The track originally opened on April 17, 1955, at 92nd and Leavenworth Road. However, three deaths during the 1956 racing season forced its closure. Lakeside Speedway reopened under new management in 1961 and continued at the Leavenworth Road location through 1988 when developers for
The Woodlands dog & horse racing track purchased the property. Lakeside Speedway then moved to its present location at 5615 Wolcott Drive, also in Kansas City, Kansas. The move enabled not only construction of modern grandstands and a press box, but also provided room for an adjacent campground for racing fans. From 1989 to 1999 Lakeside operated as a half-mile asphalt track. In 2000, it was again under new management, which converted the speedway to a high-banked 4/10-mile dirt track. Flooding is an ongoing concern at the facility due to its close proximity to the
Missouri River. ==NASCAR connection==