Winchester Speedway is a half-mile paved oval motor racetrack in White River Township, Randolph County, just outside

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,

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 s ...

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 ...

, Ryan Newman, Sarah Fisher, Chase Briscoe 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 won the race. The track's signature event is the Winchester 400, an annual 400-lap super late model

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 th ...

. 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 wi ...

(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),

Gary St. Amant Gary Wayne St. Amant (born October 19, 1962) is an American former stock car racing driver from Columbus, Ohio. While he competed in several NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, his career is most notable for his success in the American Speed Asso ...

(2), Butch Miller, Rusty Wallace,

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 ...

Glenn Allen Jr. Glenn Allen Jr. (born September 24, 1970) is the co-owner of Allen-Hock Motorsports, an American Speed Association (ASA) team. He is a former auto racing, auto racer, participating in both the ASA and the NASCAR Busch Series during his career, and ...

, Tim Steele,

Scot Walters Scot Walters (born November 18, 1967) is an American stock car racing driver from Cornelius, North Carolina. He competed in NASCAR from 1997 to 1999 in the Craftsman Truck Series, as well as one Busch Series race in 1998. NASCAR career Walters, b ...

, and

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The venue regularly hosts additional ARCA/CRA Super Series races every year since its inception in 1997. The track has hosted numerous USAC

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 ...

, sprint and USAC Silver Crown races. Since 1991, the event is titled the Rich Vogler 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 Truck ...

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 nation ...

Winchester ARCA 200 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 i ...

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 The CARS Solid Rock Carriers Tour (formerly known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, CARS Pro Cup Series, Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series, CARS X1-R Pro Cup Series) is a stock car auto racing series in the United States. It is s ...

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

References

External links

Official website

Winchester Speedway race results
at Racing-Reference
Winchester Speedway race results
at The Third Turn Motorsport venues in Indiana ARCA Menards Series tracks NASCAR tracks Tourist attractions in Randolph County, Indiana Buildings and structures in Randolph County, Indiana {{NASCAR-stub