Since we’re on the topic of the Michigan State Fairgrounds, let’s talk about the time it was used as an automobile racetrack prior to the construction of the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan; and also as a horse racetrack.
The NASCAR races held at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in the early 1950’s (and early in NASCAR’s history) were the auto executives’ very first taste of what NASCAR is and what modifying a car into a stock car is all about. The auto executives who had attended these races that were held at the Michigan State Fairgrounds were so impressed that they persuaded the companies that they work for to begin supporting and fielding cars from their respective manufacturers for NASCAR. This paved the way for things such as Chrysler building the Plymouth Superbird/Charger Daytona and for Ford building the Torino Talladega, the Torino King Cobra; and the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. These NASCAR races held at the Michigan State Fairgrounds also inspired Ford to start it’s corporate-owned NASCAR race team based in Charlotte, North Carolina-which later became Holman-Moody, which has a long history of fielding Ford products for racing themselves. John Holman and Ralph Moody had both jointly purchased the race team from the Ford Motor Company in 1957 when Ford had wanted out of being directly in the racing business.
Once Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan was completed in 1966, it had signaled the end of the Michigan State Fairgrounds being used for automobile races and MIS (Michigan International Speedway) became the only racetrack that NASCAR would use in the entire State of Michigan from this point forward.
Where in Michigan MIS is located:
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2961.9922889462664!2d-84.2434094842317!3d42.06478466168915!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x883ce04e72b3174f%3A0x8355df5160154a3c!2sMichigan+International+Speedway!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1447291334528“>http://
Photos of the NASCAR races that were held at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in the early 1950’s:
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Matthew Parij 
