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Location | Kaukauna, Wisconsin (town of Buchanan) |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°14′44″N88°15′37″W / 44.2455°N 88.2603°W |
Opened | May 30, 1964 |
Major events | Dixieland 250 Red, White and Blue State Championship Series |
1/2 mile | |
Surface | asphalt |
Length | 0.50 miles (0.80 km) |
Turns | 4 plus dogleg on frontstretch |
Race lap record | 18.706 (Ty Majeski, , 2021, Super late model [1] ) |
1/4 mile | |
Surface | asphalt |
Length | 0.25 miles |
Figure 8 | |
Surface | asphalt |
Drag strip | |
Surface | asphalt |
Banking | flat |
The Wisconsin International Raceway (abbreviated WIR) is an asphalt stock car racing oval and dragstrip in the Town of Buchanan, in Outagamie County, just outside Kaukauna, Wisconsin, USA.
Wisconsin International Raceway originally opened as KK Sports Arena, a nod to its location on County Trunk Highway KK, [2] and opened its maiden season on May 30, 1964, [3] with a single quarter-mile oval dirt track. A half mile D-shaped [4] dirt track was inaugurated on August 1, 1965 with motorcycle races, [5] [6] by which time a figure-8 dirt track had been established inside the quarter-mile oval. Its paved drag strip opened on June 5, 1966. [7] The half mile track was paved in 1968. [2]
The name of the racing complex was changed to Wisconsin International Raceway on March 9, 1971. [8]
There are six divisions at the track. [4] The Super Late Model and Late Model divisions race on the half-mile track. [4] The Super Stocks, Sport 4's (stock four cylinders modified for racing), and Wisconsin Sport Trucks [4] [9] divisions race on the quarter-mile track. The Figure 8 cars end programs on the Figure 8 track inside of the quarter-mile. [4] An automated timing and scoring system was set up for the 2007 season, and each race car carries a transponder.
The Fox River Racing Club began helping promote the weekly events in 1975.
The track had an annual American Speed Association event when the sanctioning body was in existence. The track resumed hosting ASA events after the series was reorganized, and it held an event in 2007 for the ASA Midwest Tour. That event, the Dixieland 250, is now part of the ARCA Midwest Tour schedule and is one of the most prestigious events on the calendar, [10] attracting NASCAR champions Kevin Harvick and Ron Hornaday Jr. in 2009 and Kyle Busch in 2017. The race was part of the NASCAR Midwest Series between 1998 and 2004 and had 13 races under NASCAR banner. Earlier the USAC Stock Car series had raced at the track. [11]
The track has hosted an annual Red, White, and Blue State Championship Series for super late models since 1972. [12] The series consist of three races in June (red), July (white), and August (blue). [12] The series changed from Saturday nights to Thursday nights to combine with the weekly series in 2009. [12] The series was part of the Midwest Challenge Series (formerly ARTGO) and later part of the Wisconsin Challenge Series. 7,832 people watched Dick Trickle win the first red race. [12]
ASA National Tour ran a race at the facility in 2002. The race was won by Kevin Cywinski.
All drivers listed later competed in NASCAR nationally-sanctioned events
Trickle carved enough of a legacy that the track dedicated the Dick Trickle Pavilion in Turn 2. Joe Shear won the Red, White, and Blue series 1979, 1987, and 1988. [15]
Year | Super late model | Super Stock | Sizzlin' 4s | Figure 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Rich Somers | |||
1976 | Larry Schuler | |||
1977 | Jerry "Medina" Smith | Kenny Van Wychen | ||
1978 | Rich Somers | Rick Zieler | ||
1979 | Alan Kulwicki | Tom Munes | ||
1980 | Alan Kulwicki | Tom Munes | ||
1981 | Jim Sauter | Randy Rahn | ||
1982 | Terry Baldry | Dave Uttecht | ||
1983 | Terry Baldry | Randy Rahn | ||
1984 | Terry Baldry | Randy Rahn | ||
1985 | Scott Hansen | Dan Gracyalny | ||
1986 | Scott Hansen | Jeff Beschta | ||
1987 | Scott Hansen | Dan Gracyalny | ||
1988 | Scott Hansen | Dan Gracyalny | ||
1989 | Scott Hansen | Terry Van Roy | ||
1990 | J. J. Smith | Terry Van Roy | Dan Gracyalny | |
1991 | Lowell Bennett | Terry Van Roy | Dan Gracyalny | |
1992 | Jim Weber | Terry Van Roy | Terry Van Roy | |
1993 | Terry Baldry | Terry Van Roy | Rick Kaufert | |
1994 | Matt Kenseth | Terry Van Roy | Terry Van Roy | |
1995 | Matt Kenseth | Chris LaRocque | Terry Van Roy | |
1996 | Mark Schroeder | Chris LaRocque | Dan Gracyalny | |
1997 | Terry Baldry | Mike Rahn | Terry Van Roy | |
1998 | Lowell Bennett | Randy Van Roy | Dan Gracyalny | |
1999 | Terry Baldry | Terry Van Roy | Randy Thiemer | |
