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Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake,
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,
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on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the
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Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, c ...
and
Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to ...
, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...
, SCCA Pirelli World Challenge, ASRA, AMA Superbike series, and SCCA Pro Racing's Trans-Am Series. NASCAR will replace Road America with street racing through
Downtown Chicago ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
starting in 2023.


Current track and facilities

Road America is a permanent road course. It is located midway between the cities of
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
and Green Bay, and classified as an FIA Grade Two circuit. The track is situated on near the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. It has hosted races since September 1955 and currently hosts over 400 events a year. Of its annual events, 9 major weekends are open to the public which include 3 motorcycle events including the MotoAmerica (AMA FIM) series, 3 vintage car events, Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events, the United Sports Car Racing Series, the Pirelli World Challenge, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Road America is one of only a handful of road circuits in the world maintaining its original configuration being in length with 14 turns. The track features many elevation changes, along with a long front stretch where speeds approaching 200 mph (320 km/h) may be reached. One of the best known features of this course is a turn on the backside known as "the kink". Road America's open seating allows spectators to venture throughout the grounds. Grandstands are available in several locations, as well as permanent hillside seating where crowds of more than 150,000 can be accommodated.


Briggs & Stratton Motorplex

In addition to the main course, the facility includes a
karting Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...
track called the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex inside the Carousel. The motorplex hosts two series of karting events. It hosts weekly events on Tuesdays in the summer. It also hosts approximately six Saturday events during the summer. The motorplex also hosts events sanctioned by the North Woods GP series running Supermoto and street bike racing using small displacement motorcycles.


Off road racing circuit

The Motorplex was built at the site of an earlier off road racing circuit used for several SODA events in the 1990s. The 1995 event was televised tape delayed on
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
by reporters
Marty Reid Martin Reid "Marty" Klingeman (born February 3, 1953), known professionally as Marty Reid, is an American television sportscaster who worked for ESPN from 1982 to 2013, covering motorsports for the network. Reid served as the network's lead Ind ...
, Ivan Stewart, and
Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...
. The course was long with of elevation change. The track featured a blind jump nicknamed "The Hell Hole".


Tunnel

In late 2006, Road America began a project to remove the old Bill Mitchell bridge and use a tunnel as the main entrance to the paddock. The tunnel project was completed in May 2007 with the grand opening celebration on May 31 for the AMA Suzuki Superbike Championship weekend. The tunnel is high and wide and has two lanes of traffic and two pedestrian walkways on either side. With the removal of the bridge, a new spectator viewing area was created.


History of racing at Elkhart Lake


Open road course

In the late 1940s,
road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on p ...
was gaining popularity, owing to the post
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
economy, and the influx of sporting automobiles. The Sports Car Club of America was the main organizer of these races, and in 1950, the Chicago Region SCCA and the Village of Elkhart Lake organized the first road race at Elkhart Lake. The 1950 circuit start-finish line was on County Road P. Competitors went north to County Road J, then South into the Village of Elkhart Lake, and West on what is now County JP (then called County Highway X), and reconnected with County Road P for a total distance of . For the next two races, in 1951 and 1952, a different course was used. It was long, on County Roads J, A, and P. To date, one may still drive most of the original course. The original course was registered on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
on February 17, 2006. Signs have been installed marking key locations on the course.


Private road course

After the tragedy at Watkins Glen in 1952, where a child was killed, the U.S. ruled to discontinue motorized contests of speed on public highways. This was a major blow for competition auto racing and brought the end of a long-standing tradition. This did not permanently stop road racing, however, it did shift it to private courses. In 1955, Clif Tufte started what is now known as Road America, in a configuration that has changed little over the past 60 years. The addition of Road America as a private track meant a transition from racing through the streets of tiny Elkhart Lake to racing on a big, wide, dedicated race track.


