The Loss Of The Track Is Still Felt Today
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
No other event has generated as much controversy or "Letters to the Editor" as the closing of the Warsaw Speedway.
Ten years ago today the dust settled and the final checkered flag waved over the historic track that was located along the shores of Winona Lake at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds.
Although the track had been in operation since the mid-1940s, nine Winona Lake residents filed suit to close the facility and end the weekly racing because of noise and dust complaints.
The fair board conceded and signed a legal agreement that banned oval track racing forever at the fairgrounds.
For the 2,000-plus regular fans and drivers that attended every week, the closing was a source of sadness and bitterness that continues to this day.
Although the Warsaw area in itself is a very successful business area, the loss of the speedway has had an impact. The weekly out-of-town fans added an economic influence to local hotels and eating establishments that has now been taken elsewhere.
Steve Devenney, Vice-President of Operations for Penguin Point, said, "The closing of the racetrack had an immediate impact on us. Our business was cut by several hundred dollars every week and with the popularity of racing today, it's hard to tell how much we are losing on a weekly basis now."
The track also provided a weekly summer income for the fairgrounds where race followers from all over the United States and Canada visited. The location along the lakeshore and the family atmosphere made the local speedway a unique facility unlike any other of its time.
Although the yearly fair attendance has continued to increase over the years, the track closing still has affected the fairgrounds most financially.
One fair board member said, "The racetrack helped to pay the bills with the weekly monies coming in. Now we no longer have that cash flow to work with."
None of the fair board members who worked with the speedway 10 years ago are on the current fair board, which makes it difficult for them to explain what has happened in the past.
Being promoted as "The most scenic racetrack in the Midwest," what used to be a weekly outing for hundreds of families during the summer months has now just turned into memories that continue to vividly live on with many of the fans, many of whom rarely missed a week of wheel-to-wheel racing. Most considered the speedway not to be just a form of entertainment, but a racing family.
Danny Gregory, former car owner of more than 20 years, said, "We lost a great family tradition when the speedway closed. No other speedway in the country except Warsaw raced without serving alcohol, but Warsaw showed that you could leave that element out and do it successfully. There were no social classes or income levels, because the love of racing made everyone equal."
Another fan of more than 40 years mentioned that it wasn't just the racing that made Warsaw's track special, but the drivers and fans. "It just wasn't the same going somewhere else to watch races because the personalities and friendships just weren't there," this long-time fan said.
The Warsaw Speedway had its racing legacies during the 1950s-1970s in Freddie Boggs, Archie Holle, Bob Staley and Art Smith. Several father/son traditions also made the track history interesting, including Jim and Tony Elliott, Buck and Tom Beezley, and Les and Terry Sroufe, along with exciting visits from a young Jeff Gordon, who started his career on the short dirt tracks of Indiana.
Many of the drivers have continued their love of racing at other facilities, while others never raced again.
Tony Elliott, Warsaw Speedway track champion in 1989, continued his racing in the USAC ranks, driving Silver Crown dirt champ cars, midgets, and sprints. He won the USAC Sprint Car Championship in 1998, which earned him a chance to test drive IRL indy cars for Panther Racing. He continues to race all three USAC type cars and is looking forward to the possibility of competing in his first two IRL events later this month in Kentucky and Texas. Who knows, maybe the Indy 500 is just around the corner!
Den England also continues racing sprint cars, but he switched from dirt racing to asphalt racing and now has two Pennzoil Outlaw Winged Sprints Championships with a third on its way this year.
Randy Woodling also has continued to race, but he switched to late models and now drives at dirt tracks in Ohio and Michigan along with other former late model driver, Terry Sroufe. Both have been very successful, with Woodling recording his first win at the famous Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and Sroufe leading in the points series at Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, Mich.
Harvey Hayes, who won that last race on that August night 10 years ago, still races at a few Indiana dirt tracks but not as often because of the traveling distance and time constraints.
Many others no longer raced on a regular basis. Arnold Prater left the track quietly that final night and hasn't driven and attended few events since. It wasn't until this summer that he bought a car and with the desire to get back into racing again.
Another crowd favorite, Butch Boggs, raced for a short period, but then quit for six years until that desire to race came back within the last few years.
Though all of the former drivers have great memories of special wins or track championships at Warsaw, all of them agree that the most memorable moments of racing at the Warsaw Speedway weren't the wins but the impact friends, family, and loyalty of the fans had on them.
Fortunately, many drivers and fans have found other racing homes, but never again will they include that special place along the lake where legends were made, friends gathered, and memories were etched for more than 45 years.
(Look for a more information on Warsaw Speedway archives including its history, pictures, articles, race results, video offers, and public opinions on a web site in the near future. To contribute any information, please call 267-5763 or email to [email protected])
Kim Gregory Baney is the former Warsaw Speedway Public Relations Director. [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
No other event has generated as much controversy or "Letters to the Editor" as the closing of the Warsaw Speedway.
