Mount Lawn Speedway facts for kids

Mount Lawn Speedway, also known as The Lawn, is a cool race track in Greensboro, Indiana. It's a 3/10 mile (that's about half a kilometer) oval track shaped a bit like an egg. The track surface is made of asphalt, which is like the material used for roads.

History of the Speedway

Mount Lawn Speedway was started way back in 1935 by Dr. George W. Sweigart. He was a dentist and even a mayor in Hartford City, Indiana. When it first opened, the track was a smaller, one-fifth mile dirt oval. It was shaped like a pear!

In those early days, the area around the track was more than just for racing. There was a dance hall, a swimming pool, and even little cabins for people on vacation. Famous big band musicians like The Dorsey Brothers played at the dance hall. Sadly, the dance hall burned down twice, once in 1939 and again later, and was never rebuilt.

In 1940, Dr. Sweigart closed the track, and it looked like racing might be over in Henry County. But then, a promoter named Dutch Hurst visited. He saw the land and asked Dr. Sweigart, "Why don't you start a track here?" When he found out it had been a track before, Hurst convinced him to reopen it.

So, in 1941, they rebuilt the track. At first, it was dirt, but it wore out quickly. So, they decided to pave it with concrete. Later, the track was repaved with asphalt three more times: in 1947, 1967, and 1971.

Over the years, many famous drivers raced at Mount Lawn Speedway. Some big names include Tony Stewart, Ed Carpenter, and Pat O'Connor. In the 1980s and 1990s, the track was famous for "open-wheel modifieds." These are special race cars with open wheels, and drivers from all over came to race on this tricky course.

After the modified series became less popular, "late model stock cars" took over as the main type of racing for about 15 years. In 2014, the track closed for a little while because fewer people were coming to watch or race. But it reopened in 2016 when interest came back! Now, "street stocks" are the main cars that race there.

In late 2019, it was announced that driver Dave Duncan and Jimmy Wyman (who helps run Winchester Speedway) would start promoting all the races at Mount Lawn. Rick Sweigart still owns the track. Modified racing made a big comeback in 2020. The first race under this new plan was on June 14th, and Jeff Lane, a driver who had raced there for a long time, won!

Big Race Events

Mount Lawn Speedway has three really big races that happen each year:

• The May 5-0: This race takes place on the same evening as the famous Indianapolis 500.
• The Raintree 100: This is a 100-lap race for Late Model stock cars.
• The Founders Day 100: This is another 100-lap race, but it's for the Thunder Car Division.

Raintree 100 Winners

Race Car Divisions

Mount Lawn Speedway has three main types of racing divisions that compete every week:

Late Model Division

This is the top weekly racing division. The cars are built on a specific type of General Motors frame from 1978 to 1987. They look like regular stock cars but are specially built for racing. This division started in 2000 and now usually has twenty or more cars racing each week!

Thundercar Division

This is the middle-level division. Thundercars are mostly like regular cars, but they have some special racing parts allowed. They must be rear-wheel-drive cars that are a certain size (at least 108 inches long between the front and back wheels).

Hornet Division

This is the beginner division, perfect for new racers! Hornets are very close to regular cars. They can have four or six-cylinder engines. Four-cylinder cars can be front-wheel or rear-wheel drive, but six-cylinder cars must be front-wheel drive. All Hornet cars must have a wheelbase between 92 and 108 inches.

Past Champions

Late Models

Thundercars