Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

On a whim, I decided to head down to Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway last night for the Sprint Invaders show. It was my first ever visit to this place and all I can say is WOW. How the hell has no one brought this track up before??? They list it as a 3/8 mile. Maybe if you run the outside around the fence it is, but around the inside guardrail it cant be much bigger than a 1/4. The place is WIDE (front stretch has to be at least 100 feet wide). Winged cars were running 3 wide multiple times in the heats AND feature. Scelzi and Terry McCarl threw sliders on each other the first 1/3 of the feature and I watched one of racier winged races I have ever seen last night. Not sure if 410s would be too much for this place or not. But for 360s its absolutely perfect. The track surface held up better than 90% of tracks I have been to, and there appears to be no rocks. Seating capacity is ridiculously large and could easily accomodate a larger series. Its built into the side of a hill. Just an all around " well worth it" experience. I would have driven twice the distance to see winged racing like that. I won't miss another sprint car show at this place, weeknight or not. Non winged sprints and midgets would also probably put on a great show at this place as well. I will try to post my video to Youtube and share the feature. Just incredible! Hoping to get the word out on this place and see higher, more well known series' turning laps here in the future!

Real race cars don't have fenders...

Huh... thank you for pointing it out. My daughter and son in-law live in Dubuque, will have to go check out the track.

The Crowd Pleaser IS THE BEST ever!

Dominic Scelzi said it was one of the most fun times he's ever had in a sprint car. He even tweeted out that it was one of the most exciting tracks he's ever been on. With some of the tracks he's turned laps around, that says a lot. Gotta figure out a way to get more sprint car races at this gem of a track!

Real race cars don't have fenders...

Stealth--followed your posted videos on Facebook all night.  I had this race in the back of my mind a couple of months ago when I checked their schedule and completely forgot about it!  I love Dubuque Speedway--and I'm only 50 minutes away!  Like I told you on my Facebook reply, I have seen some fantastic racing at this joint over the years---and have never seen a sprint car there.   I watched your video of heat 2 and the feature.  Great heat race in which McCarl came from 3rd or 4th (it appeared) to win.  Like you said, first 1/3 of the feature was a great duel between Scelzi and McCarl.  

I know most on here don't like late models, but the late model show tonight will likely be incredible as well.  Probably 3 wide racing throughout the field through the entire race.  

I agree, there should be more sprint cars there!  An ASCS regional maybe?  Perhaps 2 or 3 Inavaders shows a year?  Maybe even a MOWA or IRA show just to feel it out for 410's?  IRA ran just up the road about 6-8 years ago in Darlington, WI.  

See you (and Maddog53 and Larryitis) at Wilmot on Saturday.  

I saw an IRA show there years ago (maybe 2001-ish?). I don't recall who won, but do remember someone flipped down the backstretch in qualifying & the guy had an arm injury of some kind. 

decent IRA racing years ago in that area - Lancaster WI, the Joe Roe years.

Is there still dirt racing aross the river in Cresco Iowa and Echo Valley??

I have only been there for Vintage torquefest but I can't wait to see a race there!  I would love to see a USAC doubleheader with Dubuque and Deer Creek.

Stealth I am pretty sure I rated Dubuque #1 in the thread someone started earlier this year? Now I cannot find the damn thread. I agree with the amount of seating they have they should have WoO sprints, Lucas Oil LMs and an UMP Summernationals event.

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

I saw an IRA show there 10+ years ago, and was VERY impressed by the racing.  Unfortunately as far as a "larger series" is concerned, the pit situation is problematic.  There was a very large field the night I was there, and pit parking became a nightmare.  I'd love to see a solution and be able to call a WoO race there. 

Unless you live in a closet, many of us have heard of it and seen racing there.

Interesting. Bryan Hulbert, who most certainly doesn't live in a closet, shared video of it on Facebook and said it looked like a neat little place (sounded like he had never seen racing there). Go ask people not in the immediate area if they've ever heard of it and my guess is the answer will be an overwhelming "no". How about instead of TRYING to sound like a badass, you help get the word out on the place and get more racing there so the reputation grows?  Just a thought. I've been around racing my whole life and have been working on an open wheel car for the past 15-16 years. I had never heard of it. And that's coming from someone that lives 2 hours away and has been to almost 150 different tracks all over the country. I love when Gibson comments on posts. His knowledge and experience at places is irreplaceable. There were a few modifieds pitted outside of turns 3 & 4. I could definitely see pit room being an issue. Anyways. Rant over here. If you haven't seen a show at this place, do yourself a favor and go check it out!

