NASSH Proceedings, 2016

B r ia n M. Ingrassia, W est Texas A& M U n i v e r s i t y Better than Indianapolis: 's New South Auto Racing Aspirations, 1909-1913

When the Atlanta Automobile Speedway opened in Hapeville, nine miles south of downtown Atlanta in November 1909, the bustling New South metropolis was seeking to become a major automobile manufacturing city. The “Gate City" was then hosting the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers (NAAM) annual convention, and Atlanta's two major newspapers were also sponsoring Glidden Tour-style automobile endurance contests intended to inspire the building of good roads throughout Georgia and beyond. Before construction on the new race track even began, the Atlanta Automobile Association proudly announced that the 2-mile, $400,000 facility would be better than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Atlanta track's planners even worked with the city engineer and Standard Oil representatives to devise a paving compound that would be safer and faster than the surface at Indianapolis. Atlanta's desire to compete with Indianapolis was not unique: the Hoosier track, which quickly set the gold standard for auto racing venues when it opened in summer 1909, inspired the building of similar “autodromes" throughout America. This mimicry was an early example of the phenomenon of modern cities building sports venues to attract both publicity and money. When completed, the Atlanta Speedway seated over 25,000 in the grandstands and 15,000 in the bleachers. It was designed for spectator safety and convenience (with below-grade tunnels for crowd control) as well as commercial appeal. This paper tells the story of the construction of Atlanta's speedway and its races, as well as its demise. After hosting automobile races—and even some aeronautical spectacles—the surface was deteriorating and the Atlanta Automobile Association could not repay its debts. Coca-Cola President Asa G. Candler foreclosed on the property in 1913. The land sat dormant until the 1920s, when it became Candler Field, today known as Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. This paper situates the Atlanta speedway's obscure history within the context of early- automotive racing, urban boosterism, and progressive reforms. By trying to outdo Indianapolis, Atlanta's automobile enthusiasts established a place where New South automobile enthusiasts could be proud of their city's accomplishments—while comfortably observing the exciting, space- annihilating potential of innovative automotive and paving technologies. This paper is significant for sport historians not only because it helps us understand an obscure chapter in the history of early automobile racing, but also because it shows that such venues were already becoming a way to boost cities in the early 1900s. The paper employs primary sources from thz Atlanta Constitution and N ew York Times, as well as the Emory University Archives. The paper engages scholarship by Randal L. Hall, Mark Douglas Lowes, Howard L. Preston, and Robert C. Trumpbour.