Cedar Lake Speedway facts for kids
| "Wisconsin's Fastest Piece Of Real Estate" | |
|---|---|
| Location | New Richmond, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 45°11′25″N 92°35′17″W / 45.19031°N 92.588°W |
| Capacity | 10,000+ |
| Owner | Robert Kaufman, Brad Both, Chuck Kaufman, Chris Heinbuch |
| Broke ground | 1956 |
| Opened | 1957 |
| Major events | The Masters , USA Nationals |
| Surface | Clay |
| Length | 0.375 mi (0.604 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
Cedar Lake Speedway is a cool 3/8 mile (about 0.6 km) dirt clay oval race track. You can find it near New Richmond, Wisconsin and Somerset, Wisconsin. It's named after the pretty Cedar Lake nearby.
Every week, the speedway hosts exciting NASCAR races. These races feature different types of cars like Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks, and Midwest Modifieds. The track also holds bigger, multi-day events. Some of these are "The Masters," "The USA Nationals," "The Legendary 100," and the "Triple Crown." Right behind the main track, there's also an Indoor Motocross facility and a smaller 1/5 mile dirt oval called Cedar Lake Arena.
How the Track Started
The story of Cedar Lake Speedway began with Elmer Cook and his family. They owned a large 160-acre farm near New Richmond, Wisconsin. Elmer had tried many jobs, like farming and truck driving, before he thought about building a race track.
In August 1956, Elmer decided to build a new driveway. This driveway would cross a swamp on his farm to reach County Road CC. While building it, Elmer and his oldest son, Bob, noticed something special. The natural shape of the land around the swamp looked like a perfect bowl. Elmer realized it would be an amazing spot for a race track!
Even though Elmer had only been to a few races, his family loved auto racing. He asked Bob, who was only 14 at the time, what he thought about building a track. Bob was super excited and wanted to start right away. Elmer told him he could begin the very next morning. So, at 6:00 am, Bob hopped on a Caterpillar bulldozer. He started shaping the dirt, and the race track quickly took form in about three weeks. The very first race at Cedar Lake Speedway had 85 fans watching 12 cars compete.
Later, in 2001, some new owners joined the Cook family. These were Brad Both and three brothers from the Kaufman family. In 2008, Cedar Lake Speedway became a NASCAR Home Track. This means it's part of NASCAR's program for local short tracks.
Famous Drivers Visit
Cedar Lake Speedway has a special "NASCAR Night" each year. During this event, many famous drivers from the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series have visited. Some of these drivers even raced their own cars or borrowed ones!
Some of the well-known drivers who have raced here include Kenny Wallace, Tony Stewart, Travis Kvapil, Greg Biffle, Sterling Marlin, and Paul Menard. In 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also visited the speedway. However, he didn't race because of his contract at the time. In 2009, no famous drivers visited due to scheduling problems.
Big Racing Events
Cedar Lake Speedway hosts several really big racing events throughout the year. These events attract top drivers and many fans.
Some of the major races include:
- USMTS Modified Nationals: This is a huge event for modified cars. In 2017, the winner took home $50,000!
- World of Outlaws USA Nationals: This is a very popular race featuring the World of Outlaws series.
- World of Outlaws Late Model Series: Another big event for late model cars. In 2020, the winner of this race earned $20,000.
- Legendary 100: A long and exciting race.
- Triple Crown: This event features both NASCAR late models and IRA Sprint Cars.