2000 | Terry Baldry | Chris LaRocque | Terry Van Roy | |
2001 | Terry Baldry | Terry Van Roy | Terry Van Roy | |
2002 | Terry Baldry | Terry Van Roy | Terry Van Roy | |
2003 | Terry Baldry | Andy Casavant | Jeff Beschta | |
2004 | Terry Baldry | Andy Casavant | Bryan Monday | Terry Van Roy |
2005 | Rod Wheeler [16] | Andy Casavant | Phil Verboomen | Donald Van Camp |
2006 | Tim Rothe | Randy Van Roy | Nick Boldt | Donald Van Camp |
2007 | Tim Rothe | Greg Hauser | Scott Verboomen | Terry Van Roy |
2008 | Jeff Van Oudenhoven [12] | Greg Hauser Andy Casavant | Tom Schweitzer | Jeff Wohlrabe |
2009 | Jeff Van Oudenhoven | Todd Bauman | Tim Richter | Terry Van Roy |
2010 | Terry Baldry | Greg Hauser Andy Casavant | Wayne Sonkowsky | Dan Gracyalny |
2011 | Jeff Van Oudenhoven | Greg Hauser Andy Casavant | Cody Kippenhan | Dan Gracyanly |
2012 | Lowell Bennett | Dylan Wenzel | Cory Romenesko | Craig Vandewettering |
2013 | Jeff Van Oudenhoven | Dylan Wenzel | Ethan Beattie | Jared Baughman |
2014 | Lowell Bennett | Greg Hauser | Wayne Sonkowsky | Craig Vandewettering |
2015 | Lowell Bennett | Schwalback/Van Roy | Mike Klein | Craig Vandewettering |
2016 | Jeff Van Oudenhoven | Dyaln Wenzel | Mike Klein | Craig Vandewettering |
2017 | Andy Monday | Dylan Wenzel | Dan Thomson | Craig Vandewettering Terry Van Roy |
2018 | Casey Johnson | Rachel Meyerhofer | Andy Miller | Craig Vandewettering |
2019 | Casey Johnson | Wayne Sonkowsky Greg Hauser | Emery Beattie Evan Beattie | Mike Meyerhofer Jr |
2020 | Bobby Kendall | Shane Krueger | Scott Wolf | Nick Osberg |
2021 | Maxwell Schultz | Mitch Meyerhofer Josh Mueller | Emery Beattie Ethan Beattie | Terry Van Roy |
2022 | Dalton zehr | Mitch Meyerhofer Josh Mueller | Justin Fickel | Russ Lorbiecki |
2023 | Sawyer Effertz | George Schwalbach | Mitchel Opsahl | Mike Meyerhofer Jr. |
2024 | Chad Butz | Mike King | Eli Schommer | Jordan Gracyalny |
The dragstrip is a 1/4 mile paved track. It is one of three operating dragstrips in Wisconsin.
There are six weekly divisions that compete on Saturday nights: Top Eliminator Class, Hot Rod Eliminator, Street Eliminator, Pro-Bike and Snowmobile, Street Bike, and Junior Dragsters.
The track has hosted an annual "Eve of Destruction" each September since 1993 and it is the track's annual season finale for the oval track. The Eve of Destruction is one of the biggest events hosted at track, as the 10,000 seat raceway is generally packed. [17] Drivers compete in a variety of unusual events such as chain races (two cars are chained together), spin to win (race backwards and then spin around forward for the finish), trailer races (part of the trailer must remain intact to continue racing), etc. In between races, fans are entertained by stunt car drivers. Ten school buses compete in a survival-of-the-fittest competition, where the last bus standing wins. Track owner Roger Van Daalwyk described the Eve of Destruction: "We kind of wreck everything." [18] During the 2017 Eve of Destruction, a local driver died from injuries sustained in a figure-eight race. [19]
The Milwaukee Mile is a 1.015 mi (1.633 km) oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectators. Opened in 1903 as a dirt track, it was paved in 1954. In addition to the oval, there is a 1.8 mi (2.9 km) road circuit located in the infield.
Richard Leroy Trickle was an American race car driver. He raced for decades around the short tracks of Wisconsin, winning many championships along the way. Trickle competed in the ASA, ARTGO, ARCA, All Pro, IMCA, NASCAR, and USAC.
Richard Allen Bickle Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Now retired from NASCAR racing, Bickle, who never completed a full season in the NASCAR Cup Series, had a long history in short track racing. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described him in 2012 as a "stud on the short tracks in the late 1980s and early '90s and a journeyman who rarely caught a break in NASCAR." He won three NASCAR truck races and had a career-best fourth-place finish in the Cup Series in 218 career NASCAR starts.
The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt and dirt tracks in their ASA Member Track program along with racing series in the United States and Canada. The ASA currently sanctions the STARS National Tour, the Midwest Tour, the Southern Super Series and all CRA sanctioned series.
Jim Sauter was an American stock car racing driver from Necedah, Wisconsin. He formerly raced in all three of NASCAR's national series, and is best known for having been a test driver for the International Race of Champions, as well as winning two championships in the Midwest-based ARTGO Challenge Series.
