Winchester Speedway
A general view of the Winchester Speedway ahead of the Toyota 200 Presented by Crosley Brands for the ARCA Menards Series in Winchester, Indiana, on Sept. 19, 2020. (AJ Mast/ARCA Racing)

Track Profile: Winchester Speedway

www.arcaracing.com July 29, 2021

Winchester Speedway is known as the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.” Which is beyond appropriate.

This nickname is the result of intense, 37-degree banking in the corners of the asphalt oval located in Winchester, Indiana, about 90 miles northeast of Indianapolis. That banking makes Winchester the steepest banked active race track in the United States.

And the high speeds Winchester produces make it one of the toughest tracks the ARCA Menards Series visits.

The series has raced on the high banks at Winchester 29 times dating back to 1957. Its all-time wins leader Frank Kimmel also has the most Winchester victories with six, including three in a row in 2002, 2003 and 2006.

Kimmel’s three-peat marks the last time an ARCA Menards Series driver has won back-to-back races at Winchester, a feat 2020 winner Ty Gibbs is attempting to accomplish this season.

Below is everything to know about Winchester Speedway.

Calypso Lemonade 200: Entry List | Preview | Schedule

Track Profile: Winchester Speedway

Winchester Speedway Logo

Track Winchester Speedway
Location Winchester, Indiana
Opened 1916
Layout Oval
Surface Asphalt
Length Half-mile
Banking 37 degrees in corners
Seating capacity 5,000

Winchester Speedway, built in a cornfield by Frank Funk, opened in 1916 as Funk’s Speedway. At the time, the track was configured as a clay oval, and Funk realized a correlation between the steepness of the banking and spectator interest.

So the banking at the track increased over time, and in 1952 came the paved configuration we recognize today.

“It’s wicked,” said Johnny Van Dorn, a three-time winner of Winchester’s Redbud 400. “You’re not just racing the competition, you’re racing the racetrack. At any second you could get yourself in trouble.”

PHOTOS: ARCA Menards Series racing at Winchester

What’s now Winchester Speedway hosted its lone NASCAR Cup Series race in 1950, when Lloyd Moore drove a Mercury to victory. The track hosted its first race for what’s now the ARCA Menards Series seven years later, after it had been paved.

These days, Winchester hosts a handful of events with its signature race being the annual Winchester 400, a 400-lap super late model stock car race. This year brings the 50th Winchester 400. Cup Series names like Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones have emerged victorious in the Winchester 400 over the years.

Follow Winchester:

ARCA Menards Series races at Winchester Speedway

Year-Race No. Date Winner
1957-17 6/30/57 Don O’Dell
1964-27 8/30/64 Jack Bowsher
1972-03 4/30/72 Ralph Latham
1972-11 6/25/72 Bobby Watson
1982-06 7/5/82 Marvin Smith
1983-11 7/3/83 Marvin Smith
1988-08 6/25/88 Tracy Leslie
1990-16 9/15/90 Bob Keselowski
1993-18 10/3/93 Tim Steele
1994-20 10/1/94 Gary Bradberry
1995-20 9/30/95 Tim Steele
1996-23 9/28/96 Frank Kimmel
1997-18 9/27/97 Tim Steele
1998-19 9/26/98 Bob Strait
1999-16 8/29/99 Tracy Leslie
2000-13 8/12/00 Frank Kimmel
2001-03 4/22/01 Tim Steele
2002-17 8/31/02 Frank Kimmel
2003-16 8/30/03 Frank Kimmel
2006-04 5/7/06 Frank Kimmel
2007-06 5/6/07 Billy Leslie
2011-09 6/25/11 Dakoda Armstrong
2012-09 6/24/12 Alex Bowman
2013-10 6/30/13 Frank Kimmel
2014-10 7/6/14 Brandon Jones
2015-11 6/28/15 Austin Wayne Self
2016-10 6/26/16 Chase Briscoe
2017-13 8/6/17 Kyle Benjamin
2020-17 9/19/20 Ty Gibbs