Despite the popularity of the sport, the Cotati Speedway failed to attract the size of crowds the organisers had hoped for, partly due to the track's location.

[2] In early 1921, the North Bay Counties Fair Association purchased 135 acres (55 ha) of land in Cotati, California and contracted Prince to build a speedway at the site.

The plans, which also included buildings to host county fairs, were expected to cost $250,000 (roughly equivalent to $4.3 million in 2023), and were hoped to be ready for races in June that year.

[3] The site chosen for the race track was next to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (now Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit) to the south of East Cotati Avenue, which provided the main access.

[16] On July 27, Joe Thomas, who had won two championship races earlier that season,[17] drove some laps of the track, achieving a speed of 111 miles per hour (179 km/h).

The local press reported that between 10,000 and 15,000 people attended, to watch seven drivers attempt to achieve the 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) speed required to qualify for the race.

[20][21] The Speedway subsequently hosted the North Bay County Fair in late August 1921, which closed with a series of motorcycle races on the track, during which Otto Walker set a 25-mile (40 km) record.