State’s racing scene is robust.
Discussions with four Wisconsin racing experts this week told me what I already suspected.
They were asked to list five must-see events in the state this summer. The first two overlapped by exactly one.
And each conversation included “and we didn’t even get to …” or “I should of mentioned …” or “you really want me to stop at five?”
That says an awful lot about the volume, magnitude and variety of options available for people in these parts with an appreciation for the sport of speed.
“You go somewhere (in many states), you might have a half a dozen tracks. I have a half a dozen tracks within an hour of my house,” said Jason Schultz, a longtime racetrack official and photographer who recently launched the Dirt Kings regional late-model tour that will compete 10-14 times this season.
“We have the venues most people don’t have, and thank God we’re putting them to use.”
From ABC Raceway in the northwest to Wilmot in the southeast, from the off-road course in Crandon through the world-renown Road America course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin had more than 40 tracks operating in recent years, based on listings in the National Speedway Directory.
“I think Wisconsin has got to be the (state with the) most that are successful, that aren’t out in farmland somewhere getting 300 people,” said Steve Sinclair, president of the IRA Outlaw Sprint Car Series. Sinclair also oversees racetrack accounts in seven states as a field underwriter for K&K Insurance.
“I’m talking successful. And most of them have a marquee event, too … that are big-time success stories.
“I’d emphasize that the quality of venues in our state is higher than in any other state. There’s really hardly a bad one on the list, that you’d be ashamed to bring to someone to.”
In addition to Schultz and Sinclair, two other longtime followers of the Wisconsin racing scene offered their opinions.
Gregg McKarns grew up in the short-track promotion business and operates the ARCA Midwest Tour and Madison International Speedway.
Jim Tretow is in his 31st year as host of the “Racing Round Up Show” (6 p.m. Tuesdays, AM-920) and a longtime television reporter and public address announcer.
Dozens of people also chimed in when suggestions were solicited via Facebook.
Predictably there was no consensus and no way to rank the options. These weren’t so much lists as conversation starters. A few events, however, popped up regularly.
The Midwest Tour’s Dixieland 250 on Aug. 1 at Wisconsin International Raceway is the longest asphalt super-late model stock car event and brings 36 years of history. An autograph appearance by 1984 winner Mark Martin, an inductee this year into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, adds interest.
“You see guys like Chris Weinkauf, he led late (last year), you see the emotion that he didn’t lead the last lap,” McKarns said. “That race means something. It’s not just another race.”
Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart has committed to competing in co-sanctioned IRA and All Star Circuit of Champions dates May 20 at Wilmot Raceway and May 21 at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie.
“I went (to Angell Park) as a fan in 2014 and I haven’t been back, but it’s not due to a lack of effort,” McKarns said. “That’s on my calendar.”
The $50,000-to-win USA Nationals, scheduled for Aug. 3-5 at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, culminates a week of high-dollar events for the World of Outlaws late models on Wisconsin dirt tracks. It also draws upwards of a hundred cars.
“That’s a really big deal,” Sinclair said. “Oshkosh (Aug. 1) and Shawano (Aug. 2) lead into that.”
Slinger Speedway’s Slinger Nationals is set for July 18. That event has brought in national-level talent dating to 1980 — including a handful of NASCAR Hall of Famers and champions — and lately also a number of southern stockcar standouts to face the track’s regulars.
“I went last year,” Sinclair said. “I’m a dirt guy, and I loved it.”
Madison hosts the ARCA national stock-car tour June 23. On dirt, the World of Outlaws sprint cars visit Beaver Dam (June 24) and Wilmot (July 29), the longrunning Pepsi Nationals midget race goes off July 9 at Angell Park and a highpaying modified tour runs from Luxemburg to Cedar Lake to Plymouth from July 14.
Here‘s the oddest combination of the season: semi trucks and sprint cars July 28 at Madison. Not at the same time, we hope.
Now, those are just a handful of the top shorttrack events.
Not included are the historic Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove or the best-attended races in the state at one of the premier road courses in the world.
The sprawling 4 miles of Road America host MotoAmerica (June 2-4), the IndyCar Series (June 22-25), IMSA sports cars (Aug. 3-6) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (Aug. 25-27).
“I really think what’s a hidden gem is the vintage event in July (20-23) at Road America,” Tretow said. “That’s a really cool deal.
“You want diversity, you want see cars your dad or your grandpa talked about or you saw in a magazine. … They all come back to play at Road America once a year for road racers.”
You can find a list of four dozen events around Wisconsin — from the Beaver Dam Raceway opener Saturday to the Oktoberfest extravaganza Oct. 8 at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway — by visiting
That list, although far from comprehensive, helps to illustrate just how fortunate the Wisconsin racing fan is.
“Back in the late ’80s or early ’90s, I went to a race in Florida, a short-track race, at Sunshine Speedway,” Tretow said.
“They had 13 late models there, and the crowd was going nuts. I went, ‘Where’s the rest of the show?’ I wanted to see 35 cars.”
That’s what anyone who grew up here would expect.