The Scoop
SIZING UP NORTHEASTERN WISCONSIN’S 2025 RACING SEASON
Posted on: Tuesday March 11, 2025
Cars carry our country’s colors during opening ceremonies at The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay. (@KaylaLyn)
The racing season in northeastern Wisconsin is just weeks away from kicking off. Below is a preview of sorts as to what the respective tracks and series in our region have in store for 2025! Make sure you get out and support your local track IN PERSON whenever possible. Nothing wrong with all of these online streaming platforms. But a promoter cannot sell hot dogs, soda or beer to someone sitting at home on their couch. Here we go!
141 SPEEDWAY – The Francis Creek oval boasts the highest weekly car counts not only in the Midwest, but the nation as well. Their weekly, Saturday shows in ’25 will once again be accompanied by several high-dollar, shows, including the annual $10,000-to-win Clash @ The Creek for IMCA modifieds.
IMCA stock cars mix it up at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek in 2024. (danlewisphoto.net)
The jaw-dropper during the off season was the announcement of the High Limit sprint car series making a stop at the Francis Creek bullring this year. 141 will host a Tuesday night, stand alone venue as the Rayce Rudeen Foundation race will be held Tuesday, June 3. Obviously the fact Kyle Larson, arguably one of the most popular racers currently in motorsports will be racing will boost attendance.
The series features 61 events at 36 race tracks in 20 different states.
141’s Saturday night season opening race is scheduled for April 12 at 6 p.m. A test and tune is tentatively slated for Saturday, April 5.
THE HILL – John and Adam Sternard will again keep the lights on for racing in Door County as promoters of The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay in 2025.
The promoters have roots that run deep in Door County racing history. The IRA Outlaws will return once again to the circular-shaped oval on Sunday, August 31. New on the schedule is the return of late models as the Dirt Kings Tour makes a swing up the peninsula on Thursday, August 14 to kick off the Door County Fair.
The tracks weekly divisions will be stock cars, sportmods, Unified dirt street stocks and 4 cylinders. The season opener is slated for Saturday, 17 at 6 p.m. at John Miles Park.
OUTAGAMIE SPEEDWAY – It’s “business as usual” for another season of Friday night stock car racing at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour. Weekly racing will once again be promoted by the longtime club Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car (EWSC). The weekly program features IMCA modifieds, stock cars, northern sportmods, Unified Dirt Street Stocks and IMCA sport compacts.
Late models will also make several appearances at the third-mile, clay oval located at the Outagamie County Fairgrounds. Appearances from the IRA sprint cars, MSA sprints and Dirt Kings Tour are also on tap, including an appearance from the Milwaukee Vintage Stock Car Group. The planned Spring Thaw opener scheduled for April 25 was canceled due to a scheduling conflict. The opening night races will be held on Friday, May 2. Racing starts at 6:30 p.m.
EAGLE RIVER SPEEDWAY – Tuesday nights will remain the staple for this third-mile, clay oval nestled in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. The weekly program consists of USRA late models, B mods, IMCA stock cars, Unified Dirt Street Stocks plus both 600 & 300 micro sprints. Pure stocks will also make a handful of appearances.
A number of special appearances are on the ’25 schedule, including the return for the 3rd straight year of the popular MSA sprints. The Badger Midgets, which were rained out a year ago, are back on the schedule. The season opening race at Eagle River will be Saturday, May 24 with Sunday, May 25 used as a raindate (if needed). The weekly, Tuesday night action begins on June 10.
OTHER TRACKS – Luxy Raceway in Luxemburg will host IMCA sanctioning for many of its classes in 2025. A season opener of April 18 is scheduled at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds. Shawano Speedway will remain a half-mile in 2025 and still plans on hosting Saturday night racing with a scheduled April 12 opener. Gravity Park USA in Chilton will kick off it’s 2025 season Friday, April 11. This year the Terry Van Roy Memorial race will move from 141 to Gravity Park. The race, honoring longtime racing legend from Darboy, will be run Friday, June 20.
Montello’s Kenny Richards’ is the defending race winner of the Terry Van Roy Memorial race. In 2025 the event will be held at Gravity Park USA in Chilton. (danlewisphoto.net)
Interested parties looking to contribute to the purse for this event are urged to contact Ron Kohl at (920) 540 6325. As of this writing the race will be paying out $1,409 with some other contingency-type goodies thrown in as well.
