Located between Sparta and Tomah off Highway 21 sits a ¼-mile paved oval track that has echoed with the roar of engines and cheers of fans for over sixty years. On Thursday, April 16, at 7:00 PM, the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum invites the public to "Hey Race Fans! History and Memories of the Tomah-Sparta Speedway", a special program exploring the storied history and multi-generational legacy of the Tomah-Sparta Speedway.
When the speedway held its grand opening in August 1964, it boasted bleachers for 3,000 spectators. Regional legends like Dick Trickle, Lyle Nabefeldt, Ev Fox, and Marlin Walbeck competed there on Friday nights, vying for purses of $1,400. Reflecting on that era in a 2004 interview, Wisconsin racing legend Dave Marcis recalled the grit required to compete: “We didn’t know what the hell we were doing. We learned pretty fast though... we built our own cars, we wrecked ‘em, we hauled ‘em, we did everything.”
While the track saw initial success, it fell silent around 1970. It wasn't until June 1981 that the facility was revived as “Wild Bill's Track and Trail” by 26-year-old “Wild” Bill Witcraft of Tomah. “I wanted to get racing back to the local people,” Witcraft told the La Crosse Tribune in 1983. Over the succeeding decades, the track saw various owners and names including the Excalibur Motorsports Park and the Tomah-Sparta Raceway. Purchased in 2024 by the current owners, Tim and Amanda Brockhouse of Prior Lake, Minnesota, the track retains its original name of the “Tomah-Sparta Speedway.”
In addition to the formal presentation by Greg Oliver and Local History Room Director Jarrod Roll, the program will conclude by asking the audience to share their own racing stories and personal memories of the Speedway. According to Jarrod Roll, "A county’s history is a living thing, kept alive by those who remember it. While we have the records of the races and photos of the racers, the true heart of the Tomah-Sparta Speedway lives in the stories of those who personally experienced it."
“The history of the county’s racetrack is important to remember,” states presenter Greg Oliver, who is also a previous operator of the Speedway. “I’ve always seen the Tomah-Sparta Speedway as part of the fabric of the community. You know, a good old-fashioned, home-town racetrack. Local racers and local fans enjoying a Friday night together.”
To accommodate a larger audience, this program will be held at the Sparta United Methodist Church, 210 N. Court St., not at the Local History Room. Parking is available in the Museum/Monroe County Parking Lot off Central Ave. Please use the K Street entrance.
The program will be recorded and available to view on our YouTube Channel MCLHR a few days afterwards for those unable to attend in person.
Admission is free, with a suggested $1 donation to support future programming. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/mclhr or call 608-269-8680.
