Menomonie
D I R T T R AC K D E S T I N AT I O N Re d C e d a r Sp e e d way i s home to generat ion s of rac er s a nd t hei r fa n s words by E R I C
FULL DISCLOSURE: ON A THURSD AY N I G H T, I D R O V E T O T H E R A C E S AT R E D C E D A R S P E E D WAY I N M E N O M O N I E in a 2014 Kia Forte. It’s
comfortable, gets good gas mileage, and has a touch screen with a map. I like this car. I’d even say I’m proud of it. But on that evening, I had to park my Kia in “the pits” on the backside of the race track, just down from cars that were much faster and much louder than mine, owned by people who are familiar with every tiny piece and part of their vehicles. I, on the other hand, am still not sure what some of the buttons on my dashboard do. Suffice it to say, I am definitely not a car enthusiast or racing fan. I attended a few races when I was a little kid, so I was familiar with the basics. Cars drive fast in a circle. It’s loud. There’s a concession stand. But like any sport, I assumed there was much more to the competition and the culture than I understood, and as my 11-year-old son and I exited our embarrassingly quiet and un-souped-up compact, I hoped to glimpse a bit of the larger world of dirt-track racing. Red Cedar Speedway was more
R A S M U S S E N | photos by A N D R E A P A U L S E T H
“ T H E R E ' S N O O T H E R F E E L I N G L I K E I T: I T ' S L O U D , T H E E N E R G Y, T H E S H A K I N G I N Y O U R B O D Y. ” JARRETT LOE, RACER
than happy to oblige. Most of our tutorial came courtest of Larinda Hessler, marketing director for the race track, who picked us up in her golf cart and gave us a tour. She offered tons of excellent information about individual competitors and the organization behind the Red Cedar. “Most other tracks are privately owned, but we’re run by a board of directors,” she explained. Since 1971, the Red Cedar Speedway has brought in more than 20,000 people each year to race and watch racing. “Some of the neighbors complain about the noise AUGUST 21, 2O19
and the people and wish we would move the track out of town,” Larinda said, “but we offer huge benefits to the Menomonie economy.” As we passed dozens of racers working on their cars, along with their teams, families, enormous trailers, RVs, and more types of tools and equipment than I knew existed (much less could ever name), a bigger question distracted me. How do people get into this sport, as fans or competitors? “Well, I married into racing,” said Larinda. Her husband, Josh, not only competes, but is also vice president of
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Red Cedar’s board. For those who don’t have a loved one to serve as a racing ambassador, let’s start with some basics. First, the racing you’ll see in Menomonie is NOT the sort of thing you’ll see on television, NASCAR or otherwise. “Racing on dirt is way more exciting than blacktop,” said Dan Gullikson of Roberts, who paused to answer my questions right before he went on to win his division. Dirt tracks are shorter, and the driving is a little grittier. Racers drift around the corners, bounce off each other, and occasionally send sprays of dust and gravel that shower front-row spectators like the splash zone at an aquarium show. Cars zoom by only a couple of dozen feet from the bleacher seats, their speed sparking adrenaline and their noise reverberating through your torso. “There’s no other feeling like it: it’s loud, the energy, the shaking in your body,” explained racer and Eau Claire native Jarrett Loe. As is the case with most sports, the rules and procedures get complicated, especially to newcomers. There are nu-
