The sport of Speedway enjoyed two stints in Newport. In 1964 Charles Foot successfully introduced the sport to Somerton Park, home of Newport County. It was not the first speedway at the site as grass-track racing had been hosted there in 1928 and 1930. On 17 April 1964 the Newport Wasps team took on Cradley Heath on a track constructed by Jon Erskine in front of 10,000 fans. The Wasps joined the new British League in 1965 racing at Somerton Park until 1977. The final season was under promoter Maurice Morley as a Division 2 (National League) side as their British League team had moved to Bristol. 

It was twenty years on that the Wasps returned under the auspices of Tim Stone at a purpose built Queensway Meadows. They also ran a second team in some season as Stone sought to develop speedway talent. His untimely death led to a brief promotion under the Mallets and, despite on-track success speedway, ended at the site in 2012.