Dells Raceway Park facts for kids
 Panorama from turn 1 in 2015
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| Location | N1070 Smith Rd., Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin 53965 |
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| Owner | Wayne Lensing |
| Opened | 1958 |
| Former names | Dells Motor Speedway |
| Major events | Lyle Nabbefeldt Memorial, ARCA Midwest Tour Bill Meiller Memorial 101, Icebreaker 100, Falloween 150 |
| oval | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Length | 0.333 mi (0.536 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | 9 degrees (corners), 6 degrees (straights) |
| Race lap record | 13.108 seconds (Travis Sauter, , 2013, Super Late Model) |
Dells Raceway Park (DRP) is a famous car racing track in Wisconsin. It's also known as the Dells Motor Speedway. This raceway is located in Juneau County, Wisconsin, near Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
It's a 1/3 mile (about 0.536 km) asphalt track. Racers use it for exciting stock car racing events. The track opened way back in 1958. It sits on a large area of land, about 38 acres.
Many different racing series have held events here. These include the ARTGO Challenge Series and the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series. Other series like the ASA Midwest Tour and the Mid-American Stock Car Series have also raced at DRP.
Howard Johnson, one of the track's first owners, called it "Home of the Biggies." Many people think it's a perfect short track. Famous driver Dick Trickle once said that driving here means you "drop low in the corners and then drift high on the straights." He tried to make the track feel as round as possible.
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Track History and Reopening
In 2006, the track faced some financial problems. Because of these issues, Dells Raceway Park had to close down in the middle of the racing season.
However, the track didn't stay closed for long. A group of three investors bought it during the off-season. One of these investors was Frank Kreyer, a NASCAR driver from the Dells area. Thanks to them, Dells Raceway Park reopened its gates in 2007.
Lyle Nabbefeldt Memorial Race
On May 26, 1973, a driver named Lyle Nabbefeldt had a tragic accident. He lost control of his car during time trials and was killed. To honor him, the Lyle Nabbefeldt Memorial race started in 1974.
This race became a very important event at the Dells track. It continued until the late 1990s. The first memorial race was 100 laps long. The next year, they changed it to two 55-lap races. This was to match Nabbefeldt's car number, which was 55.
A special part of the memorial was the Nabbefeldt Traveling Trophy. The winner could keep the trophy until the next year's race. If a driver won three years in a row, they got to keep the trophy forever. A new trophy would then be made.
Dick Trickle won the event two years in a row twice. But only Rick Wateski managed to win it three years in a row (1991, 1992, and 1993). In 2015, the current owner, Wayne Lensing, brought back the Nabbefeldt Memorial. It's now part of the CWRA Challenge Series races.
New Special Events
In 2015, Dells Raceway Park also added two new big races. These races feature Super Late Model cars. The first new event is the Icebreaker 100. It takes place in April, often before other tracks open for the season.
The second new event is the Falloween 150. This race happens in late October. It's usually after all other late model races in Wisconsin have finished.
Track Records
Track records show the fastest lap times achieved by different types of race cars. Here are some of the fastest laps at Dells Raceway Park:
- Super Late Model: Ty Majeski--13.075 seconds on August 31, 2019
- TUNDRA Super Late Model Series: Corey Jankowski--13.273 seconds on September 1, 2011
- Late Model: Rich Schumann, Jr.--13.925 seconds on May 7, 2016
- Modifieds: Jerry Blystone--14.293 seconds on August 31, 2019
- Sportsmen: Dave Trute--14.475 seconds on May 6, 2017
- UMA 602 Late Models: Jason Stark--13.094 seconds on October 24, 2020
- Mid-American Stock Car Series: Brian Back--14.361 seconds on July 24, 2010
- Great Northern Sportsmen Series: Dave Trute--14.832 seconds on April 17, 2016
- Midwest Dash Series: George Sparkman--15.832 seconds on April 9, 2017
- Pure Stock: Mark Hohl--15.444 seconds on September 22, 2012
- Super Stock: Mike Lichtfeld--14.695 seconds on August 9, 2008
- Bandit: Abe Bires--16.215 seconds on August 26, 2017
- Midwest Trucks: Blake Brown--13.956 seconds on July 5, 2014
- Outlaw Bandits: George Sparkman--15.586 seconds on May 13, 2017
- Hobby Stocks: Travis Hancock--15.624 seconds on July 26, 2014
- Big 8 Late Model Series: Tim Sargent--14.362 seconds on July 4, 2014
- Legends: Brady Fox-Rohde--15.362 seconds on May 13, 2017
- Super Trucks: Camden Murphy--13.787 seconds on May 16, 2015
- Vores Compact Touring Series: Adam Kryzkowski--15.825 seconds on June 6, 2015
- Midwest Bandoleros: Alex Hartwig--17.741 seconds on July 13, 2019
- 600 Mod Lites: John Griffin--14.998 seconds on July 11, 2015
- Illini Racing Series Midgets: Ryan Probst--13.723 seconds on June 17, 2017
Notable Weekly Drivers
- Tim Schendel, who was the Super Late Model champion in 2015.
Images for kids
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Frontstretch
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Ticket window
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Main building
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Victory Lane
