Remember Walt Disney World Speedway

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The Mouse used to host some interesting races.

Even though it closed almost 5 years ago to the day, quite a few people have completely forgotten the Walt Disney World Speedway ever existed. If you were to go visit the Magic Kingdom today there wouldn’t be any reminders of it, either. Not wanting to let this memory slide away completely, we want to help jog everyone’s memory of when the Mouse hosted some great motorsports events.

Originally announced in January of 1995, the Walt Disney World Speedway was to serve dual purposes: host major motorsports events and let tourists experience what it was like to drive a real race car. That was a simple mission and Disney put little into the facility, using temporary structures instead of permanent buildings – not a good sign. Races were only held in January of each year when the resort wasn’t as busy, making the racing more of a side business.

Called “The Mickyard” in motorsports circles, the track was not your typical oval. Designed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief engineer Kevin Forbes, it had to fit in a triangular lot and not cause any disruption to the resort’s existing roads. It was a tri-oval with three turns. A straightaway in front of the stands led into Turn 2. Each turn was completely unique, including banking, so it was a real challenge for drivers and teams to prepare to race on it. Some race teams absolutely hated the track, saying elements of it were unsafe, so it was controversial.

Just a year later in January of 1996 the grand opening of the Disney World Speedway was held. It kicked things off in high gear by hosting a Formula Ford 2000 support race and then the Indy Racing League’s Indy 200 amidst much fanfare. However, temporary buildings and dangerous turns were only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the problems which immediately surfaced, essentially dooming the track from the beginning.