Daytona isn’t the only asphalt oval in Florida to host motocross. Sunshine Speedway, now known as Showtime Speedway Pinellas Park, was a 1970s and 1980s Pro Motocross venue that put a sandy course in the infield of the short track. Located in the Clearwater/St. Petersburg area, the track brought Motocross to northern Florida.
Established in the early 1960s Sunshine is a 3/8 mile asphalt oval and hosted motocross for decades, including six Pro Motocross rounds.
After a 2004 closing, it was re-opened and renamed Showtime Speedway in July 2012. It still hosts action most Saturday nights.
Iconic Moments
Cool stuff here
1976-Pressure Cooker
A humid day and “choppy” conditions challenged the 500MX racers in the first ever Sunshine Speedway national. Gary Semics was on his A game, winning both motos and narrowing the points lead with one round to go. Semics positioned his Kawasaki out front for the most of the race, until Husqvarna’s Brad Lackey made a late charge for the top spot. Semics avoided a downed rider and lost his lead with two laps to go, but recharged and once again grabbed the lead. Lackey seemingly tired in the last two laps, waving teammate and points leader Kent Howerton into second. Semics once again started in the lead, but Tony DiStefano made the move halfway through the second moto. Once again, Semics made a late pass with three to go to sweep the day and pull within six points of Howerton’s lead.
1977-Blown Up
One year after winning his first 125MX title, Bob Hannah was in the 500 class points lead. Battling with Marty Smith for the championship, a mechanical issue effectively ended The Hurricane’s shot at glory. Hannah led the first moto of the day but on lap four, disaster struck. A metal clip released the carburetor slide from the throttle cable, stopping Hannah in his tracks. The DNF was a major points swing as Smith cruised to the win. While Hannah rebounded to win the second moto, Smith’s gap was nearly insurmountable with just one race remaining.
This interactive table details the all-time leaders at Sunshine Speedway. Who has the most starts, wins, podiums and points. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns. To see all years of data, become a member of the We Went Fast Garage and help us continue (and expand) these unique views of the sport’s history.
This interactive table details the Sunshine Speedway winners history. Who won in what year and what round was this venue. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns. To see all years of data, become a member of the We Went Fast Garage and help us continue (and expand) these unique views of the sport’s history.
