Slinger Speedway facts for kids
| World's Fastest 1/4 Mile Oval | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Slinger, Wisconsin |
| Capacity | 10000 |
| Opened | 1948 |
| Major events | Slinger Nationals |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.25 mi (0.40 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns: 33° |
| Race lap record | 9.908 seconds (Jeff Bloom, , 2010, Xtreme Sprint Series) |
The Slinger Speedway is a super-fast quarter-mile oval race track. It has really steep turns, angled at 33 degrees, and is located in Slinger, Wisconsin. People call it the "World's Fastest Quarter Mile Oval" because cars go incredibly fast there!
The fastest lap ever recorded at Slinger Speedway was by Jeff Bloom. He drove a special "sprint car" on August 21, 2010. His amazing time was 9.908 seconds. This was the first time any car went under 10 seconds on a quarter-mile oval track!
Contents
Track History
Slinger Speedway first opened way back in 1948. Back then, the track was made of clay. It stayed that way until the end of the 1973 racing season.
In 1974, the track changed a lot. It was paved with asphalt and got its famous high-banked turns. It has been an asphalt track ever since. In the late 1970s, a paved "X" was added inside the oval. This allowed for exciting figure 8 racing at the end of some race nights.
Weekly Races and Cars
Every week, different types of race cars compete for points at Slinger Speedway. Here are some of the main types of cars you might see:
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Super late model
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Late model
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Midwest sportsman
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Slinger Bees - 4-cylinder cars
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Figure 8
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Spectator eliminator - non-points race between fans' street cars
Famous Drivers at Slinger
Many famous race car drivers have competed at Slinger Speedway. Some of them even raced there before they became big stars in NASCAR! These include drivers like Rich Bickle, Erik Darnell, and Matt Kenseth. Matt Kenseth was even the "Rookie of the Year" in 1991 at Slinger.
Other well-known drivers who raced here include Alan Kulwicki, who won a NASCAR championship in 1992. Also, Robbie Reiser, Joe Shear, Lowell Bennett, Dick Trickle, and Scott Wimmer all raced at Slinger.
Slinger Nationals Race
The biggest race of the year at Slinger Speedway is called the Slinger Nationals. It's a 200-lap race for "super late model" stock cars. This exciting event happens in the middle of summer.
The winner of the Slinger Nationals gets the Larry Detjens Memorial Trophy. This trophy is named after Larry Detjens, who won the race in 1980. Sadly, he passed away in a racing accident later that year at another track.
The Slinger Nationals is usually held on a Tuesday night. This special timing allows famous NASCAR drivers to come and race. Many NASCAR stars often join the race, driving cars owned by local teams. For example, in 1987, racing legends like Davey Allison, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Alan Kulwicki, and Mark Martin all competed!
Even more recently, in 2006, three drivers from Roush Racing (a big NASCAR team) raced in the Nationals. In 2007, ten drivers with experience in major NASCAR series competed. These included Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Dick Trickle. Other famous drivers who have raced in the Slinger Nationals include Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin, Kyle Petty, Rusty Wallace, Ken Schrader, and Michael Waltrip.
Slinger Nationals Winners
- 1980 Larry Detjens
- 1981 Alan Kulwicki
- 1982 Dick Trickle
- 1983 Dick Trickle
- 1984 Mark Martin
- 1985 Dick Trickle
- 1986 John Ziegler
- 1987 Joe Shear
- 1988 Butch Miller
- 1989 Dick Trickle
- 1990 Joe Shear
- 1991 Joe Shear
- 1992 Rich Bickle
- 1993 Joe Shear
- 1994 Matt Kenseth
- 1995 Butch Miller
- 1996 Rich Bickle
- 1997 Lowell Bennett
- 1998 Tony Strupp
- 1999 Conrad Morgan
- 2000 Lowell Bennett
- 2001 David Prunty
- 2002 Matt Kenseth
- 2003 Rich Bickle
- 2004 Lowell Bennett
- 2005 Nathan Haseleu
- 2006 Matt Kenseth
- 2007 Lowell Bennett
- 2008 Matt Kenseth
- 2009 Matt Kenseth
- 2010 Lowell Bennett
- 2011 Kyle Busch
- 2012 Matt Kenseth
- 2013 Rich Bickle
- 2014 Chris Wimmer
- 2015 Dennis Prunty
- 2016 Matt Kenseth
- 2017 Bubba Pollard
- 2018 Ty Majeski
- 2019 Matt Kenseth
- 2020 Ty Majeski
Images for kids
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Super Late Model (2019)
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Late model (2019)
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Sportsman (2013 Bill Prietzel)
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Slinger Bees (2019) - 4-cylinder cars
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Figure 8 (2019)
