Winchester, Indiana
Winchester is a city in White River Township, Randolph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Randolph County. It is the home of Winchester Speedway.
History
Winchester ...
, approximately northeast of
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. It seats 4000 spectators. It is also known as the "World's Fastest 1/2 mile".
The track's 37 degree banking is one of the steepest in motorsports, and the highest-banked active racetrack in the country. Notable drivers that raced at Winchester include
Rusty Wallace
Russell William "Rusty" Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He has won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Over the course of his successful care ...
,
Mark Martin
Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...
,
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...
,
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He is a ...
Sarah Fisher
Sarah Marie Fisher (born October 4, 1980) is an American retired professional race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series, Indy Racing League (IRL, now IndyCar Series) and the Indianapolis 500 intermittently from 1999 to 2010. She also ...
,
Chase Briscoe
Chase David Wayne Briscoe (born December 15, 1994) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. He also owns a World of Outlaws sprint ...
and William "Billy" Hutson.
Funk's Speedway
The original half-mile clay oval was built in a cornfield by Frank Funk in 1914, and the track opened in 1916 with the name of Funk's Speedway.
As owner and operator, Funk pursued a two-pronged strategy to attract spectators.
First, he recognized that attendance went up as the clay banks were raised higher and higher, reaching 25 feet by 1932, and the turns were said to be banked at 45° in 1948.
In 1932, the track could seat 6,000 in the grandstands, with the grounds accommodating 12,000 to 14,000.
Second, Funk tested various treatments to reduce dust and increase traction for the drivers.
He started with mineral oil, then branched out into various other substances, which would result in a track "not only relatively dust free but pavement fast."
This work brought the attention of highway engineers, who made the track a proving ground for roadbuilding technology.
Winchester Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the 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 1971, ...
held a race at Winchester in 1950, and
Lloyd Moore
Lloyd David Moore (June 8, 1912 – May 18, 2008
Winchester 400
The Winchester 400 is a 400-lap short-track super late model stock car race held each fall at the Winchester Speedway, a half-mile long paved oval motor racetrack in Winchester, Indiana, United States. Held annually since 1970, the Winchester 400 ...
, an annual 400-lap
super late model
A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.)
The precise definition ...
stock car race
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It or ...
, currently sanctioned by the
ARCA/CRA Super Series
The CRA Super Series is a super late model stock car racing series owned and operated by the Champion Racing Association. It is a touring series based in the Midwestern United States, which competes at paved short ovals. It was formerly known as t ...
. Former winners during the first 36 editions include:
Bob Senneker
Bob Senneker (born December 12, 1944) is an American stock car racing driver from Dorr, Michigan near Grand Rapids. He is best known for racing on the American Speed Association (ASA) National Tour where he was the 1990 champion. Senneker's 85 ...
(7 wins),
Mike Cope
Mike Cope (born May 8, 1962) is a retired American stock car racing driver. A two-time champion of the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series, he also competed in the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He is no relation to Dayton ...
(3),
Mike Eddy
Michael Eddy (born July 17, 1952 in Midland, Michigan) is a stock car auto racer. He is most notable for racing in the now defunct American Speed Association (ASA). He was a seven time ASA National Champion, which is the most in ASA history. ...
(2),
Mark Martin
Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...
Rusty Wallace
Russell William "Rusty" Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He has won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Over the course of his successful care ...
,
Ted Musgrave
Theodore Musgrave (born December 18, 1955) is an American former stock car racing driver.
Pre-NASCAR
Musgrave's father, Elmer, was a famous short-track racer in the Midwest who raced for over 25 years at Soldier Field, O'Hare, Waukegan, and Wi ...
midget
Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of ca ...
Rich Vogler
Richard Frank Vogler (July 26, 1950 – July 21, 1990) was an American champion sprint car and midget car driver. He was nicknamed "Rapid Rich".
Classic. A second round was held in 2005 and 2006 under the title
Kenny Irwin
Kenneth Dale Irwin Jr. (August 5, 1969 – July 7, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver. He had driven in all three NASCAR national touring series, and had two total victories, both in the Craftsman Truck Series (today Camping World Tru ...
Memorial.
The track has hosted the
ARCA Menards Series
The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national ...
Winchester ARCA 200
The Calypso Lemonade 200 was an ARCA Menards Series race held at the Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana. It was originally 50 miles, then increased to 63 miles, then 75, then 100, then 125, and then back down to 100.
Past winners ARCA Me ...
since 1982 with some interruptions.
NASCAR Southeast Series
The NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series was a NASCAR-sanctioned amateur/semi-pro late model stock car racing series based in the Southeastern United States. The series was formerly known as the Slim Jim All Pro Series; it was founded ...
ran 7 races at the speedway between 1992 through 1998.
ASA National Tour had 3 races at the facility, between 2000 and 2002. Also USAR Pro Cup Series ran 6 races at Winchester between 2001 and 2009.
Gallery
File:Winchester-spdwy2003-chd1.jpg, ASA race at Winchester Speedway in 2003; heading into turn 1
File:Winchester-spdwy2003-chd2.jpg, Winchester Speedway after a crash
File:Winchester-spdwy2003-chd3.jpg, ASA race at Winchester Speedway in 2003; front stretch
File:Winchester-spdwy2003-chd4.jpg, ASA race at Winchester Speedway in 2003; turn 4 and front stretch