[1] A quarter-mile dirt oval was added in 1958 and was the first track to be paved, with the first events held on the new surface on July 15, 1960.

During the same period Bobby Allison had moved to Hueytown from Miami, Florida, and convinced his brother Donnie and fellow racer Red Farmer to join him in founding a new race shop.

The so-called "Alabama Gang" dominated the races at the Fairgrounds track, but other legends of the sport also recorded wins, including "Fireball" Roberts, Richard Petty, and Ned Jarrett.

[2][3] In 1969, the sanctioning body moved the date from Birmingham to a new fast 2.66 mile track, the Alabama International Motor Speedway.

Langford said the track, which had been in continuous operation for over 80 years in Five Points West, needed to be upgraded, and did not fit into current plans for the renovation of Fair Park.