KAUKAUNA, Wis. – Wisconsin Int’l Raceway, home to two of Wisconsin’s coveted super late model events – the Red-White-Blue Series and the Dixieland 250 – has hit the market with a price tag of $11 million.
Opened in 1964, Wisconsin Int’l Raceway consists of nearly 16,000 square feet on 147 acres, according to the property sale listing. It has three asphalt race tracks – a quarter-mile oval, a half-mile oval and a dragstrip. A Figure 8 track is on the inside of the quarter-mile oval. Capacity for the oval tracks is listed at 14,000 and 4,500 for the dragstrip. The half-mile oval has a similar configuration as Daytona Int’l Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, with slight banking in the turns.
Another popular event at the facility is the Eve of Destruction. This year, it will be held Sept. 11 and will feature a monster truck show, plus rides, as well as pyrotechnics, fireworks, extreme freestyle motocross, Figure 8 racing and more.
A message left at the track seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned.
According to the track’s website, racing returned to the facility in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in late May and early June, and has operated events throughout the summer. Most recently, Ty Majeski won his second-straight Dixieland 250 on Aug. 4.
According to the property listing, “Never offered before – once in a lifetime opportunity to own a piece of history. Since 1964, race fans from across the country have been gathering at Wisconsin Int’l Raceway.”
The listing added that the business is “thriving.”
According to a 2017 article in the Post-Crescent newspaper in nearby Appleton, Wis., Joe Van Daalwyk partnered with Connie DeLeeuw and Clyde Schumacher to build what eventually became Wisconsin Int’l Raceway. Van Daalwayk’s son, Roger, became the general manager of the facility in 1972 at the age of 18. Joe Van Daalwyk died in 1983. In 2018, Danny Van Daalwayk, Roger’s son, and Danny’s wife, Ginger, took over.
The Fox River Racing Club began helping promote the racing programs in 1975.
There are six divisions at the track. The super late model and late model divisions race on the half-mile track. The Super Stocks, Sport 4’s and Wisconsin Sport Trucks divisions race on the quarter-mile track. The Figure 8 cars end programs on the Figure 8 track inside of the quarter-mile.
Previous track champions include Alan Kulwicki, Matt Kenseth, Jim Sauter, Terry Baldry and Scott Hansen.
The Dixieland 250 is an event put on by the ARCA Midwest Tour. This year’s field included defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch (finished sixth), NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series drivers Johnny Sauter (14th) and Derek Kraus (21st), and national short-track racing star Bubba Pollard (22nd).
The Red, White and Blue State Championship Series, held annually since 1972 for super late models, is an annual triple-race series. It consists of three races in June (red), July (white) and August (blue).
The final leg of the Red-White-Blue Series is scheduled for Thursday night. Bobby Kendall, the 2017 and 2018 champion, leads Saywer Effertz by 11 points. The defending champion is Maxwell Schultz.
Previous Red-White-Blue champions include Dick Trickle, Mark Martin, Joe Shear, Rich Bickle Jr., Robbie Reiser and Kenseth.