During 1939, Bradford Northern Rugby league club's Harry Hornby and the local MP H Hepworth investigated the possibility of introducing speedway racing in Odsal, but the outbreak of World War II put an end to their plans.

However, in 1945 Hornby joined together with Johnnie Hoskins, to reactive the plans and on 23 June 1945 before a crowd of over 20,000 the Lord Mayor, Alderman Cecil Barnett, officially opened the track.

[1][3] The first season was a series of open and challenge meetings before league racing was introduced in 1946, with the new team called the Odsal Boomerangs (because of the sport's Australian roots).

It resulted in the sports governing body, the Speedway Control Board, issuing an ultimatum that the Odsal track shape be changed or its licence would be withdrawn.

Hoskins was replaced on the board of directors by Bruce Booth, Hornby’s nephew, and Eric Langton, the former Belle Vue rider who finished runner up in the first world championship in 1936.

On the same night at Odsal's sister track The Shay, the Halifax Dukes, were riding at Norwich and Jock Sheard, born in the same Burnley street as Abbott, crashed in his second race and was killed.

[9] One bright spot was Arthur Forrest, a local rider who was the product of the Monday night training school, finished third in the 1956 world final.

[1] In 1957 former riders Oliver Hart, Ron Clarke and Ron Mason took over as promoters and staged a number of open meetings and when in August, the Birmingham Brummies withdrew from the National League as a result of internal speedway politics, Clarke and Mason took over their remaining fixtures riding as the Bradford (the Odsal name was dropped) Tudors.

The following season in 1961, the Panthers moved to Greenfield Stadium, partly due to issues over removing the corners of the rugby pitch at Odsal on race days.

Meetings had to begin in the early evening and as a result attendances suffered and promoter Jess Halliday left the club at the end of the 1961 season.

[1][9] In 1975 the New National League (formerly division 2) was formed[14] but crowd levels continued to fall, especially following the introduction of stock cars and the resulting damage to the track.

However, Jim Streets did not give up without a fight and attempted unsuccessfully to introduce speedway at the former home of Bradford (Park Avenue) Football Club.

[16] The Dukes enjoyed their best season to date in 1991, when they finished runner-up behind Wolverhampton Wolves in the league and won the Knockout Cup for the first major trophy in their history.

[20][21] Despite becoming British champions for the first time the club closed after the 1997 season due to financial losses incurred by promoters Bobby and Allan Ham, which was soon followed by news of a potential redevelopment of Odsal.

[22] In 2013 businessman Tony Mole successfully applied for planning permission to again use Odsal for speedway, with the possibility of racing returning in 2014 with the Bradford and Halifax Dukes.