Hamilton County Speedway announces May 5 grand opening, kids night

April 25, 2018

Officials at the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa, have announced that opening night for the 2018 racing season will happen Saturday, May 5, with an open practice on the preceding Wednesday, May 2, from 6-9 p.m.

“Our goal is to see exciting racing actin on a superb racing surface, starting the shows on time and running a smooth and efficient program,” promoter Todd Staley said. “With the late snowy and wet weather, and all of the new dirt that was brought onto the track late last fall and early winter, we just don’t see any way to have the race track in optimal shape before that time.”

“We want to race as bad as anybody, but now more than ever it is paramount to offer the paying customer an experience unlike the others, and that’s what we intend to do.”

The grand opening on Saturday, May 5, will be the first of several Kids Night shows with bike races, a candy toss and a nickel dash for the young fans. Plus, we will be having live radio remote with KQWC 95.7 FM and handing out two golden tickets for the Great Mustang Giveaway provided by Spangler Automotive in Webster City to take place on season champion night at the track.

Racing on Saturday, May 5, will feature the Olsen Family USRA Modifieds, Seneca Foundry USRA Stock Cars, Stein Heating & Cooling USRA B-Mods, Diamond in the Rough USRA Hobby Stocks and USRA Tuners. The Malvern Bank SLMR Late Models have the night off.

Times and prices for the Saturday, May 5, grand opening are as follows:

Times:
Pit gates open at 4:30 p.m.
Spectator gates open at 5:00 p.m.
Drivers meeting at 6:25 p.m.
Hot laps begin at 6:40 p.m.
Racing starts at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets:
Spectator General Admission:
Big Kids (17 and up) $12
Medium Kids (12-16) $8
Little Kids (11 and under) FREE

Pit Passes:
Adults & Teens (11 and up) $30
Youth (ages 6-10) $20
Kids (5 and under) FREE

Originally slated for May 5, we will announce a new Modified Mania date at a later time. Practice night on Wednesday, May 2, is open to all classes from 6-9 p.m. Pit passes are $20 each and admission to the grandstands is free (no concessions on this night).

We will be having live radio remote with KQWC 95.7 FM and handing out two golden tickets for the Great Mustang Giveaway provided by Spangler Automotive in Webster City.

While many projects are complete, many are ongoing at the famed half-mile facility. Widening of back-stretch, new dirt from the back side of the corners, a completely remodeled VIP booth with a new furnace, air conditioning system and new flooring with countertops and tables set up to accommodate up to 40 people, bathrooms renovated with new flooring and paint, and a new 16 x 30-foot party deck to the southwest of the VIP booth that will provide awesome views are just some of the upgrades that are finished or underway.

A full-time waitress will be working both the VIP booth and party deck area for the sponsors that have them rented on those nights. Crews have been busy cleaning the area near the entrance along the fence and where the smoking area is located, and the ground is being leveled so that fans will be able to walk with much more ease.

Officials will be putting in touch-screen computers at all stations including the ticket booth, pit shack, concession stands and beer stand. Those portals will be able to accept credit cards at every station. The concessions menu will feature great quality food from Hy-Vee, Fareway and Mary's Ann Deli each and every night, and all sandwiches will be fresh (not frozen) meat. Steak sandwiches, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, bacon cheddar burgers, chicken sandwiches, pork tenderloins and skinless brats are just a few of the items that will make fans want to come to the races on an empty stomach.

The Hamilton County Speedway is offering a limited number of all-access passes for 2018. Anybody can purchase one, and the all-access pass will get you into the grandstands, pit area and/or party deck for every event during the 2018 racing season. Only forty (40) all-access passes are available at a cost of $500. Call the track office at (515) 832-6000 to get yours today.

In addition to a solid schedule of events, the track will provide the area’s most generous weekly payouts for grassroots racers and a points fund at year’s end that will reward drivers handsomely.

The Hamilton County Speedway is the oldest speedway in the state of Iowa, opening in July 1910. In 1938, work began on the current location at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. The semi-banked half-mile dirt track was completed in the spring of 1939, and the first races were held on the track in September of that year.

The Hamilton County Speedway is located off of US 20 at exit 140, then 1.2 miles north, then 0.5 mile east on Bank St., then 0.4 mile south on Bluff St. For more information, call (515) 832-6000 or check out www.HamiltonCoSpeedway.com. You can also get social on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RaceWebsterCity or Twitter at www.twitter.com/HamiltonCoSpeed.

To learn more about the USRA, visit usraracing.com or call (515) 832-6000. You can also like USRA Racing on Facebook at facebook.com/usraracing, follow twitter.com/usraracing on Twitter and check out the USRA YouTube channel at youtube.com/usratv. Keep up to speed with everything USRA by joining our email list at usraracing.com/subscribe.