This Calder, I tell ya, it’s a place for them fast cars. I heard it’s somewhere down in Florida, that sunny place. Ain’t never been there myself, too busy with my chickens. But folks talk about it, always have.

They say it used to be somethin’ else, this Calder place. Horses, maybe? Or was it dogs? My memory ain’t what it used to be. But now, it’s all about them race cars, zoomin’ around a track. Makes my head spin just thinkin’ about it!
Calder Raceway, Oh Calder Raceway
Used to be somethin’, this Calder Raceway Florida. I reckon folks from all over come to see them cars go. Big crowds, I hear. Thousands! Can you imagine? More people than we got in our whole county, probably.
- Wednesday, that’s when the racin’ starts, they say.
- Then it goes on, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
- Even on Sunday, them cars is racin’. Lordy!
- Except that one Monday, October 12th.
They been doin’ this for years, this racin’ at Calder. Fifty years, maybe? More? Time flies when you’re havin’ fun, I suppose. Or when you’re watchin’ them cars go ’round and ’round.
What’s This Place, Calder Raceway?
They call it Calder Raceway, this place in Florida. Down in Miami Gardens, that’s the place. I heard someone say it once. Near the beach, maybe? I ain’t never been to no beach, either. Too sandy for my likin’.
Used to be, they had all sorts of things there. But now, it’s just the cars. Big, loud cars. My grandson, he loves ’em. Got pictures of ’em all over his room. I don’t get it, but young folks, they like what they like.

This whole racin’ thing, it’s a big deal, I reckon. They have this meetin’, a championship meet, that is what it is called, someone told me. People come from all over to see it. Must be somethin’ special, to draw such a crowd.
Fifty Years of Racing, I Hear
They say this Calder Raceway Florida been around for a long, long time. Fifty years, at least. That’s longer than I been married to my old man! And that’s sayin’ somethin’.
Imagine all them cars, all them people, all that noise, for fifty years! It’s a wonder the ground don’t just give way. I guess that track is made of strong stuff, to hold up all that racin’.
- August 5, 1967, somethin’ happened. Maybe that’s when it started?
- Then October 30, somethin’ else happened. Maybe it stopped then? Not sure.
- They called it OCIR back then, some fancy name.
I don’t know nothin’ about fancy names. But I know this Calder place, it’s famous for its racin’. And that’s all that matters, I suppose. People like it, and that’s enough.
They got a lease, I hear, some kind of paper that says they can use the land. From some company, Irvine Company, maybe? Don’t know nothin’ about that, either. Just know they been racin’ there for a long, long time.

Lots of Folks Come to See
I hear tell, on the days they have them races, there’s a whole heap of people there. More people than you can shake a stick at. Thousands and thousands. 16,263, once, that’s the number I heard!
Can you imagine that many folks, all in one place? Must be louder than a chicken coop at feedin’ time. All them people, cheerin’ and shoutin’ for them cars. It boggles the mind, it really does.
I reckon them race car drivers must feel like kings, with all them people watchin’ ’em. Must be a powerful feelin’, to have that many eyes on you. I wouldn’t know, though. I’m just happy tendin’ to my garden.
But this Calder Raceway Florida, it’s somethin’ else. A place for speed, a place for crowds, a place for excitement. It ain’t my cup of tea, but I can see why folks like it. It’s a spectacle, that’s for sure. A real spectacle. And in Florida, that sunny place, it’s like a whole other world, far away from my little farm. But it’s interestin’, in its own way, I suppose. All that racin’, all them people. It’s a wonder, ain’t it? This world is full of wonders. Even this old lady can see that.