With the reported sale and apparent demise of South Bend Motor Speedway this year, many still remember the high-banked, quarter-mile, paved oval was developed and built with midget auto racing in mind.

After a year or two of planning and construction, the track opened on Aug. 23, 1946. Chicago’s Ted Duncan, the evening’s fastest qualifier, won the “Class A” 25-lap feature with Bob Muhlke and Frank Burany chasing Duncan to the checkered flag. Some 8,000 fans attended the inaugural race program with many spectating from the infield as a field of about 25 cars saw action.