I'm sure Fines won't mind me answering for him 
, but you're probably right, Ray. The name Winternationals (or Winter Nationals) was first used for the Tampa sprints in February of 1967. Perhaps they took a leaf from the NHRA book.. .
Here now an annotated list of all (Big) car racing events I found for Tampa's Fairgrounds track "Plant Field":
1909-04-29 (Thu): 10m (20 laps), 15'08.0", 1 W. F. Ferman (Cadillac), 2 Thonet (Buick), 3 Nelson (Buick), Time Trials ??, Heat winners: 10m (20 laps), 17'26.0", Thonet (Buick) , 10m (20 laps), 18'42.0",Roy Hinson (White steamer), three other heats and one motorcycle event cancelled
Organized by the Tampa AC, this was baiscally an unsanctioned meet for local cars and drivers, none of which appear elsewhere in my records. It is not clear whether prize money was on offer, but admission was charged for the events. In the run-up to the races, the AC announced plans to build a five-mile permanent auto racing track in Tampa, in order to take away "the racing laurels from Savannah and the east coast of the state", i.e. Daytona/Ormond Beach, which was never mentioned in name - some form of inferiority complex? 
Like so many of those plans, nothing ever came of it.
1920-02-19 (Thu)/rs 02-20 (Fri): 10m (20 laps), 15'31.0", 1 Harold Roller (Roller/Roof?), 2 C. A. Chapman (Chapman/Buick), 3 Dave Koetzla (Norman/Buick), Time Trials (2 laps): 1'15.5", Roller, H1 (10 laps): 7'11.25", Roller, H2 (10 laps): 7'23.5", Roller, H3 cancelled
1920-02-21 (Sat): 10m (20), 15'47.0", 1 Harold Roller (Roller/Roof?), 2 Hendricks (Chapman/Buick), 3 Dave Koetzla (Norman/Buick), TT (2): 1'15.25", Roller, H1 (10): 7'17.5", Roller, H2 (10) 7'07.0", Roller, H3 cancelled
These were fully professional races, part of the South Florida Fair program, with $750 advertized for each day. The first day's races were rescheduled not because of rain on the day, but because the horse races rained out on Wednesday were held that day, showing that the bangtails were still boss. Harold Stanley Roller (b. 1893-03-27d. 1964-10-05) from Kansas was the promoter, and a highly successful independent racing driver in many Midwestern states. His car was described as a "revamped Ford", and from other events it appears to have been a very early 16-valve conversion by Roof, or possibly a Rajo. He would eventually move to Tampa in 1926, open a garage and run his racing car out of it, also for other drivers after retiring from active competition in 1929. Since he won every event here in 1920, one is tempted to think of the races as "hippodromes", but that is actually not very likely, the competition being all local. The only name driver in the field, apart from Roller, was Dave Koetzla from Michigan or Illinois, a successful IMCA driver who had just moved to Florida, and was driving a local car here. It is, in fact, not very clear whether the other Buick special was driven by Chapman or Hendricks, and it was likely the latter who took second on the first day, too.
1920-02-28 (Sat): 5m (10), n/a, 1 Harold Roller (Roller/Roof?), 2 Dave Koetzla (Norman/Buick), no other starters, TT ??, H1 (10): n/a, Koetzla, H2 (10): n/a, Roller, H3 (6): n/a, Johnny Marsicano (Marsicano/Ford?)
Following the success at the Fair, a match race "two out of three" between Roller and Koetzla was carded for the following Saturday, with an advertized purse of $1,500 and a short race for locals on the side.
