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

I looked up what year it went from dirt to pavement, 1989. Talking with a guy and was wondering what year did the world of outlaws race there? It was late 80's for sure but can't find the year. Pretty sure Doty and Kinser were both in the colors light cars. Anyone have a year for this race?

The WoO LMs raced there in the late 80s but I couldn't find a record of the WoO sprints ever racing there. Could it have been rained out? Maybe a non-sanctioned race? 

Hawkeye Downs!! Thats a name I have not heard in forever!!!

Is it even still a thing?

I use to have a little bull ring close to me in Bluegrass Ia. also called "Hawkeye Raceway".  I might be wrong but I think ity is long gone now. Mostly all fendered cars. They held the "Governers Cup" there for years whenI was a kid.

I went by bluegrass a month ago and from where I remember the track being looked like housing now. I went there a few times for late model races back in the day. What I remember is it was tight and narrow track. Kind of in a bowl the way it was laid out.

The sprint show at hawkeye downs I thought was a woo show because it had all the heavy hitters. 

I do not remember WoO sprints ever being at Hawkeye Downs? That track ran Sunday night sprint shows in 78 and 79 and got a lot of Knoxville cars.

The WoO was at Farley in about 1991 and I think that show rained out during the heats, is that what you are thining of?

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

Hawkeye Downs ran an unsanctioned race July 21 1987--the night before a World of Outlaws race at Knoxville.  Results courtesy of Kevin Eckert's datatbase.

7/21/87 Cedar Rapids,IA (Hawkeye Downs) STEVE KINSER 11

2 Bobby Davis (Morgan 6), 3 Brad Doty (Marks/Kepler 18), 4 Danny Smith (Brewer 3x), 5 Tim Gee 88. Jac Haudenschild (Lee 2), Rich Bubak 9, Rocky Hodges (Shoff 23s)

I think Iknow the show your talking about - it wasn't a WOO show, but believe the local Coor's Distributor was the sponsor of the show and that was why Steve and Brad was there. Steve and Brad were definitely the class of the evening. I seem to recall Hawkeye Down was petty flat.

I was at a WoO show in Farley in 90 or 91 (possibly 89?) but it was not a Rain-out. Couple things I remember about it was Late Models were the support class, and Doug Wolfgang was not there due to a minor injury at a race a few days prior. 

Gibson found it and that makes sense. Pretty sure we hit hawkeye downs, camped in the parking lot, then traveled to knoxville the next day.

Thanks for the info

The Farley show that was rained out was not an Outlaw show . I was there. 

Slightly off topic, but this thread represents as a good a reason as any for why the WoO "exclusivity" package exists. Folks who went to the race remembered it as a WoO show, because the WoO drivers were there, and Ted Johnson didn't make a dime off it. 

I can remember going to some great dirt LM events there like the Miller 100 in June during the 80's and the Yankee Dirt Track Classic in September. The Miller 100 was a mid-week event so it pulled drivers from everywhere.

Then when it was converted to asphalt and we went there for the Pontiac Excitement 300 for SLM's and it was one of the wildest races I'd ever seen anywhere.

Plus we had a celebrity event there in the 90's with Dale Earnhardt driving our asphalt Harris house car and in victory lane Dale said "well, to be fair, the other competitors didn't have near the car I was given to drive," so those were all fun memories of the track. 

A lot of history there, I hope they're able to keep making more as time marches on.

I never thought about it like that.  That's an awful thing he had to go through.  A race he didn't promote, put any money into or do any work for AND received no money for and nearly 40 years later a few guys on a message board think this was one of his races.  What ever happened to him and his series?  I assume this race track is huge now with this unfair promotion they got?  Life just isn't fair sometimes.

He's dead but his series lives on, mostly because of the exclusivity clause. Thankfully someone with a business degree bought the WoO. 

Learning lots here.  The exclusivity clause is the main reason the WOO has survived?  And having a business degree is the main thing that can make a successful business owner?  Am I getting this right?