Racing at Road America

Many different racing series have had the occasion to race at Road America. The first was the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) on September 10, 1955. The Road America 500 is a sports car race that was part of different championships, among them the SCCA National Sports Car Championship, the United States Road Racing Championship and the IMSA GT Championship. Currently it is a points-paying race of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The Grand Prix of Road America is an open-wheel race that was held as part of the Champ Car World Series and currently it is a part of the
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...
. Other notable series have included
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
's Grand National (now
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...
) in 1956 and
NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to ...
since 2010,
CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...
from 1982 until 2007, Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Racing Series, CanAm, Trans-Am,
AMA Ama or AMA may refer to: Ama Languages * Ama language (New Guinea) * Ama language (Sudan) People * Ama (Ama Kōhei), former ring name for sumo wrestler Harumafuji Kōhei * Mary Ama, a New Zealand artist * Shola Ama, a British singer * Ām ...
, and the SCCA National Championship Runoffs from 2009 to 2013. The Stadium Super Trucks began racing at the track starting in 2018; the trucks run a shortened course that bypasses turns 6 to 12, though the full layout is used on the final lap. Road America also holds a variety of vintage racing events, including the Brian Redman International Challenge, now the HAWK with Brian Redman.


ALMS race history

At the
2008 Road America 500 The 2008 Generac 500 at Road America presented by Time Warner Cable was the seventh round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at Road America, Wisconsin on August 9, 2008. Race results Class winners in bold. Cars failing t ...
an Audi R10 TDI set an LMP1 pole time of 1:46.935. At the
2009 Road Race Showcase The 2009 Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase was the seventh round of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on August 16, 2009. David Brabham and Scott Sharp won for Patrón Highcroft ...
, Dyson Racing Team set an LMP2 pole time of 1:51.010. At the 2011 Road Race Showcase, BMW Team RLL set a GT pole time of 2:05.447, while at the same event a Porsche 997 GT3 set a GTC pole time of 2:14.126.


NASCAR race history


Cup Series

One NASCAR Grand National (now
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...
) race was held in 1956. The track hosted two more Cup series races in 2021 and 2022 before being planned to be replaced by the Chicago Street Race in 2023.


Xfinity Series

On December 21, 2009, NASCAR announced that with the situation at the Wisconsin State Fair Park being unclear, and losing races at the Milwaukee Mile, they would move Milwaukee's Xfinity Series race to Road America. The first race was held on June 19, 2010 and was won by Carl Edwards. In 2015, the race moved to late August during an off-weekend for the Sprint Cup Series. *2011: Race extended due to three
green–white–checker finish In North American auto racing, a green–white–checker finish (GWC) is a racing restart procedure one in which the race is restarted from a caution period with 2 laps remaining. When the race distance is extended to accommodate such a finish, ...
attempts and ended under caution when the three attempts to finish the race failed. *2013: Race extended due to two green-white-checker finish attempts. *2014, 2016, 2022: Race extended due to green-white-checker finish attempt.


Indy Car / Champ Car race results

The CART Champ Car series held races at the track from 1982 to 2007, with the exception of 2005. The Verizon Indy Car Series revived the event beginning in 2016.


Major incidents and events at the track


2005 BRIC wreck

At the beginning of the Group 6 race in the 2005 Brian Redman International Challenge, there was a large incident consisting of most of the field: The driver starting fifth (Ray Mulacek, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro) accelerated well before the green flag and tried to force his way between the wall and the car in front of him, resulting in contact with the wall. A following car checked up and was rear-ended, causing a spin that led to further contact as following cars were unable to avoid the growing incident. After just a few seconds of green flag racing, the red flag was waved. Following the initial incident, the failure of trailing drivers to heed red flags being shown at 14 and 15 (under the bridge at the crest of the hill) may have compounded the issue. Luckily, nobody was seriously injured, with the worst injury being a broken arm.


Cristiano da Matta deer incident

On August 3, 2006, Cristiano da Matta, driver of
Champ Car Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Team ...
's RuSPORT team, was involved in a collision with a deer during Champ Car open testing at Road America. The deer ran in front of his car as he was heading towards turn 6. He hit the deer with his right front tire, the deer then flew back and hit da Matta in the cockpit. Da Matta was unconscious when the safety crew extricated him from the car, and was airlifted via ThedaSTAR to Theda Clark Medical Center south of
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, where he underwent surgery to remove a subdural hematoma.


Death of Adam Schatz

Adam Schatz, 26, from Chicago, Illinois, died in a karting accident during the Road America Super Nationals, Championship Enduro Series on July 12, 2008. Bump drafting was a determining factor of the crash. During the end of the race, Schatz was in second place. On the main straight, shortly after the last turn, Schatz saw the kart in third position on his left and tried to pull ahead to be bumped. As he did so, the kart in fourth position bumped the third, speeding the third kart up. At this point Schatz was not clear as to what was happening, and as he moved to his left, the two karts made contact. Schatz's kart veered hard left and hit the wall. The impact sent the kart flying ten feet into the air ejecting the driver onto the track. The rest of the drivers avoided Schatz, some drivers stopped and after seeing Schatz's condition, waved to get medical help. The race was immediately stopped as medical assistance arrived on the place of the accident. Schatz had suffered brain stem and spinal cord injuries and his heart had stopped. He was revived by the doctors and taken to the Theda Clark Memorial Hospital in Neenah, Wisconsin, but his injuries proved to be too severe to survive and one week later he died.


