With the racing world paused amid the COVID-19 outbreak, SPEED SPORT is highlighting race tracks around the United States. This is part of that ongoing series.
Track of the Day: Winchester Speedway
Address: 2656 West State Road 32, Winchester, IN 47394
Website: www.winchesterspeedway.com
History: Dubbed the world’s fastest half-mile, Winchester Speedway started life as a half-mile dirt track. Construction began in 1914 and speedway opened two years later under the name Funk’s Speedway, named for its owner Frank Funk.
The track, which was eventually renamed Winchester Speedway, remained dirt until Pete Wales purchased the track. Wales saw the increase in popularity of asphalt racing and paved the race track, giving the track its current look. He owned the facility from 1960 to 1970.
Roger Holdeman took over ownership of the track in 1970 and it was during his tenure as owner that the track’s premier event, the Winchester 400 for stock cars, was founded. The inaugural Winchester 400 was won by Dave Sorg in 1970.
Through the years, the Winchester 400 has been won by some of stock car racing’s best, including Bob Senneker, who won the race five-straight times from 1974 to ’78, Mike Eddy, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Butch Miller, Mike Cope, Gary St. Amant, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and, most recently, Stephen Nasse.
Holdeman owned the track until his death in 1996 at which point ownership moved to his widow, Linda. In 1997, a group of three businessman — Jim LaBar, Jeff Jeffers and Charlie Shaw — acquired the track. Shaw eventually acquired control of the track and remains the owner to this day.
The track has hosted a number of events through the years, with Winchester Speedway serving as a popular location for USAC sprint car, midget and Silver Crown competition through the years. NASCAR stars Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman all raced in USAC competition at Winchester.
The NASCAR Cup Series raced at Winchester Speedway once, with Lloyd Moore winning at the half-mile when it was still dirt in 1950. The ARCA Menards Series has also visited the track 24 times through the years, with Kyle Benjamin winning the most recent race in 2017.
