Rockford Speedway Rockford Illinois
9572 Forest Hills Rd
Loves Park, IL 61111
(815) 633-1500
Rockford Speedway is a 1/4 mile short track oval in Rockford, Illinois. It is located in the suburb of Loves Park on Illinois Route 173. Rockford Speedway is the only racetrack running under NASCAR sanction in Illinois.
It hosts weekly local-level events during the summer racing season as well as occasional regional- and national-level events. Notable special events at the track include trailer races, the Little Car Nationals endurance races, the Spring Classic, and the National Short Track Championship.
The track was built by Hugh Deery and continues to be run by his widow, Jody Deery (as of 2008). It opened in 1948 as a midget car racing venue. Despite a death in the pits at the speedway several weeks after opening, on June 16, 1948, the track continued operation. Rockford Speedway is known for being the first track to develop an economical late model program as well as being an early adopter of the short track Saturday night racing program.
The track is an asphalt-paved nominal 1/4 mile. The measured length of the track is 0.29167 miles (0.46940 km). It is highly banked at the turns and relatively flat on the front and back stretches. It is banked at 22 degrees in the 50-foot (15 m)-wide corners and 8 degrees in the 40-foot (12 m)-wide straightaways. Inside the 1/4 mile oval track is a Figure 8 track.
The track holds events in the Wisconsin Challenge Series, USAC National Midgets, two Mid American Stock Car Series events, Big 8 Limited Late Model Touring Series, monster trucks, enduros, and the ASA Late Model Series Northern Division. NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series events were held at the track until the series closed.
The track held its 43rd annual national short track championship (NSTC) in 2008. The three day event had 12 divisions racing as of the 2007 championship. Track promoters decided to host the first 200 lap event in late 1966 to pit the best drivers in Chicagoland against the best drivers in the Central Wisconsin Drivers Association. Drivers competing at the event are primarily from Illinois and Wisconsin, although drivers from other states often participate. The event was sanctioned by ARTGO for several years, and it became part of the CRA Super Series tour in 2004. In 2005, it was part of the ASA Late Model Series. As of 2008, it is not part of any tour.
Joe Shear has won the most NSTCs with eight victories. Other multiple winners include Jeremy Lepak, Dick Trickle, Steve Carlson, and Eddie Hoffman.
The first event was won by Wisconsin short track racer Trickle by a lap over Chicagoland stock-car champion Roy Martinelli. Trickle was billed as the winningest short track driver in history with estimates of his win total between 1,000 and 1,200 races. Years later, Trickle commented, "I really do treasure that one in 1966. There were a lot of behind-the-scenes things that went on there. Number one, I had never run outside my own backyard, you might say, which is the central Wisconsin area. I never ran somewhere except in my own little circuit, but I had won there. The first time I ever stepped out of the central Wisconsin area was to the Rockford Nationals in 1966.
(from wikipedia.com)