The American Legion Post 127 of Glendale, which had started promoting the track in the fall of 1928, entered into a long-term lease of the property in early March 1929, having secured AAA sanction for the American Legion Speedway.[16] 15 months later, it was renamed Legion Ascot Speedway based on the legionnaires' assessment that they had rehabilitated "Ascot,"[17] giving the track the name it would be widely known by.[3] Major drivers raced at the track such as Bill Cummings, Al Gordon, Ernie Triplett, Kelly Petillo, Wilbur Shaw and Rex Mays.[18] It also attracted celebrity spectators such as Bing Crosby, Andy Devine, Loretta Young, Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Clara Bow and Carole Lombard. Actresses sometimes presented trophies to the winning drivers.[3]
The high speeds the racers reached contributed to heavy and spectacular crashes at the speedway.[18] About two dozen people died in the twelve years that Legion Ascot operated, earning it the nickname "killer track."[19] It had the most deaths of any American race track in that time period. In 1933 alone, six deaths occurred, stirring turmoil in the newspapers as racing continued before large crowds
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