Road America: what is there not to say about this historic track?
Since the 1950’s, this monster 4.084 mile and 14 turn road track has been tucked in the hills (giving it the name National Park of Speed) of Elkhart Lake, WI; right in between Green Bay and Milwaukee. This track is a whole new kind of test for racers. When it first opened in ‘55, the track was known as Elkhart Lake Road Races before being changed five years later to Road America. Every year RA hosts over 400 events including nine major race events, giving a little something for everyone. Some of the big-name weekends that everyone looks forward to, including the employees, include MotoAmerica, IndyCar Series, IMSA, and NASCAR Xfinity. Each one bringing a different experience to the table.
So how did Road America come to be?
Road racing began to gain popularity after World War II in the late 1940s due to a major influx of sports cars in America. Formed in 1944, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) was the main organizer of these types of races and with the help of the Chicago region of the SCCA and the village of Elkhart Lake, the first races were formed where Road America stands now.
In 1950, the track from start to finish was only a 3.3-mile track and took the drivers around different county roads in the area. However, the next two races, in 1951 and 1952, took the drivers on a different route, being 6.5 miles long and still driveable to the public today. This course is the one inducted into the National Register of Historic Places in November of 2006 with signs marking significant parts of the track.
After a tragedy in 1952 at Watkins Glen when a child was killed, the United States ruled to discontinue motorized racing on public roadways which sparked the movement to privatized race tracks. Since then, many races have come and gone from the track. Some of the most recognized being: NASCAR Grand Nationals in 1956 and the Xfinity series since 2010, The Stadium Super Trucks since 2018, IMSA GT Championship, IndyCar series since 2016, and the Superbike series with MotoAmerica.
Road America is so much more than racing though. The track offers great food, wonderful camping with each spot having a unique view of the track, and frisbee golf across the property. The people that come to the track will always have smiles on their faces, making each event worth attending. Strangers come together and bond into a community over different racers. Even though the person sitting next to you in the stands might be cheering on your rival racer, fans still find a way to put that aside and enjoy a good competitive race. People aren’t at each other’s throat over a pass or over a collision, but are rather understanding of what good racing really is. Another thing that Road America is amazing at is bringing a new demographic of people to each event.
I can’t even come up with enough ways to explain how magical this really is. Being an employee of the track rather than just a spectator I have the advantage of seeing all of this behind the scenes. Let’s try explaining this in a way I actually know how. Imagine this…
Driving around the property to different turns with cameras in hand and my eyes weighing down at 7:30 in the morning. There’s always the smell of bacon cooking mixed with early morning fuel from the track to really wake you up.
Very few people are awake and those that are cooking their family breakfast and ready to get the race day started. As part of the media crew, we begin filming campsites that are all competing to win the theme of the week and people offer us a coffee to go. This particular morning was going to be different. It was something I could just feel. All day the racers are warming up on the track and fans are finding their spot and everyone is ready for the main event to start. As the day moves on, the hopes of an on time race is starting to look slimmer and slimmer as the storm clouds roll in from the distance.
As my friends Josh, Wolf (“Wolf”‘s name is also Josh, so we always called him by his last name), Ben and I were about to split off the skies open up and the rain begins. We quickly take cover in winners circle to make sure our equipment stays dry and it doesn’t get damaged. I soon got a text from my boss telling us that the race is going to be delayed due to lightning and heavy amounts of rain.
As with any outdoor sport, rain isn’t a big concern; however, as soon as lightning comes into the picture, we have to wait at least a half hour from the last strike to resume anything. This rain wasn’t letting up anytime soon and was in fact getting worse.
The four of us and about ten other people stayed in this small room waiting to receive news on when the race was going to take place and about two hours later, we got word that the storm was soon to pass. We had a half hour until the racers would take to the track. We all turned to each other to figure out a new game plan. We didn’t have any rain gear for the cameras, and we knew that the rain wasn’t done for the day. Eventually we came to the much dreaded conclusion that one of us was going to have to sacrifice the dryness of our hideout and run and grab all the gear. That conclusion came to me.
I ran from the room we
were in all the way to the media center and my car to grab anything and
everything I could. I had both camera covers, three rain jackets, two SD cards
that I had to switch out, and two batteries when I came back. From there we
figured out were the two groups were going to split up and shoot.