Ten years ago today the dust settled and the final checkered flag waved over the historic track that was located along the shores of Winona Lake at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds.
Although the track had been in operation since the mid-1940s, nine Winona Lake residents filed suit to close the facility and end the weekly racing because of noise and dust complaints.
The fair board conceded and signed a legal agreement that banned oval track racing forever at the fairgrounds.
For the 2,000-plus regular fans and drivers that attended every week, the closing was a source of sadness and bitterness that continues to this day.
Although the Warsaw area in itself is a very successful business area, the loss of the speedway has had an impact. The weekly out-of-town fans added an economic influence to local hotels and eating establishments that has now been taken elsewhere.
Steve Devenney, Vice-President of Operations for Penguin Point, said, "The closing of the racetrack had an immediate impact on us. Our business was cut by several hundred dollars every week and with the popularity of racing today, it's hard to tell how much we are losing on a weekly basis now."
The track also provided a weekly summer income for the fairgrounds where race followers from all over the United States and Canada visited. The location along the lakeshore and the family atmosphere made the local speedway a unique facility unlike any other of its time.
Although the yearly fair attendance has continued to increase over the years, the track closing still has affected the fairgrounds most financially.
One fair board member said, "The racetrack helped to pay the bills with the weekly monies coming in. Now we no longer have that cash flow to work with."
None of the fair board members who worked with the speedway 10 years ago are on the current fair board, which makes it difficult for them to explain what has happened in the past.
Being promoted as "The most scenic racetrack in the Midwest," what used to be a weekly outing for hundreds of families during the summer months has now just turned into memories that continue to vividly live on with many of the fans, many of whom rarely missed a week of wheel-to-wheel racing. Most considered the speedway not to be just a form of entertainment, but a racing family.
Danny Gregory, former car owner of more than 20 years, said, "We lost a great family tradition when the speedway closed. No other speedway in the country except Warsaw raced without serving alcohol, but Warsaw showed that you could leave that element out and do it successfully. There were no social classes or income levels, because the love of racing made everyone equal."
Another fan of more than 40 years mentioned that it wasn't just the racing that made Warsaw's track special, but the drivers and fans. "It just wasn't the same going somewhere else to watch races because the personalities and friendships just weren't there," this long-time fan said.
The Warsaw Speedway had its racing legacies during the 1950s-1970s in Freddie Boggs, Archie Holle, Bob Staley and Art Smith. Several father/son traditions also made the track history interesting, including Jim and Tony Elliott, Buck and Tom Beezley, and Les and Terry Sroufe, along with exciting visits from a young Jeff Gordon, who started his career on the short dirt tracks of Indiana.
Many of the drivers have continued their love of racing at other facilities, while others never raced again.
Tony Elliott, Warsaw Speedway track champion in 1989, continued his racing in the USAC ranks, driving Silver Crown dirt champ cars, midgets, and sprints. He won the USAC Sprint Car Championship in 1998, which earned him a chance to test drive IRL indy cars for Panther Racing. He continues to race all three USAC type cars and is looking forward to the possibility of competing in his first two IRL events later this month in Kentucky and Texas. Who knows, maybe the Indy 500 is just around the corner!
Den England also continues racing sprint cars, but he switched from dirt racing to asphalt racing and now has two Pennzoil Outlaw Winged Sprints Championships with a third on its way this year.
Randy Woodling also has continued to race, but he switched to late models and now drives at dirt tracks in Ohio and Michigan along with other former late model driver, Terry Sroufe. Both have been very successful, with Woodling recording his first win at the famous Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and Sroufe leading in the points series at Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, Mich.
Harvey Hayes, who won that last race on that August night 10 years ago, still races at a few Indiana dirt tracks but not as often because of the traveling distance and time constraints.
Many others no longer raced on a regular basis. Arnold Prater left the track quietly that final night and hasn't driven and attended few events since. It wasn't until this summer that he bought a car and with the desire to get back into racing again.
Another crowd favorite, Butch Boggs, raced for a short period, but then quit for six years until that desire to race came back within the last few years.
Though all of the former drivers have great memories of special wins or track championships at Warsaw, all of them agree that the most memorable moments of racing at the Warsaw Speedway weren't the wins but the impact friends, family, and loyalty of the fans had on them.
Fortunately, many drivers and fans have found other racing homes, but never again will they include that special place along the lake where legends were made, friends gathered, and memories were etched for more than 45 years.
(Look for a more information on Warsaw Speedway archives including its history, pictures, articles, race results, video offers, and public opinions on a web site in the near future. To contribute any information, please call 267-5763 or email to [email protected])
Kim Gregory Baney is the former Warsaw Speedway Public Relations Director. [[In-content Ad]]