Real race cars don't have fenders...

Stealth87,  THANKS for  that left hook (verbal) on idiot jah42 !  Someone get some smelling salts. Dumb ass jah42 is still OUT !            By the way I come on this board for the information/rumors/facts and just because I relate to most of you on here. jah42 comment tells me HE's one of those that's a nuisance at the track too.

  From central coast of Cali.
   Peace, Out.

Agree--stupid!  Since the only sprint car series to hit the Dubuque track this year is the Sprint Invaders, and many folks outside of the Iowa area don't know what that is, I would say 90% of the people on this forum don't know Dubuque Iowa has a racetrack.  I know about it because I live 50 miles away and travel to Dubuque on a monthly basis.  (not to the track but to the town which has been completely raised from the dead--beautiful place to spend a Friday or Saturday night.  Great nightlife, restaurants and bars)

See you in Wilmot Stealth!

(By the way, no slam on the Sprint Invaders-I've seen them a couple of times and enjoyed the series--just a lesser known series is all)

A Dubuque, Farley, West Liberty three day WOO show wouldn't hurt my feelings.  Farley gave it a try about 15 years ago--only to have the race called after I pulled into the parking lot!!!  Got about 6 inches of rain that night if I remember correctly! 

The reason that nobody talks about Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway is that they have only had 3 or 4 total sprint car and 1 midget races.   

Craig Dollansky won the only 410 event (IRA) there back around 02, 03 or 04.    TMac went to the back early, found some rubber up around the top late and was closing in at around a second a lap late in the race to finish second.....one or two more laps and he would have won it   Nobody has turned that track faster before or since the last few that night.

There was a Badger race there in the very early 80s....I looked up the winner on sprintcarstats.com once before it crashed but cannot find it now.  

I don't know about the Badger race but the IRA was very poorly attended.   Unfortunately that killed any thoughts of future 410 races.  

The last couple of years (3 years now?)  the Sprint Invaders have been part of the Dubuque County Fair.   They are not the regular promoters but hopefully they are building this show up enough to bring in 410s again.    I agree that a USAC show of any sort would be AWESOME on the high banks and would certainly cause me to burn a couple vacation days to visit my old home track one more time.    I will be honest,  the (now regular) offering of IMCA late models and mods do not excite me.     When they had 20ish open late models it was a good weekly show.     

Johnny, I am sure you are a busy man but if you have a few minutes before the show at Wilmot, look for a pop up trailer in the camping area and a white GMC canyon. (Flying an American, Checkered and either a Hoosier or IRA flag) A Black Jayco trailer and black chevy pickup also.  There will be at least 4 Hosers tailgating, egras, stealth87, larryitis and myself.  Any others that are coming to the show, stop by and introduce yourselves.  It is supposed to be a great day.

Have been to Farley once. But not since they shortened the track to a smaller configuration. It was a pretty neat place before they changed it

Real race cars don't have fenders...

For years and years I attended Farley when it was the big track only and all of the pits were in the infield.  I went back 2 years ago to watch a pretty big late model show.  It was the first time I had been there since they went to running only the small track.  (there was a transition where they ran both the large and small)   The show was incredible!  3 and 4 wide going into corner 1 on every start, 2 or 3 wide throughout all of the races through the field.  Most of the races ended with a side by side battle at the checkers.  I really would like to see a sprint car show there.  Watched the Invaders there years back but think only 12 or 13 cars showed up.  If memory serves me, high banked in 1 and 2 and flat through 3 and 4.  

Hey fiveshittydirttracks, JAH has forgot more about sprint car racing then you'll ever know and I have no clue who you are.  He's been around the block and likely to more tracks than you've been to a track, just guessing but hopefully I'll hear back...

Maybe next time he won't question the intelligence of everyone on a sprint car forum who has not heard of a track that has hosted a total of 6-8 sprint car races in the last decade.  Just a thought.  I know where Dubuque Speedway is because I live by it.  I don't think you are an idiot or live under a rock if you haven't been to a race there.  

Next time he wants everyone's respect for his fandom, he shouldn't talk down to his audience.