Lake Geneva Raceway

Lake Geneva Raceway (also LGR) was a , demolition derby, off-road racing, , and kart racing racetrack in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It was billed as "Wisconsin's Busiest Racetrack." The track closed on December 31, 2006, as the site will eventually be developed into a subdivision. As of August 2009, the land has yet to be completely cleared out, and there is still a lot of debris from the former racetrack on the land.

LGR was originally known as the Lake Geneva Speed Center. Promoters generated publicity by building an airplane landing strip, which they used to bring in movie stars. The promoters claimed the starts were part of the huge investment being made to construct a drag strip that would be nationally known. Lake Geneva was the home to a Playboy Mansion. Contractors got swallowed up in the excitement and did work without upfront payment.

The track opened on July 3, 1963 as a drag strip. Only 600 fans showed up. The first drag race was won by Fox. Contractors talked to each other after the event, and found out that none of them had been paid. The contractors formed a group and took over the track. The final drag race was held in 1977, and was won by Fritz Barels.

A 1/4 mile asphalt stockcar track was constructed in 1966 after the drag racing didn't take off nationally. A group of modified drivers came in from nearby dirt track Wilmot Speedway in Wilmot, Wisconsin after a dispute with insurance. In 1974, Larry Ninneman, who went on to win the track championship at the Slinger Super Speedway, was one of those drivers, and won 6 of 6 events entered. The corners had no banking, which permitted the drag strip to run through the center of the corner. The first modified race was won Pedro Roehl, and the first sportsman race was won by Dennis Burgan. The fast time in the modified cars was 17.58 seconds on the quarter mile. The track opened with a new grandstand for 10,000 fans and a new 300,000 watt lighting system. The modified cars later returned to Wilmot, and raced Saturday nights on the dirt at Wilmot and the asphalt at Lake Geneva on Sunday. Their ability to change setups gained widespread popularity that allowed the outlaw winged sprint cars to race in several states. Modified cars raced three nights per week, and late models were added to Saturday night programs.

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