Erik Louis Darnell is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is the grandson of former USAC and NASCAR driver Bay Darnell, who also started three NASCAR races. Darnell formerly drove for Roush Fenway Racing, joining the team in 2005 after being a co-winner on the Discovery Channel program Roush Racing: Driver X, along with David Ragan.
The Slinger Speedway is a quarter-mile paved oval automobile race track with 33-degree banked corners located in Slinger, Wisconsin. The track is billed as the "World's Fastest Quarter Mile Oval." The current track record was set by Jeff Bloom in a 410 extreme winged sprint car on August 21, 2010 at a time of 9.908 seconds. This is the first lap record under 10 seconds on a quarter mile oval track of any type, breaking Anderson Speedway's 10.28 second lap record. Bloom's lap eclipsed the track record set by USAC midget car driver Tracy Hines on May 17, 2008 at an elapsed time of 10.845 seconds. The lap was the fastest ever midget car lap on an asphalt quarter mile track. He eclipsed the long-standing mark of 11.095 seconds set by Tony Strupp's late model on June 12, 1994.
The Madison International Speedway (MIS) is a half-mile paved oval racetrack in the Town of Rutland near Oregon, Wisconsin, United States. With 18-degree banked turns, the track is billed as "The Track of Champions" and "Wisconsin's Fastest Half Mile." The weekly program at the track runs on Friday nights under NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series sanction.
Lake Geneva Raceway was a motocross, demolition derby, off-road racing, stock car, and kart racing racetrack in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, US. It was billed as "Wisconsin's Busiest Racetrack." The track closed on December 31, 2006, and a nursing home named "Lake Geneva Golden Years" was built on the site.
Nathan Haseleu is a racecar driver from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. His career peaked in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with four Top 10 finishes for Roush Racing. Haseleu has also competed in the ASA Midwest Tour, the CRA Super Series, and the Wisconsin Challenge Series. He lives in Marshall, Dane County, Wisconsin.
I-70 Motorsports Park, also known as I-70 Speedway, is a multi-purpose motorsports facility near Interstate 70 east of Odessa, Missouri, USA. The track, first opened in 1969, and has since been completely rebuilt and renovated in 2021 under new ownership.
The ARTGO Challenge Series was a late model short track racing series that ran in the Midwestern United States from 1975 until 1998. Many race car drivers used the ARTGO series as a stepping stone to get into ASA, ARCA, and NASCAR.
The Mid-Am Racing Series, formerly Mid American Stock Car Series, is an elite sportsman traveling stock car racing series in the Midwestern United States. The cars are based on a 108" metric stock frame, less costly suspension parts and a maximum of 358 cubic inch engine. The car's roll cage and chassis were made of a design very similar to the same chassis a previous design of NASCAR cup chassis, but have also included more modern safety features such as plated door bars and the "Earnhardt bar" which runs from the roof to the dash. The series runs primarily on paved racetracks but also appears on dirt and road courses. The series is the highest form of racing available to sportsman-style, GM metric chassis stock cars.
Dells Raceway Park (DRP), formerly known as the Dells Motor Speedway, is a car racing raceway located in the town of Lyndon, in Juneau County, north of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin just off of U.S. Route 12/Wisconsin Highway 16. It is a 1/3 mile asphalt track that is used for stock car racing. The track has hosted races featuring the ARTGO Challenge Series, the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series, the ARCA Midwest Tour, the Mid-American Stock Car Series, the Wisconsin Challenge Series, the Must See Racing.com Xtreme Sprint Car Series, Alive for Five Series, TUNDRA Super Late Models, and the Central Wisconsin Racing Association. The track, which opened in 1958, sits on 38 acres (150,000 m2) of land.
Rockford Speedway was a 1/4 mile short track high banked asphalt oval located in Loves Park, Illinois on Illinois Route 173. Up until its demolition in 2023, Rockford Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway were the only racetracks running under NASCAR sanctions in Illinois.
Joe Shear, Sr. was an American stock car racing driver from Clinton, Wisconsin. He won an estimated 350 races in his career, including four of his last five races. Fred Nielsen, Shear's car owner from 1975 to 1984 and 1986 to 1994, said that his team won 250 races and he estimates that Shear won 600 races. He won at least 30 track or touring series championships in his career. Even though he was known as a pavement driver, two of those championships were on the dirt at Freeport, Illinois.
The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway is a semi-banked asphalt oval racetrack in West Salem, Wisconsin. The outer track is 5/8 mile and the inner track is a 1/4 mile. The speedway has progressive banking in the corners, from 5 degrees on the bottom to 11 degrees on the top. The track was built at the fairgrounds for La Crosse County. It used to host an event on the American Speed Association (ASA) and the ASA Late Model Series before the demise of the series. It currently hosts annual touring events on the ARCA Midwest Tour and Mid American Stock Car Series. It hosts weekly stock car races which are sanctioned by the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. It was the first NASCAR-sanctioned race track in Wisconsin.
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