weedsport speedway

iRacing has a poll going over on the World of Outlaws website. iRacing is offering a selection of six tracks to choose from. They want to know what dirt track you want built first. The rest are said to follow the winner of this poll. I think it’s safe to assume that iRacing has already scanned all six of these tracks and we can all look forward to having more dirt to race on in the near future. We know Knoxville is on the way and will likely be the next track released, so I’m thinking that this poll will select the next track after Knoxville.

I compiled some information on the tracks so we can all be informed voters. 😀

• Cedar Lake Speedway
  

  

  Cedar Lake Speedway is named after, you guessed it, Cedar Lake. It’s a 3/8 mile high-banked clay track located near New Richmond, Wisconsin. Cedar Lake hosts a weekly NASCAR racing show consisting of Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Late Models, and Modifieds. The track also hosts multi day events such as “The Triple Crown,” “The Legendary 100,” “The Masters,” and “The USA Nationals.”

  

  Cedar Lake Speedway was built in 1956 by Elmer Cook and his son Bob on their 160 acre farm. In 2001, the Cook family took on five new partners. The track signed on with NASCAR as a NASCAR Home Track in 2008.

  NASCAR Night
  Several NASCAR drivers have visited 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 Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Sterling Marlin, Kenny Wallace, Travis Kvapil and Paul Menard. Dale Earnhardt Jr. paid a visit to Cedar Lake Speedway during the 2007 season but could not race due to his DEI contract.

  Major events
  Triple Crown with the NASCAR Late Models and IRA Sprint Cars
  World of Outlaws USA Nationals
  USMTS Modified Nationals; the event paid $50,000 to win in 2017.
  Legendary 100

• Fairbury American Legion Speedway

  

  The Fairbury American Legion Speedway is a 1/4 mile semi-banked dirt oval located in Fairbury, Illinois. The track is located on the Fairbury Fairgrounds. The track is operated by the local American Legion in a volunteer system of neighborhood folks. It’s nice to read that there are people who are that devoted to racing. These folks put in their time and effort to provide a world class dirt track facility for fans throughout the Midwest. Fairbury Speedway has won UMP’s track of the year award once in the 1990s and most recently in 2006 and 2007.

  The track’s weekly divisions consist of the UMP DIRTcar Stock Cars (Street Stocks), UMP DIRTcar Sportsmen, UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, and the UMP DIRTcar Late Models.

  Fairbury Speedway runs a number of high profile events including the annual running of one of Illinois’ premier nostalgia Late Model races, the Prairie Dirt Classic, as well as specials in each division throughout the year.

• Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55

  

  I-55 Raceway is a 1/3 mile high-banked clay oval in Pevely, Missouri. Also known simply as Pevely or Pevely Raceway, the track features Saturday night racing with UMP DIRTcar/AARA Pro 4 Stocks, UMP DIRTcar/AARA Sportsmen, UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, and  UMP DIRTcar Late Models.

  In looking at this track in pictures and on Youtube, it looks like it has a great racing surface. I see cars riding a huge cushion right up at the top, tail slapping the wall in every corner. Pevely gets my vote.
  
  
  I’m pretty sure I saw that #91 car take at least one 2x off the wall.

• Kokomo Speedway

  

  Kokomo Speedway is a 1/4 mile semi-banked clay oval lin Kokomo, Indiana. The track first opened in 1947. The track celebrated its 70th season in 2017. Kokomo Speedway is a weekly facility, running on Sunday nights from May into September. The track first opened in 1947 with partners John Rose and Albert Miller. Along with track builder and promoter Ted Everroade, they opened the facility with the intent of it being exclusively for midget racing. Today the track is owned by the O’Connor family, with Jarrod O’Connor serving as the race director. Kokomo is still primarily and open wheel track. The track recently underwent modifications including the addition of more banking, widening of the racing surface, new walls and an IRL and NASCAR approved catch fence.

  

• Lernerville Speedway

  

  Sarver, Pennsylvania is home to Lernerville Speedway, a 4/10 mile high-banked dirt track. Lernerville currently plays host to World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and World of Outlaws Late Model Series events, as well as the All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series.  The year 2017 marks the 50th season for the track.

