Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway facts for kids

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Michigan Cup 2007 Pits

Michigan Cup 2007 Race

Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway is a cool oval race track in Springport, Michigan. It's called a "short track" because it's 3/8ths of a mile long. This track has high banks, which means the turns are tilted.

The Speedway first opened in the fall of 1989. Back then, it was known as Michigan Ideal Speedway. It was built to be a smaller version of the famous Michigan International Speedway.

The track can hold about 5,300 fans. It's located in the countryside of Calhoun County. It's only about a 45-minute drive from the Michigan International Speedway.

The Speedway's History

Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway first opened its doors in the fall of 1989. It was originally named Michigan Ideal Speedway.

How the Track Started

The idea for Michigan Ideal Speedway came from Russ Densmore. He owned a local propane company. Russ also worked on the fire and safety crew at Michigan International Speedway.

In 1988, Russ was the fire crew chief at Spartan Speedway. One night, he had a disagreement with the new owner, Russ Cowper. Mr. Cowper challenged him, saying, "If you think you know so much about running a race track, why don't you go get your own?"

So, Mr. Densmore bought 68 acres of farmland in Calhoun County. He built his dream short track there and called it Michigan Ideal Speedway.

Building the Track and First Races

A local racer named Jim "Barney" Barnhardt helped build the track. He was also the first driver to race a car on the new speedway. Barney even held the track record for six years! He was also the first to crash a car there.

During the very first race day, Bill Tyler had a funny "upside down" moment. He still went on to win the sprint car race that day. Other winners included Joe Dorer and Charlie Evens in Late Models.

No season champions were named in 1989 because only one race was held. In 1990, Jeff Finley became the first Late Model Champion.

Changes in Ownership

In 1998, Russ Densmore sold the track to a group led by Ronnie Johncox. Ronnie was an Indy Car owner and driver at the time.

Ronnie Johncox ran the track for two seasons. He closed it after the 2000 season because of money problems. The track stayed closed for the 2001, 2002, and 2003 seasons.

In 2003, Paul Zimmerman and Jim Leasure bought the track. They owned Spartan Speedway. The track reopened for the 2004 season as "Calhoun County Speedway."

In 2005, the track started as Calhoun County Speedway. But during that same year, its name changed to Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway.

In 2006, local racing legend Gary Fedewa promoted the track. But again, money issues caused the track to close early in August.

In 2007, Zimmerman and Leasure leased the track to Maurice Randall. Maurice was a former NASCAR and ARCA driver. The track had a successful season. But in 2008, the owners decided to run it themselves.

The 2008 season was completed. After that, the track was sold or leased to Jerry Rabbers. He changed the name to "Mid-Michigan Speedway." He planned a big schedule and prize money. But in July 2009, the track stopped operations. In August, ownership went back to Leasure.

In 2010 and 2011, Steve Martin successfully leased and ran the track. The Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway website has lots of information for the current season.

The track invites everyone to come and enjoy the races!

Famous Racers Who Have Been Here

Many well-known racers have visited Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway. Some of them include:

• Bill Elliott
• Sarah Fisher
• Sarah McCune
• Stephen Leicht
• Mike Buckley
• Kenny Irwin
• David Stremme

Speedway Timeline

Here's a quick look at the history of the Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway:

• 1989: The track opens as Michigan Ideal Speedway. Russ Densmore is the owner.
• 1989: Mick Shuler is the track announcer.
• 1991: Races are held on Sunday nights for the season.
• 1991: The first annual Michigan Cup race takes place.
• 1999: The track is sold to a group led by Ronnie Johncox. It's called Springport Speedway.
• 2001 - 2003: The track is closed.
• 2003: Paul Zimmerman & Jim Leasure buy the track. It reopens as Calhoun County Speedway.
• 2005: The track is now called Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway.
• 2009: Jerry Rabbers leases the track. It's called Mid-Michigan Speedway.
• 2010: Steve Martin leases the track. The name goes back to Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway.
• 2011: Outlaw late models and Modifieds return to full-time racing at the track.
• 2012 - 2015: Jeff & Pam Parish lease the track. They were also promoters at other speedways.
• 2016–Present: Brothers John & Curt Ainsworth buy the track. The name remains Springport Mid-Michigan Speedway.

Current Special Races

The track hosts some exciting special events:

• Michigan Cup
• The First Call

Track Records

Here are some of the fastest times set by different types of race cars at the track:

• Winged Sprint Car:
• Non Winged Spring Car:
• Super Late Model:
• Late Model:
• Sportsman:
• Modified:
• Outlaw Modified:
• Street Stock:
• RWD Pure Stock: Kyle Drake 18.754 (2008)
• FWD Pure Stock:
• Outlaw FWD Pony Stock:
• FWD Pony Stock:

Track Champions

'08 Champions (left to right) Brian Jenks, Earl Miles, Scott Sigman, Matt Patrick, Todd Metz Sr.

'07 Champions (left to right) Russ Potter IV, Mike Ammerman, Dennis O'Neil, Jon Smith

This table shows the champions for different racing classes over the years:

• n/a: This means the racing class was not held that season.
• ^: ICAR class rules were used.
• ^^: Limited Late Model rules were used.
• ~: Pro Stock rules were used.
• ~~: Michigan Iron or Ideal Iron rules were used.