configuration that October. Originally known as Marchbanks Speedway, Hanford Motor Speedway was redeveloped as a 1.4-mile high-banked paved tri-oval in June 1960, with infield lake, 2.1-mile road course, 0.333-mile and 0.75-mile ovals offering variety. The USAC National Championship visited at the end of the decade, but it closed after the 1969 season and was demolished in 1984.