  

  The track first opened for racing in 1967. The ground where Lernerville Speedway is currently located was once a popular skating rink and amusement park. Lernerville ran its first full racing season in 1968. Sprint Cars, Modifieds and Late Models were a part of the racing program.

  

  Lernerville features the “Fab 4” divisions racing weekly on Fridays from mid April through August. These divisions include the “Big Three”- 410 Sprints, Super Late Models, and Big Block Modifieds, and is the only track in the country to run all three on a weekly basis.

  Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup
  

  

  The headline and highest paying Sprint Car race at Lernerville Speedway is the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, sanctioned by the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. The first Silver Cup, held in 1992, paid $25,000 to the winner. Sammy Swindell picked up that purse. Following the death of track promoter Don Martin, the Silver Cup event was named in his memory. In 2009, the race was split into two separate features, each paying fifteen grand to win, with the highest average finisher in the two features being crowned the Silver Cup Champion. This was the only sprint car race ever sanctioned by the World of Outlaws to have two A-Mains or A Features on a single date. To set up the second feature, all cars that remained on the lead lap in the first feature were inverted for the start. Beginning in 2011, the Silver Cup race format changed again with the overall winner required to win one of the two features. This was put into place after the 2010 race when Donny Schatz won the overall Silver Cup title without winning a feature. NASCAR drivers Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne competed in this race in 2011. Stewart was not able to qualify for the race. Kahne qualified and sat on the front row for the second feature. Stewart returned the following year to dominate the second 30 lap feature. For 2016, the Silver Cup race reverted to a single feature format, with David Gravel scoring the victory.

  

  Firecracker 100
  The Firecracker 100 is the highest paying race for the Super Late Models at Lernerville Speedway. The race is held on the last weekend in June. The Firecracker 100 draws some of the best traveling Late Model drivers from the northeast and midwest to compete in the 100 lap feature. In addition, the Uncle Sam 30 is run for those that do not qualify for the 100 lap A-main.
  
  Work that throttle.

• Weedsport Speedway

  

  Weedsport Speedway is a 3/8 mile clay track located near Weedsport, New York.

  Stan Dudzinski broke ground on Weedsport Speedway in the early 1950s after relentless urging by his wife, Irene, to build a race track. It sounds like Irene had racing in her blood. After giving in to her demands, Stan laid the first railroad ties out in their berry patch to mark the front straightaway for what would become a 1/2 mile speedway. The labor of love, continued until Weedsport Speedway opened its gates for the first time on July 24, 1955.

  Later in the decade, the track was shortened to 3/8 mile. Turns three and four were originally located where the barns are currently located just outside the turns. However, turns one and two remain the same.

  In 1970, the track was purchased by Ken Ermiger and Glenn Donnelly. After a meager return on their investment as a stock car racing facility, the new owners expanded the facility to operate year round with snowmobile races in the winter months. Donnelly took full control of the facility in 1975 and slowly started to expand. He added an office for the speedway that would eventually grow to become an entire racing sanction known as DIRT Motorsports, Inc. in the Northeast United States and Canada. Donnelly also built a video production studio that would house the famous weekly video magazine “This Week on DIRT.” And the DIRT Motorsports Hall Of Fame and Classic Car Museum was constructed to preserve the stars and cars of dirt racing.

  

  In 1981, the facility became home to the Cayuga County Fair to showcase the agriculture and youth of the county. The track  was renamed Cayuga County Fair Speedway. The track shape expanded to the back when Donnelly added a stage to the infield. The track then became nationally known and recognized as a music concert venue, and hosted some of the biggest acts in rock history. There was a famous catchphrase during this era: “You Know It’s Summer When They’re Rockin’ in Weedsport!”

  In 2013, the track was purchased by Al Heinke, who renamed the track back to the historic Weedsport Speedway. Under Heinke’s vision and guidance, the track has returned to a real racer’s track after several well-planned improvements.
  

All of these tracks seem to be pretty amazing. There are a couple that really stand out for me: I-55 and Fairbury. Be sure to cast vote in the iRacing World of Outlaws poll at http://worldofoutlaws.com/iracing/.