Pontiac Street Circuit

Circuit History

In 1974, the Waterford Hills sports car club organised an unsanctioned street race in downtown Pontiac, Michigan. City officials embraced the event – dubbed the "Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix" – turning portions of Wide Track Drive (the Woodward Avenue loop around the city centre) into a temporary 1.2-mile road course. Safety provisions were minimal: the course was lined with ordinary kerbs, telephone poles and temporary guardrails, and spectators watched from sidewalks just feet away.

Despite the risks, a large and varied field of drivers and machinery arrived, since the "outlaw" race offered prize money (unusual for club racing at the time). Vehicles ranged from small production sports cars to big-block Trans-Am racers and even Can-Am prototypes.

Local driver Warren Tope—the 27-year-old son of a Ford executive—piloted a De Tomaso Pantera to victory in the inaugural 90-minute race. Remarkably, second place went to an MG sports car, driven by Larry Campbell, underscoring the eclectic mix of entries. Not all stars had a good day: Tony DeLorenzo, a noted Corvette racer, crashed heavily during the 1974 race, fortunately without serious injury. DeLorenzo's wreck discouraged his return; he sat out the following year's event.

Tope's popular win and the sizeable crowd and media attention (including coverage in Road & Track) buoyed hopes that Pontiac's street race might become an annual happening. The success of the inaugural event immediately prompted plans for a second running.

Wide Track II and tragedy in 1975

Plans proceeded for a second edition in 1975, officially titled the City of Pontiac Wide Track II Road Race. Scheduled for 5 July 1975, it drew an even bigger field of 50+ entrants, from amateur club racers to professional stars. To improve the spectacle, organisers altered the circuit slightly – the 1975 layout was 1.4604 miles (2.350 km) long – and introduced a Le Mans-style start. At the green flag, 37 drivers sprinted across the pavement to their waiting cars.

Warren Tope returned to defend his title, this time in a mighty McLaren M6B Can-Am car (replacing his Pantera). Notable entrants included local Corvette ace John Greenwood, though he ultimately withdrew after practice over safety concerns with the makeshift course.

Once underway, the 1975 "Wide Track II" race proved both spectacular and tragic. Tope set pole with a 69.2 mph average lap, but a slow start left him mid-pack. He charged through the field, seizing the lead by lap 7 and lapping most of the field by lap 18. But shortly thereafter, disaster struck: a mechanical failure (a broken driveshaft that ruptured a brake line) sent Tope's McLaren hurtling off at Turn 1. The car plunged under the Armco barrier, the impact inflicting fatal injuries on Tope.

The race was red-flagged for nearly an hour as crews repaired the barrier and cleared the wreckage. When racing resumed, the mood was sombre. Local driver Tim Morgan in a Chevrolet Corvette ultimately took the win, with Illinois racer Buzz Fyhrie (Corvette) finishing second.

End of an experiment

Tope's death proved to be the end of Pontiac's street races. The tragedy soured city officials on the idea of racing through downtown, and plans for future Wide Track Grand Prix events were cancelled. In just two runnings, however, the Pontiac street circuit had made its mark – a wild 1970s experiment in bringing motorsport to the city streets, remembered for its ambition, spectacle and the sobering lesson in safety that ended it.

The circuit represented the free-wheeling attitude of 1970s American motorsport, when safety standards were far more relaxed and the idea of closing city streets for high-speed racing seemed feasible. The events captured the imagination of both participants and spectators, but the ultimate price paid highlighted the inherent dangers of racing on inadequately prepared street circuits.

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