Wisconsin International Raceway facts for kids
1/4 mile oval and Figure 8 tracks, plus most of the 1/2 mile oval
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| Location | Kaukauna, Wisconsin (town of Buchanan) |
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| Major events | Dixieland 250 Red, White and Blue State Championship Series |
| 1/2 mile | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Length | 0.50 mi (0.80 km) |
| Turns | 4 plus dogleg on frontstretch |
| Race lap record | 18.880 (Casey Johnson, , 2019, Super late model) |
| 1/4 mile | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Length | 0.25 mi |
| Figure 8 | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Drag strip | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Banking | flat |
The Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR) is a cool place for car racing! It has an asphalt track shaped like an oval and a special track for drag racing. You can find it in the Town of Buchanan, near Kaukauna, in Wisconsin, USA. It's a popular spot for exciting races.
Contents
Oval Racing Tracks
WIR first opened as KK Sports Arena. It has two main oval tracks. The biggest one is a half-mile D-shaped paved oval. Inside this big track, there's a smaller quarter-mile oval.
The quarter-mile track used to be dirt, but it was paved in 1968. The half-mile track was built around the smaller one the next year.
Racing Divisions
Six different types of racing cars compete at WIR.
- Super Late Model and Late Model cars race on the half-mile track. These are powerful, specially built race cars.
- Super Stocks, Sport 4's, and Wisconsin Sport Trucks race on the quarter-mile track. Sport 4's are regular four-cylinder cars changed for racing.
- Figure 8 cars race on a track that crosses over itself. This makes for exciting, close calls!
Since 2007, cars use a special timing system. Each race car has a transponder to track its speed and position. The Fox River Racing Club has helped organize weekly races since 1975.
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A Super Late Model car driven by Lowell Bennett.
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A Late Model car driven by Doug Mahlik.
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A Super Stock car ready to race.
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Sizzlin' 4's cars are modified four-cylinder vehicles.
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Figure 8 cars race on a track that crosses over.
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A Wisconsin Sport Truck on the track.
Special Racing Events
WIR hosts many big races each year. One of the most famous is the Dixieland 250. This race is now part of the ARCA Midwest Tour schedule. It's a very important race that attracts famous drivers. Even NASCAR champions like Kevin Harvick, Ron Hornaday Jr., and Kyle Busch have raced here! The Dixieland 250 was also part of the NASCAR Midwest Series for many years.
Another special event is the Red, White, and Blue State Championship Series. This series started in 1972 for super late models. It has three races: one in June (Red), one in July (White), and one in August (Blue). In 2009, these races moved to Thursday nights to join the regular weekly races. Thousands of fans have watched these exciting races over the years.
Famous Drivers at WIR
Many talented drivers have raced at Wisconsin International Raceway. Some of them even went on to compete in big NASCAR races across the country. Here are a few well-known names:
- Lowell Bennett (He won the track championship many times!)
- Rich Bickle
- Scott Hansen
- Matt Kenseth (He became a NASCAR Cup Series champion!)
- Todd Kluever
- Alan Kulwicki (Another NASCAR champion who raced here!)
- Ty Majeski
- Mark Martin
- Ted Musgrave
- Jim Sauter
- Johnny Sauter
- Dick Trickle (He was so famous at WIR that they named a building after him!)
The track even has a special building called the Dick Trickle Pavilion. It's named after Dick Trickle because he was such a legendary driver at WIR.
Dragstrip Racing
Besides the oval tracks, WIR also has a dragstrip. This is a straight, paved track that is a quarter-mile long. It's one of only a few dragstrips in Wisconsin.
Drag Racing Divisions
Six different groups of vehicles race on the dragstrip every Saturday night:
- Top Eliminator Class
- Hot Rod Eliminator
- Street Eliminator
- Pro-Bike and Snowmobile
- Street Bike
- Junior Dragsters (These are smaller drag cars for younger racers!)
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Street Eliminators cars line up.
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Hot Rod Eliminators are fast and powerful.
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A snowmobile races against a pro-bike.
Eve of Destruction
The "Eve of Destruction" is a super popular event held every September. It's the last big race day for the oval track each year. The raceway, which can hold 10,000 people, usually gets completely packed for this event!
Drivers compete in many wild and unusual races. Imagine cars chained together, or racing backwards before spinning around to finish! There are also "trailer races" where part of a trailer must stay attached to the car. Between races, stunt car drivers put on amazing shows. One of the most exciting parts is when ten school buses crash into each other. The last bus still moving wins! The track owner, Roger Van Daalwyk, once said about the event, "We kind of wreck everything." It's a day full of crashes and fun!
Media
- Wisconsin International Raceway: Where the Big Ones Run!, by Joe Verdegan. This book tells more about the history of the track.
