Slinger Super Speedway

The Slinger Super Speedway located in Slinger, Wisconsin, is a quarter mile paved oval automobile race track with a 33-degree bank. The track is billed as "The World's Fastest Quarter Mile Oval."

The current track record was set by USAC midget car driver Tracy Hines on May 17 2008 at an elapsed time of 10.845 seconds. The lap was the fastest ever midget car lap on an asphalt quarter mile track. [ [http://www.madison.com/tct/sports//286977 Auto racing: World midget speed record set at Slinger] ; May 18 2008; Capital Times; Retrieved May 18 2008] He eclipsing the long standing mark of 11.095 seconds set by Tony Strupp's late model on June 12, 1994.

Track history

The track opened in 1948 and continued with a clay surface until 1973, when it was converted to its current high-banked asphalt state. It also has a paved "X" infield, allowing for Figure 8 racing at the end of the weekly Sunday night race events.

Weekly divisions

There are seven divisions running for points in a weekly program:
*Thunder Stock - completely stock cars, amateur
*Speedway Guest Cars - non-points

Notable drivers to appear at the track

Rich Bickle, Erik Darnell , Matt Kenseth (1991 Late Model Rookie of the Year), Alan Kulwicki, Ryan Mathews (2001 Late Model Rookie of the Year), Robbie Reiser, Joe Shear, Dick Trickle, and Scott Wimmer competed at Slinger before they moved to NASCAR.

linger Nationals

The track's biggest race of the year is the Slinger Nationals. The 250 lap event occurs in the middle of summer. The winner wins the Larry Detjens Memorial Trophy, which was named for the 1980 winner who died in a racing incident at another Wisconsin track later in the season.

The event is usually held on a Tuesday night in order for the nationally and regionally known drivers to participate in the Nationals. NASCAR stars frequently come to the circuit for a one time drive in a local car owner's car in the signature race. [ [http://www.racingwisconsin.com/story.asp?aid=214 Scott Wimmer And Erik Darnell Added To Miller Lite Slinger Nationals, racingwisconsin.com, Dated June 28 2007, Retrieved July 15 2007] Non-local NASCAR drivers frequently race in the event. The 1987 event featured Davey Allison, his father Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Ted Musgrave, and Butch Miller. [http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=469863 Slinger Nationals a really big deal for Trickle, Kenseth] ; Dave Kallman; July 17 2006 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Retrieved July 25 2007] Kenseth was already a Cup regular when he won his second Nationals in 2002. Three Roush Racing drivers, one from each of the three national series, raced in 2006. The 2007 event had ten drivers with experience in at least one of the three major NASCAR series: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Erik Darnell, Dick Trickle, Rich Bickle, Scott Wimmer, Chris Wimmer, Lowell Bennett, Kelly Bires, and Brad Mueller. [ [http://www.racingwisconsin.com/story.asp?aid=214 Scott Wimmer And Erik Darnell Added To Miller Lite Slinger Nationals] , June 28 2007, Retrieved July 18 2007] [http://www.racingwisconsin.com/story.asp?aid=360 Lowell Bennett Bests NASCAR Drivers To Win 28th Annual Miller Lite Slinger Nationals] ; Steve Zautke July 17 2007, Retrieved July 18 2007] Other notable drivers who have raced in the Slinger Nationals include Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin, Kyle Petty, Rusty Wallace, and Michael Waltrip.

List of Slinger Nationals winners

*1980 Larry Detjens
*1981 Alan Kulwicki
*1982 Dick Trickle
*1983 Dick Trickle
*1984 Mark Martin
*1985 Dick Trickle
*1986 John Zigler
*1987 Joe Shear
*1988 Butch Miller
*1989 Dick Trickle
*1990 Joe Shear
*1991 Joe Shear
*1992 Rich Bickle
*1993 Joe Shear
*1994 Matt Kenseth
*1995 Butch Miller
*1996 Rich Bickle
*1997 Lowell Bennett
*1998 Tony Strupp
*1999 Conrad Morgan
*2000 Lowell Bennett
*2001 David Prunty
*2002 Matt Kenseth
*2003 Rich Bickle
*2004 Lowell Bennett
*2005 Nathan Haseleu
*2006 Matt Kenseth
*2007 Lowell Bennett
*2008 Matt Kenseth

Miscellanea

*Reiser hired Kenseth to drive his NASCAR Busch Series car because Reiser was familiar with Kenseth after their competition at Wisconsin tracks like Slinger, Wisconsin International Raceway, and Madison International Speedway. The two moved together to Winston Cup, where they became the NASCAR championship driver and crew chief in 2003.
*Scenes for the Alan Kulwicki feature film "" were filmed in 2004.
*An annual fireworks display is held every year on the Sunday prior to July 4 brings in high attendance.
*The first Track Champion of the paved track as we know today was Larry Ninneman (supermodifieds) 1974

References

External links

* [http://www.slingersuperspeedway.com Official Website]