Narragansett Park

Narragansett Park in Cranston, Rhode Island was the venue of the first race on a closed track to be held in the United States on 7 September 1896. 60,000 spectators saw A.H. Whiting’s Riker electric car win that day at an average speed of 26.8mph. Narragansett Park Speedway was closed for refurbishment in 1914, and reopened as the first such facility in America to be paved. The AAA sanctioned races on this banked oval until 1917. Eddie Rickenbacher won the final car race to be held on 4 August 1923 before it was demolished to make way for a housing development. A thoroughbred horse racing venue by the same name operated at nearby Pawtucket from 1934-78.