By: Paul Reichert
July 11, 2026
The sport of auto racing came back into prominence after the allies’ successful victory in World War II, and somewhere on the East Coast the idea of running auto races during a county fair was born shortly after that. Horse racing and harness racing were the staples of a county fair, or even a state fair, for many years. Some eighty years later the transition from four-legged horsepower to four-wheeled high-powered horsepower continues to draw fans from all over to witness ‘edge of your seat’ thrills and action. Now that we have celebrated America’s 250th birthday, it is time for all of LaCrosse County to enjoy some local fun and festivities at the 135th edition of the LaCrosse Interstate Fair. What would the LaCrosse Interstate Fair be without some exciting motorsports competition here at the LaCrosse Speedway as drivers go for their own blue ribbons and try to be ‘best in show’.
The week-long racing action gets underway on opening night of LaCrosse Interstate Fair on Wednesday, July 15 with the Fair Time Family Fun Night. The Central Wisconsin Racing Association Late Models, who made the LaCrosse Speedway a popular stop on Wednesday nights, make their return with a pair of 25 lap feature events as part of the tribute to former promoter Larry Wehrs. The Great North Legends will make the first of two scheduled appearances this night, and they will provide a lot of ‘fast and furious’ racing action on the ‘action track’ quarter-mile. Round two of the new Sportsman Showdown Series will take place that night as Sportsmen drivers from LaCrosse and all over the Midwest will gather for this thrilling event. Gates open at 5:15, qualifying hits the gas at 5:30 and the wheel banging racing action goes green at 7.
Is your car the baddest and best on the 300 foot dragstrip of the LaCrosse Speedway? Bring it out on Thursday, July 16 for our next running of the Thursday Night Street Drags. We have just over 20 different classes of vehicles competing, so you will be able to find a class that you can compete in. Maybe even two or three. The pits, registration and grandstands all open at 6. Practice runs and grudge races take place at 6:45, and bracket competition starts at 7:30. If you are not interested in drag racing, we have a couple of other contests for your car to be a part of. The popular Burnout Contest takes place at 8 to see who can create the greatest smoke show ever seen at LaCrosse. If you just want to show off your sweet ride, you can be a part of the Shine ‘N Show contest starting at 8:15.
The lifeblood of racing at the LaCrosse Speedway has been the weekly NASCAR Local Racing Series, and one of our biggest shows of the year happens on Saturday, July 18 with the running of the Wisconsin Kenworth Fair Time 50. The NASCAR Late Models will run their biggest feature of the season with a fender rubbing, hard fought 50 laps of action. The NASCAR Sportsmen, NASCAR Hornets, Six Shooters, High School Racing Association and the crazy Flagpole Novelty Race will also be a part of this huge LaCrosse Interstate Fair program. In addition to all of that, the Upper Midwest Vintage Racing Series will take us back to the heyday of racing at LaCrosse. Gates open at 5:15, the battle to be fastest in qualifying begins at 5:30 and the racing competition roars to life starting at 7.
The LaCrosse Speedway will help to close out the LaCrosse Interstate Fair on Sunday, July 19 with a special Fair Time Car Show on the front straight. Presented by Auto Value, fans will be admitted FREE to see some amazing road rides and there will be NO entry fee for the owners of those fabulous cars. We will be handing out trophies for the best judged cars attending in the various classes. The track opens at 10 to line up the cars on the front straight and the show runs from 11 to 3 with trophies being handed out at the end of the show.
All the details about all the activities, entertainment, exhibitions and judging during the 135th LaCrosse Interstate Fair can be found on lacrosseinterstatefair.com. To learn more about the LaCrosse Speedway and the 2026 schedule of events, you can call the track office at 608-786-1525 or visit our websites at lacrossespeedway.com or streetdragslax.com. LaCrosse Speedway is proud to be a NASCAR Hometrack, part of the NASCAR Local Racing Series presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts.
