Cedar Lake Speedway
| "Wisconsions Fastest Piece Of Real Estate" | |
|---|---|
| Location | New Richmond, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 45°11′25″N 92°35′17″W / 45.19031°N 92.588°WCoordinates: 45°11′25″N 92°35′17″W / 45.19031°N 92.588°W |
| Capacity | 10,000+ |
| Owner | Kaufman Family |
| Broke ground | 1956 |
| Opened | 1957 |
| Major events | The Masters , USA Nationals |
| Surface | Clay |
| Turns | 4 |
Cedar Lake Speedway, is a 3/8 mile Dirt clay oval race track located near New Richmond, Wisconsin. Named after the nearby Cedar Lake. It hosts a weekly NASCAR racing program consisting of Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks,and Midwest Modifieds It also hosts multi day events such as "The Masters"," "The USA Nationals," "The Legendary 100," and the "Triple Crown." There is an Indoor Motocross facility and 1/5 mile dirt oval, Cedar Lake Arena, located directly behind the track.
History
Elmer Cook, his wife Lorraine and their family owned a 160-acre (0.65 km2) farm located near New Richmond, Wisconsion. Elmer had tried several professions before starting the speedway. He was a farmer, tavern keeper, truck driver, and then he decided to go into the bulldozing and construction business.
It was August 1956 Elmer had a crew but work was slack. He decided to build a new driveway across the swamp on his farm property to get out to County Road CC which was called Swede Road then. Although it was not known at the time construction began, the driveway would later become the main entrance to the racetrack. With the drive way completed, Elmer and his oldest son bob were resting on the lawn after lunch admiring how the back slope was built up so high. Elmer remarked how the natural bowl around the swamp would make a perfect racetrack. Soon Elmer and Bob began talking about auto racing. Elmer had actually only been to a couple races in his life, but his family did enjoy the sport of auto racing. Then Elmer asked Bob what he thought about the idea of building a racetrack in the swamp. Bob jumped at the idea and plans were quickly underway. Bob asked when he could start building the track. Elmer figured they did not have a lot of work for the Caterpillar bulldozer right at the moment, so he told Bob, who was only 14 at the time that he could start tomorrow morning. At 6:00 am the next morning, after a restless night Bob was on the cat and the first construction of a dirt race track begin. The outline of the track quickly took shaped, and it was roughed out in approximately three weeks.
Cedar Lake Speedway signed with NASCAR as a NASCAR Home Track in 2008.[1]
NASCAR Night
Several NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and several Nationwide Series drivers have visited the legendary Cedar Lake Speedway on the annual NASCAR Night at the races. Many of the drivers have raced in their own or in borrowed cars including Kenny Wallace, Tony Stewart, Travis Kvapil, Greg Biffle, Sterling Marlin and Paul Menard.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. visited Cedar Lake Speedway in 2007 but did not race, due to his DEI contract. No one visited in 2009, due to scheduling conflicts.
Major events
Cedar Lake Speedway host several major events including
- The Masters
- Usa Nationals
- Legendary 100
- Triple Crown
Notable drivers from Cedar Lake Speedway
Many notable race car drivers have started their careers at Cedar Lake Speedway. Two of which are World of Outlaws Sprint car racing Champion Donny Schatz, WDRL driver Brady Smith and currect ARCA REMAX, and part-time Nascar Nationwide Series driver Steve Arpin.
References
- ↑ "Cedar Lake Speedway signs with NASCAR!". Cedar Lake Speedway press release. Retrieved 2008-06-12.