“Josh and I are going to hit
the catwalk for start and finish, the end of pit row, and try to get to turn
five if we have time. We also have to set up for post-race press conferences so
we’ll see if we get there.”
Ben thought for a second before replying with, “Let us get turn five. That way we can possibly get kettle (another turn on the track) and turns twelve and thirteen. It makes it easier for everyone. We have to go to winners circle anyway.”
Josh and I waited till the last minute to race up to the catwalk to set up for the start. Within a minute of us getting up there, the racers are signaled for crews to leave pit row and for racers to start their engines.
The pur from the horsepower these cars are producing can be felt through every molecule in your body. Each racer takes off from their pit spot after the pace car ready to warm up their tires and get in pull position. They make their way back to the start and wait for the red light to turn green. Everyone inside the track is ready to sit on the edge of their seats for the next three hours.
Three… Two…. One… Green… The flags start waving, and the racers take off from zero to one hundred in the blink of an eye. The horsepower pushing through every ounce of your body, the feeling is so intense it’s almost as if your heart won’t be able to take it. The sound so loud it makes our voices sound as if they are a whisper in the void of space.
The next couple of laps go by and we move to a new spot on the track every half hour or so. The lead has changed so many times it’s hard to know who really has it, but we manage to keep track. As much as we didn’t want to be out in the rain, it was a long race, so it gave us a chance to screw around and try new shots and more artistic shots. The race comes to the last 45 minutes and Josh and I make our way back to the media center to change out batteries and set up for post-race driver interviews and to get some water.
“How are things out there?” our boss asks as we come rushing into the office.
“Couldn’t ask for better weather out there right now,” Josh said sarcastically he clips in the almost dead battery. “The rain is getting heavier and we still have to get the finish.”
Once we change everything out and get our mic checks done, we headed back out to the catwalk. At this point there was about fifteen minutes left in the race and we just watch the race for as long as we can before having to step back into the rain.
We come to see that the race had come to a yellow flag causing the racers to line up as they make their way around the track. Lidell, who was in 14th position with 20 minutes left in the race, made his way up to a 4th place reposition while Wittmer repositioned in 2nd place. They round turn 14 to see the green flag waving allowing the racers to take off in a frenzy. Along with the green flag giving the go, they also had a white flag signaling the last lap of the race.
Wittmer quickly takes the lead going into turn 3 as he almost trades paint with the racer he was passing. Coming into turn 5, two cars are out of the race as they slide off the slick tack; however, Wittmer is doing anything he can to keep his lead. They make it past turn seven, whip around turns eight and nine and head into the carousel. The front four of the field is holding steady. Coming out of carousel and going into turns 11,12, and 13, the front runner takes off and pulls the lead by inches. Lidell, who was still in fourth, had something else in mind and wasn’t going to settle for a no-podium finish.
Going into Canada Corner, turn 12, Lidell comes to the outside of third place and quickly drifts around the outside to take over both the second and third place racers. A bold move to do on a dry track in the best weather, let alone on a track with standing water. He pushes to catch up to Wittmer when they reach turn 14.
Racing up the back straight away, Wittmer has about 50 meters left and his team cheering for his win when his car stalls. The fans all bust out in shock of what just happened. Was he out of gas? Did his engine fail? The fans were left in suspense as the driver began everything in his power to just coast past the finish line before Lidell has a chance to catch up and pass him just before the finish. However, all his efforts came to nothing. He tried turning his car and blocking Lidell from passing him knowing he would be risking his car and disqualification in front of a 200-mph running beast coming at him.
At the last second, first place was captured by the driver who raced smart and took advantage of a malfunction on another teams’ part. The finish was the most devastating yet thrilling end to a three day build up, three-hour race with a win margin of only 0.070 seconds. You could feel the fans adrenaline pumping through their veins and hear their hearts drumming out of their chests.
This is what Road America is about. I could sit here and type the facts and what the track features, but without experiencing the magic of the track itself, there is no way to comprehend what it is that everyone at the track is so obsessed with. So, what is Road America? Well that is an experience for you to find out yourself.
If you would like to watch the last lap of that race, visit this page and watch the most amazing take over in racing history happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GFmcNJbgjg