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Outlaws are coming to the Clay County Fair this September.
The World of Outlaws, that is.
The world's greatest county fair will play host to the world's greatest sprint car racing, as the World of Outlaws national sprint car tour will make a stop for nighttime racing on Wednesday, September 12.
According to Phil Hurst, Clay County Fair President/Secretary, the event comes after a great deal of discussion, and will involve some exciting changes to the fair's racetrack.
"I never in my wildest dreams believed that a premier racing event like the World of Outlaws could actually happen during this year's fair," said Hurst. "Through hard work and a cooperative partnership, Outlaw racing will be a reality at the Clay County Fairgrounds not only this year, but for years to come."
The Clay County Fair and CDR Promotions, of Princeton, Minn., have signed a 10-year contract, which begins with races this fall.
A local connection helped to bring CDR Promotions and the Clay County Fair together.
erated by one of the World of Outlaw's premier racers, Craig Dollansky, whose wife, Julie, is the former Julie Slaymaker, a Spencer High graduate and daughter of Dennis and Sharon Slaymaker. Dollansky was the second place point winner in the World of Outlaws last year.
Hurst and the Dollanskys discussed the possibility of bringing a World of Outlaws race to the Clay County Fair, however some obstacles stood in the way - including the condition of the track and the Outlaws racing schedule.
"We've had some concerns about our track and had basically pulled back from speed events and concentrated on Enduro races," Hurst said. "We were at a place with our racing programs where we needed to go one of two directions - say goodbye to racing or move to a higher level.
"I would never have dreamed we could get the World of Outlaws," he continued.
Dollansky lobbied on behalf of the fair race with World of Outlaws officials, while Hurst and the Clay County Fair Board got to work making plans for a track worthy of this race.
The current race track will be converted from a half-mile course to a three-eighth mile track for safety purposes and for the installation of quality lighting needed for a night race. Work will begin soon to reconfigure the track and make the necessary upgrades to bring the Outlaw sprints to Spencer. The three-eighth mile size is common in the racing industry.
"You are wise to cut the size of the track to a three-eighth mile," advises Allan E. Brown of the National Speedway Directory. "One-third to three-eighth mile is the perfect size. With speeds ever-increasing, a smaller track works much better."
A clay surface will replace the black dirt currently covering the track and banked ends will also feature in the new design.
According to Brian Schroeder of CDR Promotions, the changes being planned will make the Clay County Fair facility a premier race site.
"I feel you could have the nicest facility in dirt track motor sports in a couple of years," he said. "With this year's proposed changes alone, it should be in the top five or six tracks out there."
He said the fair and the fair board have been great partners in bringing the races to Northwest Iowa.
"The fairboard has been excellent to work with," he said. "They're not holding anything back."
Craig Dollansky is happy to be a part of the new event for Spencer.
"I'm excited about bringing the Outlaws to the Clay County Fair," he said. "Racing will be a great addition to the fair's line-up as well as an added attraction to the community. The great thing is that the fair board is in full support of creating a topflight venue."
Initial costs, for lighting and the track resizing and surfacing, could be around $250,000, according to Hurst. In addition, pit areas, safety barriers and other enhancements will be in the plan, many for future years. The fair is also planning to use funds received from the Dvergsten Trust to construct a new state-of-the-art stage, although it won't be constructed in time for the 2007 fair.
The fair race could be one of several special events at the track throughout the year, not just during the fair.
"Once we get this first race under our belts, we would like to consider other Outlaws events at the Clay County Fairgrounds Speedway," said Dollansky. "We have tossed around the idea of a spring late model show, but are taking it one step at a time for now."
Hurst agreed. "This opens up some wonderful things for us. I don't see us having a slate of weekly races, but we definitely could do some other special races throughout the year.
"This definitely gives us another piece to put in the puzzle, not just at fair time" he continued. " This gives us additional events to draw a crowd."
* Tickets for the World of Outlaw sprint races will not be available through the Clay County Fair ticket office until the week of the event, however they can be reserved, beginning May 1, by calling (763) 389-9717. Top ticket prices are $35. For more information, go to CDRPromotions.info on the internet.
