About

Welcome to Skagit Speedway.com
Skagit Speedway is the Premier Motorsports facility in the northwest United States. for the past 50 years it has been surrounded by the beautiful mountains and scenery of Washington state. From “pasture racing” in the early 50’s, to a trend setting complex in the new millennium, Skagit Speedway is a family fun first class racing facility.

The 2005 season starts the third weekend in April and continues every weekend through September. Weekly shows feature 410 sprint cars, 360 sprint cars and Sportsman sprints.
Special Events include the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup in June, The Berry Dairy Days Demo Derby the end of June, The spectacular Les Schwab Fireworks Show in July, The USAC / CRA Non Wing Series w/ 1200 Mini Sprints at the end of July, the 360 Nationals in August, The AMA Pro-Am Flat Track Motorcycle Series the end of August and the Season Championship in September. We will close out the season with ‘The 1st Annual U.S. Hornet nationals’.

Skagit Speedway has seating for 10,000 fans. The “Speedway Cafe'” serves your favorite racetrack food and you can get your refreshments at our spacious beer gardens. Our facility features a state of the art Musco Lighting system, concert quality sound system and new modern restrooms. Free parking is available in the lighted 20 acre lot. For your safety our parking area is patrolled by track security.

TRACK FACTS
Track width: Turns – 57 feet; Straights – 47 feet
Banking: Turns – 15 degrees; Straights – 9 degrees
Location: Interstate 5, exit 232, then three miles north on Old Hwy.99
Types of Racing: 410 Sprint Cars, 360 Sprint Cars and Sportsman Sprints

TRACK HISTORY
The first race was held Labor Day 1954. Since then Skagit Speedway has become the number one spectator draw from Seattle to Vancouver, BC. In the earlier 1950s, you could catch races in Pioneer Park in Ferndale, in fields around Sedro-Woolley and occasionally at Hannegan Speedway in Bellingham. But in 1952 these daredevil jalopy drivers wanted a facility they could call their own. They drove down Highway 99 and got as far as Alger. A stumpy field featuring 17 acres was available for $100 an acre so 14 investors pooled their funds and came up with the money to purchase the property and start building Skagit Speedway. A 3/10 mile oval of clay was forged out of the woods using all the acreage they had. In 1954 the action started at Skagit Speedway and fans immediately fell in love with dirt track auto racing. Largely through volunteer labor, donate material and auxiliary supplement from the ladies involved the fledgling speedway was able to complete its first season of racing in 1955 with Jim Raper claiming the championship. Raper became synonymous with Skagit Speedway in the 1970s and was one of the most respected racing promoters in the country.In Skagit’s early days dust was a problem. It was often hard to see the racing jalopies through the dust screen. The Stockholders dug into their pockets again in 1958 and built a well to help water the natural clay base prior to race day. Two years later lights were added. Skagit’s motto became “Racing Every Friday Night Under the Lights!”. Fencing and better grandstands were added, and as Jim Raper started open competition action in the early 70’s, Skagit Speedway was finally on the map.The Dirt Cup was Jim Raper’s baby. He wanted an open wheel show with a big purse that would attract drivers from all over the coast. He had a couple of open comp races in the late 60’s, prior to the Dirt Cup becoming a three track event in 1972, between Skagit, Sky Valley and Elma. Elma dropped out in 1977 and Sky Valley in 1978, and then Dirt Cup became one of the nation’s top non-sanctioned open wheel events.

Known today as the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup, the event lives on with a purse of over $135,000. This year it pays a record $25,000 to win, making the Dirt Cup one of the richest races in the country. You can imagine how proud Jim Raper would be that even after his death on June 7, 1984, his dream would live on.

Skagit Speedway continues to please. The 2015 schedule offers more “Family Fun” than ever before.