The Springfield Raceway

Racing has been a pretty important part of my life, from hearing stories of my dad racing, to watching racing, to actually being able to help participate in the sport. Springfield Raceway has contributed greatly to the city of Springfield by being one of the few dirt tracks in Missouri, and also being open to most all classes of race cars including IMCA A-Modifieds (A-Mods), USRA B-Modifieds (B-Mods), Midwest Modifieds (Midwest Mods), Cash Money Late Models, Mini Late Models, Legends, and Pure Stocks. Each class of car varies in rules and regulations for the car setup, as well as what specific parts and pieces drivers can run in their cars. 

Springfield Raceway is a nice ¼ mile, semi-banked oval track that runs regular shows on Saturdays. The facilities on the regular viewing side aren’t world class or something to write home about, but they are nice and get the job done. They have stands overlooking the front stretch of the track, in turn one looking into turn two, and looking out of turn four. My go-to spot to sit when I am on the regular admission side is in the stands looking into turn one, or in the stands overlooking the track coming out of turn four. 

My overall favorite place at that racetrack is in the pits (the area where all the racecars are pitted with their drivers and pit crews). In the pits there are very few bleachers overlooking the track, just a small set on the back stretch and a set of tall bleachers looking into turn three. Most people on the pit side will stand either at the fence or a few feet away, and that seems to be the way to go. The track is a nice smooth track with a good berm built up in turns one and two, and also in turns three and four. The corners on the track aren’t too tight, making it safer for the drivers to come around and not worry about driving into one another. The track stays nice and tacky through out the night due to constant maintenance and  the addition of water between each race. Also, the composition of the dirt on this track compared to others makes a huge difference, and is what helps set this track apart from the others.  The next race held at Springfield Raceway is Sunday, November 3rd . Pit gates open at 12:00pm and Grandstands open at 1:30pm, hot laps start at 2:30pm and racing starts at 3:00pm. The Grandstand ticket prices are $15.00 for adults, $13.00 for Military/Seniors (65+), and kids 18 and under are free. Pit pass prices are $35.00 for adults, $15.00 for kids (14 and under).