2015 CCR Tifosi Challenge red flag wreck

During the Pirelli World Challenge weekend, drivers Steve Hill and Jim Booth were involved in an intense battle for first. The drivers contacted each other heading towards turn 5, causing Jim Booth to go airborne into the catch fence at 150 mph. This caused significant damage to the fence throwing debris into the spectator area. Booth's car was completely destroyed while Hill was able to continue the race with minor damage. Neither of the drivers, personnel, or spectators were injured during the incident.


Lap records

The official lap record for Road America is 1:41.874, set by Alex Zanardi in the 1998 Texaco/Havoline 200, while the unofficial all-time track record is 1:39.866, set by Dario Franchitti during the qualifying of the 2000 Motorola 220. The official fastest race lap records at Road America for different classes are listed as:


Other events

Road America is host to several non-automotive events. * Th
Tour de Road America - Bike Ride to Fight Cancer
is a bike ride on the track to raise funds for the Livestrong Foundation, th
Austin Hatcher Foundation
an
the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic
The annual event has taken place every August since 2004 during the Champ Car and/or American Le Mans Series weekends, and has raised over $230,000 as of 2012. It raised over $37,000 in 2012. The 10th Tour de Road America is scheduled for August 9, 2013 during the American Le Mans / Grand Am weekend (August 9–11, 2013). * Th

is an inline skating race on the track in June. A fun lap is also part of the event, which has taken place since 2006. * The Annual Road America Walk/Run for the
American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more tha ...
has raised $2.5 million plus in its 33-year existence. The Walk/Run takes place in late October. The 2007 and 2008 events included a Mid-American Stock Car Series exhibition.


In pop culture


Video games

The Road America track has been included in multiple racing video games, including '' Automobilista 2'', the '' Forza Motorsport'' series, '' CART Precision Racing'', '' iRacing'', '' Raceroom Racing Experience'', '' NASCAR Heat 2'', ''
NASCAR Heat 3 ''NASCAR Heat 3'' is a racing video game simulating the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series and feeder competitions. It was developed by Monster Games and published by 704Games. It is the sequel to ''NASCAR Heat 2'', and was released in North America and Euro ...
'', ''
NASCAR Heat 4 ''NASCAR Heat 4'' is a racing video game simulating the 2019 NASCAR season. It was developed by Monster Games and was published by 704Games on September 13, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows via Steam. Kevin Harvick is the ...
'',''
NASCAR Heat 5 ''NASCAR Heat 5'' is a racing video game simulating the 2020 NASCAR season. It was developed by 704Games and was published by Motorsport Games on July 10, 2020, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows via Steam. Chase Elliott is the cov ...
'', '' Need for Speed: Shift'', '' Shift 2: Unleashed'', '' Project CARS'', '' Project CARS 2'', '' TOCA Race Driver 2'', and '' Ride 3''.


Photo gallery

Image:RoadAmericaSign070707.jpg, Welcome sign Image:RoadAmericaOriginalStartFinishLine.jpg, The sign marking the start/finish line on the original road course Image:Indy cars at Turn Eight at Road America.JPG, A group of Group 9 BOSS cars going around turn eight at the Kohler International Challenge Image:Road America Fans.jpg, Fans looking east at Turn Five during the 1995 June Sprints File:RoadAmericaFrontStretchBucyros2010.jpg, Looking up the frontstretch hill File:Bucyrus200RoadAmerica2010FieldStarting.jpg, 2010
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to ...
race


Notes


References


External links


Road America Official Site


*
Karting Club at the Road America Motorplex
{{Authority control Champ Car circuits IndyCar Series tracks Motorsport venues in Wisconsin NASCAR tracks ARCA Menards Series tracks Buildings and structures in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin American Le Mans Series circuits IMSA GT Championship circuits Tourist attractions in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin NASCAR races at Road America Off-road racing venues in the United States Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Sports venues completed in 1955 1955 establishments in Wisconsin Road courses in the United States