1920-04-03 (Sat): 5m (10), 7'45.0", 1 Jay Davidson (Davidson/Stutz), 2 Harold Alexander (Alexander/Duesenberg), no other finishers, TT: 38.0" Alexander, H1 (6): 4'13.0", Alexander, H2 (4): 2'43.2", Alexander, H3 (2): 1'29.8", Davidson, H4 (6): 4'14.0", Alexander
Finally, the AAA came to town, with a race promoted by Harold F. Alexander of New Jersey, who was touring the South with a group of fellow Northeastern racers, and sometimes did business under the name of New York Auto Racing Association. After stops at Goldsboro/NC on January 1, Gainesville/FL (Jan 22), Daytona Beach (Feb 7), Ocala (Feb 28) and Saint Petersburg (Mar 13/pp 18), Tampa was their final destination before heading back north to tracks such as Olympic Park/NJ, Bluefield/WV, Middletown/NY, Richmond/VA, Elsmere/DE, Benning/DC, Allentown/PA or Danbury/CT. Star exhibit of the Alexander troupe was the Beaver Bullet, a car built for the 1914 Indy 500 by Charles F. Keene of Beaver Falls/PA. Keene had disposed of the car in 1915 to fellow Beaver Falls resident George B. Gardner, who in turn sold to Irving C. Barber of Washington/DC in 1916, then to Charles E. Dagnett of Washington/DC in 1917 and finally to veteran driver Don Moore of Washington/DC in 1918. Of all the drivers entered at Plant Field in 1920, Moore had been active the longest (at least six years), yet he was still racing in 1949!! However, he appears to have damaged the car during the races at Daytona Beach, and apparently never made it to Western Florida. Alexander won all the races except for the main event, which was declared a dead heat between the Duesenberg and the Stutz. An extra race over two laps was added as a "tie breaker", and promptly won by Jay Davidson!
1921-02-03 (Thu): 3m (6), 4'40", 1 Charlie Rowe ("Red Devil" #16), 2 I. J. Watkins (white #8), 3 Earl Mallott (#7)
As mentioned, basically a circus act on the opening day of the Fair, to be repeated on all eight remaining days but no further info availbale, and probably called off. Repeated references to "diminutive cars" or "baby racers" suggest a competition for Midgets/Cycle cars/Voiturettes.
1922-01-02 (Mon): 3m (6), 4'32.5", 1 Speedy Bower (?/Ford), 2 Al Fisher (?/Ford), no other finishers, H (?) n/a, Fisher
A poorly supported race for Ford specials in conjunction with several motor cycle races, plus a match race between a Ford and a Dodge. Local promoters Jeff Legler and Johnny Marsicano teamed with Ray Creviston of Indiana to attract 1,000 spectators, all three of them mainly connected with the bike racing, though Creviston would go back to Indiana and race cars for the next three or four years.
1923-04-05 (Thu)/06 (Fri): 15m (30), 19'21.4", 1 Carl Dixon (Dixon/Dodge), 2 Russell White (Daniels/Hudson), 3 Percy Gonzalez (?/Hudson), TT 1'07.0", Dixon, H1 (10), 6'17.0", Bob Robinson (Robinson/Dodge), H2 (10), 6'05.0", Dixon, H3 (6), n/a, Dixon
1st Tampa Police Benefit Race, promoted by Ralph Hankinson, and sanctioned by the National Motor Contest Board. The NMCB was a break-away group of the IMCA, and this may have been the very first meeting sanctioned by this club. Heats were run on the Thursday, additional heats on Friday were apparently cancelled.
1924-02-09 (Sat): 2½m (5), 3'09.8", 1 Sig Haugdahl (Haugdahl/Fiat), 2 Putty Hoffman (Horey/Fiat), 3 Larry Stone (Disbrow/Simplex) or Cleo Sarles (Sarles/Frontenac), H1 (5), 3'17.6", Sarles, H2 (5), 3'02.2", Haugdahl, AP (7), 4'22.0", Haugdahl, Exh (2) 1'06.0", Haugdahl (Haugdahl/Wisconsin)
Closing day of South Florida Fair, first race for both the IMCA and promoter Alex Sloan.
1924-03-20 (Thu)/pp 03-21 (Fri)/03-24 (Mon): 15m (30), n/a, 1 Walt Smith (Smith/Chevrolet), 2 Grady Garner (Garner/Dodge), 3 John Kelly (Daniels/Hudson), TT (2) 1'10.0", Bob Robinson (Robinson/Dodge), H1 (6), 3'47.0", Robinson, H2 (6), 4'09.4", Sam Purvis (?/Nash), H3 (6), 3'42.4", Robinson, TT (2), 1'09.8", Smith
2nd Tampa Police Benefit Race, again NMCB-sanctioned and promoted by Hankinson. Originally scheduled for March 20/21, but rain on the first day forced the heats to be run off on Friday, and the main event to be postponed to Monday due to ball games on the Saturday and "blue laws". A second set of time trials were run off on Monday to try for a new track record.
