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 an exciting 3/8 mile (about 600 meters) dirt race track. It is located near the towns of New Richmond and Somerset, Wisconsin. The track gets its name from the nearby Cedar Lake.
This speedway hosts weekly NASCAR races. You can see different types of race cars here, like Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks, and Midwest Modifieds. Cedar Lake Speedway also puts on big 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 Cedar Lake Arena. It has an indoor motocross area and a smaller 1/5 mile dirt oval.
Contents
The Story of Cedar Lake Speedway
How the Track Began
The story of Cedar Lake Speedway started in 1956. A man named Elmer Cook and his family owned a large farm in Wisconsin. Elmer had tried many different jobs over the years. One day, he was building a new driveway across a swamp on his farm. This driveway would later become the main entrance to the race track.
After finishing the driveway, Elmer and his oldest son, Bob, were resting. They looked at how the land was shaped like a natural bowl around the swamp. Elmer thought it would be a perfect spot for a race track! He had only been to a few races himself, but his family loved auto racing.
Elmer asked Bob, who was only 14 years old, what he thought about building a track. Bob was super excited about the idea! The very next morning, Bob was up early. He started using a large machine called a Caterpillar grader to shape the land. In about three weeks, the basic outline of the track was ready. The first race event had 85 people watching 12 cars compete.
Growing Over the Years
In 2001, new owners joined the Cook family to help run the speedway. These included Brad Both and three brothers from the Kaufman family. Cedar Lake Speedway became an official NASCAR Home Track in 2008. This meant it was part of NASCAR's local racing series.
NASCAR Stars Visit
Cedar Lake Speedway has a special "NASCAR Night" each year. Many famous NASCAR drivers have visited this legendary track. Some even raced in their own cars or borrowed ones!
Some of the well-known drivers who have visited 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 did not race that night due to his contract at the time.
Exciting Major Events
Cedar Lake Speedway hosts several big racing events throughout the year. These events attract top drivers and many fans.
- USMTS Modified Nationals: This event features Modified cars. In 2017, the winner took home a huge prize of $50,000!
- World of Outlaws USA Nationals: This is a very popular event for dirt track fans.
- World of Outlaws Late Model Series: In 2020, the winner of this race received $20,000.
- Legendary 100: Another major race that draws a lot of attention.
- Triple Crown: This event features NASCAR late models and exciting IRA Sprint Cars.
