The First Weekly Race at Hawkeye Downs
Hawkeye Downs Kicks Off Its Weekly Race Series
Hawkeye Downs kicked off it’s second century of racing on Saturday the 25th with the races taking place from 2:00PM-5:00PM. The event featured Hornets, Hobby Stocks, Legends, Sport Mods, Sportsman, Late Models, and HD Dawgs races. The track at Hawkeye Downs began as a dirt track known as Frontier Park in 1925, and became Iowa’s first paved oval with a paved pit to host weekly races in 1989. Over the last 101 years Hawkeye Downs has hosted ASA,IMCA, NASCAR, ARCA Midwest Tour, and American Indy Car Series races. The Speedway and Expo Center offer over 35,000 square feet of event space, and is Eastern Iowa’s premier 1/2 and 1/4 mile asphalt racing venue. Hawkeye Downs is a 501 C3 Organization that hosts weekly racing, enduro racing, drag racing, and drifting, as well as trade shows, meetings, conventions, concerts, auctions, weddings, and private events. After Saturday the weekly races at Hawkeye Downs will take place at 7:05PM on Friday nights from May first until August 21st which is when they will host their annual weekly racing championship night.
The crowd at Hawkeye Downs watches as the number 5 and 72 cars finish another lap during one of the Sportsman series races on Saturday April 25th. The events at Hawkeye Downs attract more than 100,000 visitors per year.
Alana Kirkpatrick from Cedar Rapids works the concession stand during the races at Hawkeye Downs on Saturday April 25th. This is Kirkpatrick’s second year working the concession stand at Hawkeye Downs.
Tammi and Gary Jones stand for the National Anthem before the races on Saturday afternoon. Both Tammi and Gary have been attending the races at Hawkeye Downs for many years with Tammi’s dad having been a flag man at the raceway, and Gary being a regular attendee for the last 60 years.
The 16 car rounds the corner during the legends racing series at Hawkeye Downs on Saturday April 25th. The weekly races at Hawkeye Downs are part of the NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts weekly racing series.
Casey Koran poses with his family after winning one of the Legends series races on Saturday at Hawkeye Downs. The speedway and expo center at Hawkeye Downs is the only full-time weekly Asphalt race track in Iowa.
Corner Worker Elliott Vogel watches the HD Dawgs race during the event at Hawkeye Downs on Saturday. If any incident occurs during a race the corner worker reports it to the tower. Vogel participated in the races as a driver from 2017 until 2022.
Garrett Warren in the 88 truck leads the pack during one of the races at Hawkeye Downs on Saturday April 25th. Warren won the race.
Jeff Selfridge (left) presents HD Dawgs race winner Corey Crispin with his award at the end of the race. Hawkeye Downs also hosts a kids night called Tuesday Night Titans on Tuesday nights from June to August.
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