1925-02-03 (Tue), 3½m (7), 4'29.4", 1 Bud Putman (Disbrow/Simplex), 2 Bob Green (Green/Frontenac), 3 Larry Stone (?/Fiat), H1 (5), 3'21.2", Sig Haugdahl (Sloan/Miller), H2 (5), 3'43.8", Putman, H3 (4), 2'14.6", Haugdahl, H4 (?), n/a, Haugdahl
1925-02-14 (Sat), 2½m (5), 3'06.8", 1 Bob Green (Green/Frontenac), 2 Sig Haugdahl (Sloan/Miller), 3 Dave Koetzla (Koetzla/Peugeot), H1 (7), 4'33.6", Bud Putman (Disbrow/Simplex), H2 (7), n/a, Haugdahl, SH (5), 3'45.8", Koetzla
The first year of the regular IMCA Opening Day/Closing Day schedule at the South Florida Fair. Haugdahl brought his new Miller (actually, a 1922 engine in a '23 chassis), but the main wins went to the positively ancient Simplex special and a humble Fronty-Ford! Ouch... "SH", by the way, stands for Straw-Hat Derby, a race were drivers were obliged to wear a straw hat and finish the race without it being blown off... "AP" is for Australian Pursuit, "WC" for Wheel Changing race.
1926-02-02 (Tue), 2½m (5), 3'05.0", 1 Ray Lampkin (Elliott?/Miller), 2 Bob Green (Green/Frontenac), 3 Shorty Gingrich (Gingrich/Frontenac), TT 33.2"/TR, Lampkin, H1 (5), 3'28.4", Lampkin, Ex (1), 36.8", Joan La Costa (NDS/Frontenac), H2 (4), 2'32.4", Green, H3 (3), 2'00.2", Arch Powell (Yale/Duesenberg?)
1926-02-13 (Sat), cancelled/rain (?)
1926-05-08 (Sat), n/a, n/a, 1 Tubby Burton (Ferman/Dodge), 2 John Kelly (Kelly/Frontenac), 3 n/a, TT 32"/TR, Shorty Gingrich (Gingrich/Frontenac), H1 (?), n/a, Gingrich, H2 (?), n/a, n/a
1926-06-05 (Sat), 10m (20), 11'30.0", 1 Shorty Gingrich (Gingrich/Frontenac), 2 John Kelly (Kelly/Frontenac), 3 Ernest Gutierrez (?/Frontenac), H1 (6), 3'20.4", Gingrich, H2 (6), 3'35.4", John Perry (Scootis/Chevrolet), H3 (10), 6'10.0", Gingrich
1926-08-26 (Thu), 25m (50), 28'20"?, 1 Shorty Gingrich (Gingrich/Frontenac), 2 Tim Raspbury (Raspbury/Chevrolet), 3 John Kelly (Kelly/Frontenac), TT 33.2", Gingrich, H1 (10?), n/a, Gingrich, H2 (10?), n/a, Tubby Burton (Ferman/Dodge), H3 (20?), cancelled?
1926-12-04 (Sat), 10m (20), 13'30.0", 1 Howard Miller (Miller/Frontenac), no other finishers, TT 34.8", Jim Angel (n/a), H1 (10), 6'36.0", Barney Sullivan (Ferman/Dodge), H2 (10), 6'16.6", Miller, H3 (20?), cancelled?
The Fair races were IMCA-sanctioned, as usual, and Lampkin did better with the other IMCA Miller straight 8 (though I can't be sure - a picture would've been nice! 
). Also, I couldn't find results for the Closing Day races, but at the same time I couldn't find any notice that the races had been called off - frustrating! The other four meetings are interesting, as they were an attempt to establish a local racing club: the May and June races were sanctioned by the Florida State Auto Racing Association, which apparently went under in no time at all, because basically the same cars and drivers then appeared under the banner of the American-Latin Auto Racing Association for the August and December dates. Both clubs apparently also raced at Daytona/Ormond Beach, but apart from previews I have no info.
