Fayette County Speedway is one of the oldest, continuously running weekly race tracks in Iowa. In the 1930s, the Fayette County Fairgrounds was a horse race track that circled just about the entire fairgrounds. The little brick building on Vine Street, where the main entrance is, was located just off the race track. The Ag Society had to position a guard at the entrance to keep spectators as they were coming in, from getting hit by the horses as the raced by!
In the ‘40s, the Ag Society hired an engineer to go to Des Moines to survey their race track to design one similiar to it. In 1947, the present grandstand was completed at 11:00 AM, and at 2:30 PM they raced horses on it the same day! They raced on this half-mile track for many years. On the inside of the track was a baseball and football field. The high school played their home football games there. The present pit area is the old backstrectch for the half-mile and also the horse track.
Race cars of all kinds spent time on the half-mile track. Gus Shrader, Bill Vukovich, Bobby Unser and a rumored A.J. Foyt made appearances at the Fayette County Fairgrounds track. In 1964, the half-mile was re-graded to a quarter-mile. This took the field away from the North High Hawks, and with the football field at the new high school not being finished yet, the team had to play all their games on the road. Ironically, as the team went undefeated that season.
In 1991, promoter Jerry Blue, who originally raced the quarter-mile track in the ‘60s, built the 3/8 mile track that is raced on today. A majority of the improvements that are seen at the track today, including the two crow’s nests and the backstretch fence are still there.
The track is now operated by the Fayette County Ag Society’s Race Committee. Their goal is to provide the best racing show possible with 50/50 ticket proceeds going back into faciltiy improvements including new women’s restrooms, updating of the concession stand and the new grandstand walkway.
Come see what legendary Iowa driver Gary Webb calls one of Iowa’s best kept secrets in racing!