La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway facts for kids
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| Location | Town of Hamilton, near West Salem, Wisconsin, United States |
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| Opened | 1957 |
| Former names | La Crosse Interstate Speedway |
| Major events | Oktoberfest (ARCA Midwest Tour, Big 8 Series) |
| 5/8 mile outer | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Length | 0.625 mi (1 km) |
| 1/4 mile inner | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Length | 0.25 mi (0.40 km) |
| Website | http://www.lacrossespeedway.com/ |
The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway is a cool race track in West Salem, Wisconsin. It's an oval shape with a special asphalt surface. Imagine two tracks in one! The outside track is 5/8 of a mile long, and there's a smaller, inner track that's 1/4 of a mile. The corners of the track are "banked," meaning they're tilted, which helps cars go faster. This track was built for La Crosse County at its fairgrounds.
This speedway used to host races for the American Speed Association (ASA). Now, it hosts big yearly events like the ARCA Midwest Tour and the Mid American Stock Car Series. It also has weekly stock car races that are part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. Fun fact: it was the very first NASCAR-approved race track in Wisconsin!
Contents
History of the Race Track
The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway first opened in 1957. Back then, it was a half-mile dirt track in West Salem, Wisconsin. It became part of the La Crosse Interstate Fairgrounds when they moved locations. In its early days, it was known as the La Crosse Inter-State Fairgrounds.
The track hosted an annual event called the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA). This event featured different types of race cars. These included "Big Car" races (now called sprint cars), midgets, and "New Model" stock cars. Many famous drivers raced here between 1957 and 1966.
Paving the Way for Faster Races
In 1970, the track got a big upgrade: it was paved with asphalt. It became a half-mile paved track, and a new grandstand was built for fans. Jim Sauter won the first race on the new paved track on July 14, 1970. For many years, the Central Wisconsin Racing Association (CWRA) Late Models were the main racing division.
In 1989, La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway made history again. It became the first track in Wisconsin to join the NASCAR Winston Racing Series. This was NASCAR's program for local short tracks. Since 1992, Saturday nights have been the main race nights. Several drivers from this track have won regional or state championships. Steve Carlson even won a national championship in 2007!
Weekly Racing Fun
The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway hosts exciting weekly stock car races every Saturday night. These races are approved by NASCAR.
The main race category at the track is the NASCAR late models. But there are many other cool classes too! These include Sportsman, Hobby Stocks, Hornets, Street Stocks, and Mini-Vans. The track also schedules fun "novelty events" throughout the season. Since 2008, they've also had "Friday Night Street Drags" once a month from May to September.
Special Events to See
The speedway has some really exciting special events each year. These events bring in different kinds of racing and entertainment.
Eve of Destruction
One popular event is the "Eve of Destruction." It happens on the first Saturday after Labor Day. This event is full of wild fun! It features a trailer race where cars pull trailers, and the last car with its trailer still attached wins. You can also see the Green Mamba Jet Car, monster trucks, and motorcycle stunt riders. A similar event called "Smash-O-Rama" takes place in June.
Oktoberfest Race Weekend
Since 1970, the track has ended its racing season with the annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend. This big event usually happens the weekend after La Crosse's Oktoberfest celebration. It started as a two-day event, then grew to three days, and since 1998, it's been a huge four-day festival of racing! Many different racing series come to compete, including the Mid American Stock Car Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour.
Dick Trickle 99 Race
A highlight of the Oktoberfest weekend is the Dick Trickle 99 race on Friday night. This is a 99-lap super late model event. It's split into three 33-lap races. Drivers earn points based on where they finish in each race. The winner is the driver with the lowest total score after all three races. The "99" in the name comes from the number on Dick Trickle's famous race car.
Here are some of the past winners:
- 2024 Ty Fredrickson
- 2023 Ty Majeski
- 2022 Ty Majeski
- 2021 Ty Majeski
- 2020 Dan Fredrickson
- 2019 Nick Murgic
- 2018 Johnny Sauter
- 2017 RAINED OUT
- 2016 Dan Fredrickson
- 2015 Ty Majeski
- 2014 Dan Fredrickson
- 2013 Erik Darnell
- 2012 Skylar Holzhausen
- 2011 Neil Knoblock
- 2010 Dan Fredrickson
- 2009 Chris Weinkauf
- 2008 Nathan Haseleu
- 2007 Steve Holzhausen
Oktoberfest Main Event Winners
The main race of the Oktoberfest weekend has been run by different racing groups over the years. From 1970 to 1986, it followed Central Wisconsin Racing Association rules. Then, the ARTGO touring series took over until 1997. Since 2007, the ARCA Midwest Tour has been in charge of the main event.
Joe Shear holds the record with five main event wins. Travis Sauter and Dan Fredrickson are close behind with four wins each.
Here are some of the recent winners:
- 2022 Andrew Morrissey ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2021 Casey Johnson ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2020 Ty Majeski ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2019 Ty Majeski ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2018 Andrew Morrissey ARCA Midwest Tour (Morrissey was declared the winner after other top finishers were disqualified for car rule violations.)
- 2017 Johnny Sauter ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2016 Ty Majeski ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2015 Dan Fredrickson ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2014 Travis Sauter ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2013 Nathan Haseleu ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2012 Travis Sauter ARCA Midwest Tour
- 2011 Travis Sauter ASA Midwest Tour (Johnny Sauter originally won, but his car had parts not approved by the ASA Midwest Tour. Travis Sauter was then given the win.)
- 2010 Dan Fredrickson ASA Midwest Tour
- 2009 Travis Sauter ASA Midwest Tour
- 2008 Dan Fredrickson ASA Midwest Tour
- 2007 Dan Fredrickson ASA Midwest Tour
Fastest Laps: Track Records
Drivers are always trying to set new speed records at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway! Here are some of the fastest lap times for different racing series on the 5/8 mile track:
- ARCA Midwest Tour: Ty Majeski—18.476 seconds on October 9, 2021
- ARTGO Challenge Series: Steve Holzhausen—18.903 seconds on October 7, 1995
- ASA Late Model North Series: Chris Eggleston—19.151 seconds on June 27, 2009
- Big 8 Late Models: Ty Majeski—19.676 seconds on October 8, 2016
- CWRA: Dick Trickle—19.537 seconds on June 22, 1989
- NASCAR Late Model: Dan Frederickson—19.374 seconds on May 28, 2022
- NASCAR Midwest Series: Erik Darnell—19.076 seconds on October 8, 2005
- Super Late Model-Trickle 99: Ty Majeski—18.405 seconds on October 8, 2021
- USAC National Midgets: Kody Swanson—18.177 seconds on May 16, 2008
1/4 Mile Track Records
The smaller 1/4 mile track also has its own speed records:
- Hornets: Cheyanne Stanfield—15.650 seconds on May 18, 2021
- INEX Legends: Colin Stocker—14.347 seconds on July 20, 2022
- Mini Vans: John Huebner—16.847 seconds on May 21, 2022
- Street Stocks: Chris Larson—15.897 seconds on July 2, 2022
- Hobby Stocks: Mike Krueger Jr.--15.210 seconds on May 28, 2022
Images for kids
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Sign during Oktoberfest
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Ticket booth
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Steve Carlson's 2009 late model
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Super Late Models in Turn 4 starting the 2013 Dick Trickle 99
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Scoring tower
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Turn 1
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In the evening
