The Former Air Park Speedway, Fennville: 1952-1963
The Air Park Speedway in Fennville lasted about ten years, but those who were around back then have great memories of this track.
In the beginning, the Douglas Airport (known as the Saugatuck-Douglas Airport) opened in the mid-1940s by husband and wife pilots Harl and Lucille Schneider. They offered trips and flying instructions, and included their own cafe’, The Airport Grill.
While helping returning WWII soldiers with training, they opened the Air Park Speedway in 1952-3 at 2755 Blue Star Highway, alongside Lake Michigan. It was a 3/8-mile oval dirt track that ran on Saturday nights with Stocks & Modifieds and changed to Friday nights once the Supermodifieds were introduced.
After becoming a favorite venue for race fans, a couple of extremely successful jazz festivals were held at the track, the 1959 and 1960 Saugatuck Jazz Festivals. The latter featured Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, and Paul Desmond.
The decline began once the nearby Hartford Speedway made impressive upgrades; eventually, the Hartford began drawing away the Air Park spectators. An increasing lack of customers caused the Air Park Speedway to close in 1963.
