A couple of years ago, Tim Leeming asked if anyone knew of any races on Christmas Day.
http://racersreunion.com/community/forum/stock-car-racing-history/29452/december-14th-racing-related-history#r29454
I've found nothing to indicate NASCAR's Strictly Stock, Grand National or Cup races have ever run on December 25th. Nor have I found anything to suggest other divisions such as NASCAR's sportsman/beer/insurance/cable TV division, the trucks or modifieds; ARCA; USAC-CART-Indy Car; etc. opted to race on Christmas Day.
But after a couple of years, I have found where a track was bold enough to host racing on that day. While not exactly stock car races like the ones on which this site focuses, it was racing nonetheless.
The original Ascot Park raceway opened as a horse racing facility. Its debut races were held on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1903.
In 1908, the track was sold with plans to convert it to an auto racing facility. Though the track isn't the same one that opened as the famed Ascot Park in the 1950s, the original track did host racing in the early 1900s - including more than one event on Christmas Day. The new owners initally planned to create the first Dover or Bristol by concreting the dirt surface. From what I can tell, this did not happen. From Los Angeles Herald, December 2, 1908
The new promoters wasted no time getting ready for the new direction of the track. A two-day race program was scheduled for after Christmas, December 26-27, 1908. That then set the stage for a run of Christmas Day races over the next few years. Some for which I could find information included:
1909
A two-day race program was set for Saturday-Sunday, December 25th and 26th. Famed speedster, Barney Oldfield, arrived in LA via train with his car having been shipped to port for him to race. Oldfield proclaimed he'd set a track record with his car. I guess a record has to start somewhere. I'm not sure how boastful it was for a driver to say his automobile could break the existing record set by a horse. But hey, as PT Barnum often said...
As expected, Oldfield won the Christmas Day event.
From January 8, 1910 Automobile Topics Illustrated
1914
Three years later, Oldfield returned to Ascot Park to race on December 26, 1914. Before doing so, however, he participated in a match race on Christmas Day at Santa Ana Race Track - against an airplane!
The race between Oldfield's Fiat Cyclone and an airplane (piloted at Santa Ana by Mickey McGuire) was one of several match races in which Oldfield participated that year from coast to coast. From what I can gather, Ol' Barn got a lot of show money to put butts in the seats. From December 17, 1914 Santa Ana Register
From December 24 Santa Ana Daily Register
From December 26 Santa Ana Daily Register
Though this photo from Wikipedia and short video clip aren't from the Santa Ana "race", it'll give you a good idea of the excitement that the match race surely delivered to the fans.
Between the Christmas Day races in 1909 and 1914, Oldfield also returned to the sands of Daytona Beach where he made a record speed run in his Lightning Benz in March 1910. - Getty Images
For years, the section coming out of turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway was known as Oldfield. With the new stands as part of Daytona Rising, I'm not sure sure if the section names will remain. But for ages, folks in Oldfield got the first look at the field as they rumbled out of turn 4 and down the front straightaway.
1916
Two years later, Ascot Park again hosted racing on Christmas Day - albeit without Oldfield. Though the superstar wasn't in the field - and no airplanes raced - the fans still got their thrills.
Earl Cooper, Wilbur D'Alene, and Eddie Pullen were slated to race in a 50-lap match race. Cooper won the race, and D'Alene went for a crazy ride on lap 2. Fortunately, he wasn't seriously injured. D'Alene was even able to pen an article for the LA Herald about his accident - and could even laugh about how lucky he was. However, he did decline to run #13 in the future. Hmm, a precedent to be set for almost all future racers?
From what little I've learned, D'Alene was a wild and crazy guy . Perhaps he could be considered in the same vein as drivers such as Curtis Turner, Tiny Lund, Eddie Sachs or Jabe Thomas.
If I learn about additional Christmas Day races, I'll add info about them in the comments to this post. Everyone else - please do the same!
--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 06/23/19 01:44:33PM
