Kil-Kare Raceway is a motorsports complex located in Xenia Township, Greene County, near

Xenia Xenia may refer to: People * Xenia (name), a feminine given name; includes a list of people with this name Places United States ''listed alphabetically by state'' * Xenia, Illinois, a village in Clay County ** Xenia Township, Clay County, Il ...

and

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

Ohio, USA Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. Kil-Kare was first built by the Marshall Brothers, and first opened up as a 1/5-mile dirt track in 1951. After one race kicked up a dust storm, the track was paved with a full season of racing in 1952 and reconfigured to a 3/8-mile oval in 1955. The 1/4 mile dragway was opened in 1959, making Kil-Kare a premier facility for both stock car and drag racing. Kil-Kare at this point in time features two separate tracks: Kil-Kare Speedway, a 3/8 mile (0.6 km) asphalt oval for

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

and Kil-Kare Dragway, a 1/4 mile

dragstrip A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile (1320 feet, 402 m) is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile (201&n ...

. The oval is unconventional in shape, with the cars almost in a continuous slide between turns one and four. The facility is affiliated with the

NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...

, IHRA, and

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. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

and holds events in the

Whelen All-American Series The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (formerly the Whelen All-American Series, Winston Racing Series and the Dodge Weekly Series) is a points championship for NASCAR-sanctioned local short-track motor racing in the United States and Canad ...

as well as local events including figure 8 races and drift events. It formerly hosted races in ARCA and USAR Pro Cup Series competition. The name Kil-Kare is believed to be derived from an old resort that once stood on the property currently occupied by the raceway. The Creekside Trail bicycle path, which borders the raceway to the south, was once the

Columbus and Xenia Railroad Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

. The railroad carried passenger trains near the turn of the 20th century. The passenger trains stopped at the resort that was named "Kill all your cares". As time progressed, the resort closed, the railroad was dismantled, and the name Kil-Kare, which was formed from the name of the resort, stuck. The 1/4 mile drag strip at Kil-Kare underwent a major renovation in 2013 which included tearing up the old asphalt surface and replacing it with concrete for the entire length of the strip. Kil-Kare is one of few in the country that features a concrete racing surface for the entire 1/4 mile length. It was announced that Kil-Kare would be switching sanctioning bodies from the

to the IHRA on November 8, 2023. The IHRA purchased the facilities in May 2025.

References

External links

Kil-Kare Raceway website
Buildings and structures in Greene County, Ohio NHRA Division 3 drag racing venues Motorsport venues in Ohio Tourist attractions in Greene County, Ohio {{Autoracing-venue-stub