Winchester Speedway adds to Indiana’s racing history
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe checkered flag has flown on the 109th Indianapolis 500, but the Indianapolis Motor Speedway isn’t the only historic track in the Hoosier State.
While many dream to drive at a place like IMS, many drivers cut their teeth on small tracks around the state, including the historic Winchester Speedway in Randolph County.
It’s been called the “world’s fastest half mile.” Opened in 1914, the Winchester Speedway is among the oldest tracks in the country, behind only IMS and the Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin.
“Winchester is really the foundation for what grassroots short track racing is,” said General Manager Dan Redmond. “You couldn’t get grassroots racing at a two-and-a-half-mile oval like Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The incorporation of Winchester and the super high banks got everybody’s attention.”
That attention came from the likes of the first family of NASCAR.
“The France family came here in the 1950s because they wanted to build a superspeedway like Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but they wanted it to have high banking, and they looked at the banking at Winchester and said, ‘We’ve got to figure this out and incorporate it’ into what is Daytona International Raceway,” Redmond said.
Redmond said Winchester’s true golden era came in the 1970s and 80s, when a then-upstart sports network by the name of ESPN began broadcasting races. Programs like Thursday Night Thunder is where legendary drivers like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman cut their teeth in open wheel racing, he said.
The track’s 37-degree banking is among the steepest in the world, with cars going in excess of 140 miles per hour.
Over the decades, Winchester has become a proving ground for rising stars. For legendary driver Tom Bigelow, Winchester is a nostalgic nod to his career as one of the all-time winningest drivers in USAC sprint car history.
From past legends to future stars, Winchester Speedway is poised to continue its legacy as a symbol of speed for another century.
“We’re going to continue to redo things and bring the amenities up to speed,” said Redmond.