Raceway Park Final Weekend and NASCAR Championship Preview September 1, 2013
by Kevin Busse "The Voice of Raceway Park"
The countdown has begun and the final weekend of stock car racing at Minnesota's Action Attraction is ready to go. Raceway Park, Minnesota's very first paved speedway, and one of the first in the midwest beginning in 1956, will run its final weekend of racing this Friday and Sunday nights. Big crowds of motorsports fans from around the region, including many past drivers from the track's colorful history, are expected in the stands this weekend to say farewell to a speedway that has been an important part of Twin Cities racing history for the past 57 years.
It all begins at 7pm, Friday night August 30th, as Wrecker Services presents Thunder V-8s, Mini Stocks, Flagpole Racing, and Front Wheel Flyers, all in heat and feature action. The Wild'n'Crazy Figure 8s will compete in 2 features. There will be Powder Puff Racing for the Ladies, and full throttle excitement with Raceway Park's famous Figure-8 School Bus Race. Gates open 1 hour before the action begins.
And then on Sunday, September 1st, it all wraps up with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Season Championships. It will be a night to remember for the entire family with heats and features in the Mini Stocks, Short Trackers, Bombers, Bandoleros, and Great North Legends. Including 2 Wild'n'Crazy Figure 8 features, a kids penny toss, and a special end of season Championship 40 lap NASCAR Hobby Stock feature. Gates will open at 5pm on this historic night of racing, with fast lap qualifying at 5:30 and NASCAR Whelen All- American Series excitement beginning at 6pm.
Its the final chance to see the best NASCAR drivers from around the Twin Cities compete on the historic banked paved oval, so bring the family and enjoy a special weekend of fun and exciting motorsports action. For ticket information and directions call 952/445-2257 or point your Internet browser to goracewaypark.com
RACEWAY PARK, SHAKOPEE MINNESOTA
HISTORIC TIMELINE
Raceway Park Owners/Operators:
1956 - Darwin Hentz (Dirt Track)
1958 - Darwin Hentz (Asphalt Track)
1971 - Phil Stewart
1974 - Darwin Hentz
1983 - John Ostdiek
1995 - John Hellendrung
2009 - Donny Reuvers
2011 - John Hellendrung
HISTORIC MOMENTS
1956 - The beginning construction of a new dirt stock car speedway, to be named "Raceway Park" was announced in the Shakopee Valley News on April 5th. The original location was just off highway 101, approx. 1/2 mile east of current location, near the present day Brambilla's RV, just across from Valley Fair. The speedway opened on May 13th, with Saturday and Sunday afternoon racing. Lights were added on June 28th for night racing during the week, and the grandstands and buildings were upgraded shortly after. Bob Ufkin was named the very first Early Model Champion that opening season.
1957 - The dirt track was rapidly outgrowing its original location, and the decision was made to relocate after the leased property was sold. Construction began in October on a state of the art asphalt speedway located on the Ed Smith Farm property (site of the present day location).
1958 - Raceway Park opens on May 1st. Raceway Park was the very first banked paved speedway in the state of Minnesota, and one of the very first in the upper midwest. Darwin Hentz was smart in the design of the track, constructing the grandstands facing east so the fans wouldn't be looking into the bright afternoon and evening setting sun, and out of the west northwest winds. Ron Olson was the winner of the very first asphalt race, with Norm Setran named season Late Model Champion.
1958 - WCCO television began broadcasting live motorsports action from Raceway Park on Sunday afternoons when Minnesota Twins baseball away games were blacked out.
1965 - Raceway Park suddenly closed in July after a heated dispute between drivers and officials over "violations of racing rules in the Modified Division." The track would remain closed for the remainder of the 1965 season.
1966 - The dispute was resolved, and Raceway Park reopened in April for the start of the '66 racing season.
1971 - Phil Stewart becomes owner of Raceway Park. Stewart operates the track as part of the "Twin Cities Tri-Circuit" of Elko Speedway, Raceway Park, and Twin City Speedway (originally a tiny dirt track started in 1948, Twin City was located in the north metro and paved in 1969 as a 3/8-mile tri-oval). It was common for the drivers to race an entire weekend beginning at Twin City on Fridays, Elko on Saturdays, and Raceway Park on Sundays.
1973 - Raceway Park adds track lights allowing for night racing.
1974 - Phil Steward dies, Darwin Hentz resumes ownership. The Figure-8 circuit was added, bringing a new kind of racing action to the fans of the Twin Cities metro area.
1983 - John Ostdiek becomes owner of Raceway Park. The first "Dukes of Hazzard" car jump competition was held, with Dick Mohlin going 73 feet. Current record was set in 2012 when Justin Schelitzche jumped 118 feet.
1987 - Raceway Park becomes NASCAR sanctioned with the NASCAR Winston Racing Series, opening up a new era of stock car racing for drivers and race fans. Dwain Behrens was the first NASCAR track champion.
1987 - The ARTGO touring series comes to Raceway Park, bringing a driver by the name of Dale Earnhardt to Shakopee. Earnhardt was the current NASCAR Cup Champion at the time, drawing a sell-out crowd to the speedway. The feature race was won by ARTGO star Butch Miller, Rich Bickle finished 2nd, Dick Trickle took 3rd, with Joe Sheer finishing 4th. Earnhardt placed 8th, claiming that after competing at Talladega the week before, he arrived late to Raceway Park on the ARTGO tour and didn't have enough practice time to be competitive. (The race event was so special in Raceway Park's history, that after Earnhardt was killed in that horrific crash at Daytona, a banner was erected on the back straightaway "In Memory of #3")
1995 - John Hellendrung becomes owner of Raceway Park.
2001 - Local racing historian Marge Elftmann publishes "Racing Down Memory Lane," a complete history of Raceway Park and Elko Speedway.
2005 - Raceway Park is featured nationally on SPEED-TVs "Lucas Oil ...On The Edge!" When the program is broadcast it receives some of the highest viewer ratings in the history of the show. "...On The Edge!" has made return trips to broadcast the action from Raceway Park every year since.
2006 - In August, Raceway Park event announcer Kevin Busse announces an entire race while riding as passenger inside a racecar competing in the event, becoming the very first announcer in the United States to do so.
Over the years many top names in motorsports competed at Raceway Park, including...
Jim Sauter, and family (The Sauters lived just across the river in Bloomington before moving to Wisconsin)
Mark Martin
Dick Trickle
Lou Fegers, and family
Dale Earnhardt
Rich Bickle
Joe Sheer
Butch Miller
to name but a few.
More recently, local NASCAR Busch Series driver Christian Elder was a regular competitor, along with local NASCAR Truck Series driver Joey Miller. NASCAR Cup star Paul Menard raced several seasons at Raceway Park along with brother Charlie Menard in the Great North Legends division. During Raceway Park's 50th anniversary season, NASCAR Truck Series & ARCA-ReMax Series driver Erin Crocker, along with NASCAR championship team owner and driver Ray Evernham competed at the track. Jonathan "Jon Boy" Brown from NASCAR's historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem NC (and History Channel's "Madhouse") made the trip to Raceway Park. Matt Kenseth, in route to a Cup race at Phoenix, stopped on a weekday afternoon to test drive a new Ford on the Raceway Park oval. And many other major names in motorsports, both locally and nationally, have driven here over the years.
In addition, Raceway Park has been the home track for several NASCAR Champions, as part of the various NASCAR series competing for local, state and national championship points. Local drivers Steve Murgic, Mel Walen, and Donny Reuvers all won multiple Raceway Park NASCAR championships, including NASCAR national series championships.
This is just a small part of the big history of Raceway Park. To list it all would require an entire book of information.