Other track openers include Plymouth Dirt Track (April 26), Beaver Dam Raceway (April 26), Wilmot Raceway (May 3).
WINGS – The IRA Outlaw sprint car series has 20 teams committed to running the entire 2025 schedule. The winged warriors will kick off their ’25 campaign April 4 and 5 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. The MSA sprints will host a number of events outside of their home track at PDTR (opener May 26), in addition to other venues including Dodge County Fairgrounds (May 16), Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie (June 1 & July 13), Eagle River Speedway (July 5), Beaver Dam Raceway (August 30) and Wilmot Raceway (August 23 & September 13).
Cole Czarneski (21) works the high line on Brett Swedberg (3) and Justin Schmidt (97) in the Dirt Kings Diamond 46 race at 141 Speedway August 3. (danlewisphoto.net)
DIRT KINGS – A 12 date schedule is in play for the Dirt Kings Tour in 2025. All shows are in Wisconsin. The Tour will have many of the same stops at familiar ovals like Outagamie, Plymouth, Shawano, 141, and a doubleheader event at Mississippi Thunder Speedway July 25 and 26. The Sturgeon Bay date will be a new one for the Tour, as it will mark a rare late model appearance at the Door County oval.
The series will kick off at Beaver Dam Raceway Saturday, April 26 with the Glenn Hephner Memorial. Dirtkingstour.com for additional information.
PAVEMENT PONDERINGS – The TUNDRA super late model series will wrap up a three day party of racing and events at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna. The annual pre-season pit party is scheduled for Thursday night, May 15. On Friday, May 16 the oval will host ¼ late models, Wisconsin sport trucks, street stocks and 4 cylinders.
The TUNDRA super lates are the headliner on Saturday afternoon, May 17. The “Thursday Night Thunder” Fox River Racing Club (FRRC) opener is scheduled for Thursday night, May 22. Other highlights on WIR’s 2025 schedule are the return of the “Traditional Tuesday Night Biggie” with the ASA Midwest Tour Tuesday, August 5. The AllStar Challenge Pro late model series returns to WIR Thursday, July 3.
The ASA Midwest Tour kicks off it’s ’25 campaign Sunday, May 4 at Madison International Speedway with the popular Joe Shear Memorial race. The first big pavement, super late model race in Wisconsin takes place at Dells Raceway Park for the traditional IceBreaker 100 Saturday, April 12. Joining the super lates for this show will be the 602 late models and the Midwest Truck Series. This race will serve as the opening for the truck series as well.
The big news regarding Slinger Super Speedway is that Kelsey and Travis Dassow are the new owners of the World’s Fastest quarter-mile, paved oval. This year will mark the 46th running of the Slinger Nationals which will be held July 8. Well known technical inspector Ricky Brooks and his team with the United Auto Racing Association (UARA) will assist Slinger Speedway officials in technical inspection, race officiating and race direction for the track’s biggest event of the year.
Norway (MI) Speedway just a mile north of the Wisconsin/Michigan border will host it’s Stateline Challenge race July 5 with an appearance of the Midwest Tour June 21. The annual Hall of Fame night is scheduled for June 27.
MOVING ON UP – A few drivers will embark upon new challenges in ’25 as they’ve moved on to different divisions. Among those drivers are Beaver Dam’s James Fletcher (IMCA modified), Denmark’s Eddie “Eagle” Anschultz (IMCA stock car), Shawano’s Tommy Rindt (dirt late model) and Freedom’s Cody Vander Loop (asphalt super late model).
KARTING KORNER – The future of full-sized race car drivers can be seen all summer long at a pair of highly-successful, karting tracks in northeastern Wisconsin.
The Wednesday night tradition continues at GSR Kartway in Clintonville as the eighth-mile, clay oval hosts kart and lawn mower races beginning May 14. A practice session is slated for Saturday, May 10. You can check out the track’s Facebook page for additional information.
It will be a new day of racing at Little Buckaroo Jr. Motorsports Park in Cecil in 2025. The eighth-mile, clay oval will move from Fridays to hosting karting races on Sundays. The season opening event for the Cecil oval is scheduled for May 11. The start time for the Sunday afternoon shows will be 2 p.m. You can follow the news for Little Buckaroo by checking their Facebook page.