How did figure 8 racing get started?

[Olen McGuire]

Since the beginning of time people have been racing each other.I can imagine the cave men finding out that they could make a big kill of a beast (maybe an elephant or large bear) easier if they went out in groups.When the beast had enough spears and arrows in it, it would finally go down.Then of course it was a race for them to get to the beast first in order to get the best portion of the meat.Children would imitate their elders by racing from point A to point B.
Racing is a natural instinct of humans,so when cars were invented they started racing each other. People would come out to watch the races, but it was noted that the more they crashed the bigger the crowds would get for the next race.So someone came up with the idea of cars wrecking each other to draw more people and demolition derbies were formed.It would draw record crowds everywhere, so two smart ones would team up and help each other disable the rest of the cars and they would split the prize money. Now that wasn't fair, so they come up with a way to keep the cars in line and still have them crash.Someone made a figure 8 at the local race track and made the cars cross paths at the center of the 8.Because of this layout, crashes were inevitable. Some thought that it was too dangerous so they made a track that had an overpass so that the cars did not cross each other's paths.According to racing historian Allan Brown, the first recorded Figure 8 was held at the 3/8-mile Atlantic Speedway track on January 24, 1936.That was nothing more than a short road race. Well, that didn't last very long so tracks across the country started making the conventional figure 8 tracks and there are many around the country today.
Figure 8 racing today is a form of racing that combines elements of oval racing, demolition derby, and road racing.
Pics below from Life Magazines Archives
Aerial view is Speedrome at Indianapolis
(Looks like a demo derbie there.)

Below is the start of a figure 8 race,and you can imagine with that many cars what happens when they get to the middle.
http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=60&pictureid=431http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=60&pictureid=430
http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=60&pictureid=429http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=60&pictureid=428

[Olen McGuire]

To add to the above:
The oldest operating figure 8 track in the United States is Indianapolis Speedrome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The track has been in operation since the 1940s. It hosts the annual World Figure 8 race, which is considered the World Championship event. The first 3 hour long endurance race was held in 1977.

The National Championship in the United States is held at Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, New York.Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile oval race track with a Figure 8 course, located in Riverhead, New York. It is the only auto racing venue on Long Island since Islip Speedway closed down in 1984. It started being built in 1949 and opened as a dirt track in 1951, before permanently changing to asphalt in 1955. A 1/4 mile paved figure 8 track opened around 1970. The track has also operated as Vimco-Riverhead Speedway.

Taken from Riverhead Gallery(car & drivers unk)
http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=61&pictureid=432

[indybigjohn]

I firat heard of the Figure 8 in 1960, at Anderson Speedway in Indiana. We opened the Fairgrounds Motor Speedway with an 8 in 1961, so we may have been first in Kentucky. Not sure if the Speedrome was running 8s before Anderson, but I'll e-mail the present owner and find out if he has records of when they started. In the collage of photos, the one at lower left of the intersection was taken at the Fairgrounds. I've got quite a few of those Life photos from there.

Thanks, Olen, for the aerial of the Speedrome. I collect track aerial photos.

By the way, when we started them, we called it "A demolition derby where you count laps," so your description is good.