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The fast souped up cars of today are *** far cry from the race cars of yesteryear, but no matter how silly the cars look now, this was the birth of auto racing. And Iowa was to play *** large role in its growth. The year 1915, *** new one mile track was going up in Valley Junction, *** track like no other. It was made of wood. 96 box cars of two by fours and 50 tons of nails and its curves were banked to allow the cars to go faster. And they did on opening day racing legend Barney Oldfield sped around the track at 103 miles an hour, *** speed that wouldn't be reached at the Indianapolis 500 for four more years. Two weeks later, the speedway held its first major race. *** 300 mile auto derby. 10,000 people paid to see racing greats such as Ralph Depalma, winner of that year's Indy 500 chug around the track. But what they saw was tragedy 200 miles into the race, *** dreadful accident. *** driver and *** mechanic were killed, two others seriously injured newspaper accounts of the day reported the speedway was dedicated in *** baptism of blood and the speed lust had cost two lives. The old wooden race track wasn't far from where the Pen Dixie cement plant stands. Today. Races continued on the track for *** while but the crowds dwindled and the track fell into disrepair. It was dismantled and the lumber sold while the Valley Junction track is long gone. The stories, the legends and the memories remain. The birth of Iowa auto racing history.