1927-02-01 (Tue), 3½m (7), 4'10.0", 1 John de Palma (Duesenberg), 2 Fred Horey (Sloan/Hall-Scott), 3 Ray Claypool (Peugeot), H1 (5), 3'02.0", Claypool, H2 (6), 3'32.0", Harold Roller (Roller/Frontenac), H3 (5), 3'02.4", Horey, H4 (6), 3'30.8", Shorty Gingrich (Gingrich/Frontenac), H5 (6?), n/a, Gingrich
1927-02-12 (Sat), 2½m (5), 2'54.8", 1 Shorty Gingrich (Gingrich/Frontenac), 2 Hayden Smith (?/Chevrolet), 3 Howard Miller (Miller/Frontenac), H1 (?), n/a, Ray Claypool (Peugeot), H2 (5), 4'41.4", Smith, H3 (?), n/a, Claypool, H4 (6), n/a, Gingrich, H5 (?), n/a, Miller
This was the year when there were two sets of races, one "All-Star" event for the imported IMCA professionals, and one "State Championship" race for locals, with no interaction. There were, however, only four cars in the "All-Star" category, and during the Closing Day races all but one broke down in the heats, so that the final was cancelled and substituted with a match race for locals. The reporting was also very poor in both papers.
1928-01-31 (Tue), 2½m (5), 2'55.0", 1 Bob Green (Young/Frontenac), 2 Sam Hoffman (Scootis/Chevrolet), 3 Ed Hughes (?/Dodge), H1 (5), 3'02.2", Fred Horey (Elliott/Miller), H2 (5), 3'04.6", Hoffman, H3 (5), 3'04.0", Horey, H4 (5), 3'05.0", Green, H5 (3), 1'50.4", Curley Young (Young/Frontenac)
1928-02-11 (Sat), 2½m (5), 2'51.6", 1 Sam Hoffman (Morosco/Frontenac), 2 Fred Horey (Elliott/Miller), 3 Swan Peterson (Peterson/Frontenac), H1 (5), 3'01.0", Horey, H2 (5), 2'54.0", Sam Purvis (Scootis/Chevrolet), H3 (5), 3'00.0", Bob Green (Young/Frontenac), H4 (5), 3'02.2", Horey
1928-05-30 (Wed), 5m (10), 5'47". 1 Sam Purvis (Scootis/Chevrolet), 2 Shorty Gingrich (Gingrich/Frontenac), 3 n/a, TT 33.0", Purvis, H1 (5), 2'50", Gingrich, H2 (5), 3'05", Hayden Smith (?/Oldsmobile), H3 (5), 3'18", Joe Duff (?/Frontenac)
The Memorial Day races were again locally sanctioned, the name apparently Florida Racing Association - this group also raced at Pompano Beach on the East coast.
1929-01-29 (Tue), 2½m (5), 2'46.0", 1 Sig Haugdahl (Elliott/Miller), 2 Swan Peterson (Powell/Roof), 3 Sam Purvis (Scootis/Chevrolet), H1 (5), 2'51.6", Peterson (Peterson/Frontenac), H2 (5), 2'53.2", Purvis, H3 (5), 2'58.4", Haugdahl, H4 (5), 3'01.4", Bob Green (Sheppard/Frontenac), H5 (7), 3'58.0", Purvis
1929-02-09 (Sat), 2½m (5), 2'57.2", 1 Swan Peterson (Peterson/Frontenac), 2 Arch Powell (Powell/Roof), 3 Ray Price (n/a), H1 (5), 2'52.6", Peterson, H2 (5), 2'58.6", Sam Purvis (Scootis/Chevrolet), H3 (5), 3'01.0", Shorty Gingrich (Gingrich/Frontenac), H4 (5), 2'51.8", Gingrich, H5 (5), 2'55.2", Powell, H6 (6), 3'27.0", Gingrich, H7 (5), 2'57.6", Bob Green (Sheppard/Frontenac)
Edited by Michael Ferner, 19 February 2018 - 21:24.
