|| *Comments on Riverside Park Speedway:* View the most recent comment <#5> | Post a comment <#post> 1. RaceFanX posted: 04.02.2011 - 2:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Located at an amusement park, this track was demolished after its 1999 to make room for new theme park expansion. Today the theme park is now Six Flags New England and the former location of the track is home to the "Bizzarro," a Superman-themed roller coaster 2. Jeff posted: 08.29.2016 - 3:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And its a great shame...was a great short track. 3. RaceFanX posted: 05.26.2020 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The roller coaster that was built on the site of the track in 2000 was originally named "Superman: The Ride of Steel" before being repainted and renamed "Bizarro" in 2009 (Bizarro is basically Superman's evil twin in the comics). It was returned to the original Superman identity in 2016. To its credit the Itamin coaster is widely seen as perhaps the biggest highlight of the whole park and a world-class attraction that has won many Golden Ticket awards...But did they have to knock down this classic track to built it?!? 4. A posted: 12.19.2020 - 7:33 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) One of the attractions in the footprint of the former speedway is the "Krazy Kars," a kiddie car ride. On old aerial views, it's kind of hard to even tell where vehicles accessed the track from the roads. 5. RaceFanX posted: 03.02.2021 - 11:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This track was opened in 1949 when amusement park owner Edward J. Carroll decided that the best way to replace his dance hall that had burned down in 1948 would be with a short track so he could capitalize on the post-World War II popularity of auto racing. It was initially a fifth-mile dirt track but would be expanded and paved into a quarter-mile track during the early 1970s. NASCAR sanctioned races here from 1976 onward. The track was located alongside the Connecticut River one mile north of the one mile north of the Massachusetts?Connecticut state line. The track was first built to help draw people to the amusement park but as the park grew it ultimately became a secondary attraction. The track would operate for 51 years before its closure at the end of the 1999 season. The Carroll family sold the Riverside Park amusement park to Premier Parks chain, which would buy up Six Flags about a year and a half later, in December 1996 after the change in ownership there were constant rumors the track would be closed. Falling spectator attendance and car counts in the final seasons also played into the decision with it formally announced in June 1999 that the track's current season would be its last. The final race at the end of the 1999 season was won by Bob Polverari, a five-time track champion at Riverside. After the race several racers celebrated the old track's last night but literally digging up pieces of the asphalt to save as souvenirs. At the time of its closure Riverside was the last short track in the United States located at a theme park, although the Walt Disney World Speedway superspeedway (which was located in the Magic Kingdom's parking lot away from the park itself) would continue hosting professional racing for a few more months. NASCAR Modified Tour star Reggie Ruggiero was the all-time winningest driver at this track. He won at least 97 modified races here between 1976 and 1998, including seven on the regional NASCAR Modified Tour. He was one of the many top drivers this track produced alongside others including Ed Flemke, Sr., Benny Germano, and road racer Phil Walters also got their start here with legends like Geoff Bodine and Richie Evans also completing here pretty regularly in their day. Jocko Maggiacomo, the father of the NASCAR and Trans-Am driver of the same name, was a star here too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: