Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, going into the Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip on Sunday, July 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Road America Data
Season Race #: 20 of 36 (07-04-21)
Track Size: 4.048-miles
Track Type: Multi-Elevational Road Course
Number of Turns: 14
Race Length: 62 laps / 250.0 miles
Stage 1 Length: 14 laps
Stage 2 Length: 15 laps
Final Stage Length: 33 laps
NASCAR Cup Series Road America Qualifying & Race Records
Track qualifying record:
Frank Mundy (3 laps): 9 minutes, 27.52 seconds, 78.000 mph
Buck Baker (Dodge) started from the pole.
Track race record:
Tim Flock, Mercury
73.858 mph, (03:29:50)
August 12, 1956
Road America:
HISTORY
In the early 1950‘s, sports car races were being run on the streets in and around Elkhart Lake, but the state legislature banned racing on public roads soon after.A man named Clif Tufte organized a group of local citizens and leaders of the Chicago Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). This group developed plans and sold stock to build a permanent racecourse. The overall vision of Road America grew out of the dreams of Tufte, a highway engineer, who chose 525 acres of Wisconsin farmland outside the Village of Elkhart Lake for the track.Ground breaking for Road America was held in April of 1955 and the track‘s first SCCA national race weekend was held later that same year (September 10, 1955).At 4.048-miles in length, with 14 turns, the track is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out. The natural topography of the glacial Kettle Moraine area was utilized for the track, sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines making it one of the most challenging tracks in the world.The first, and up until this weekend, the only, NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America was on August 12, 1956. An estimated crowd of 10,000 braved terrible weather to watch the event. And in an unusual ruling, NASCAR limited the cars to 10 gallons of fuel at start the race.The August 12, 1956 race was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock driving a Mercury for car owner Bill Stroppe. Flock led 17 laps of the 63-lap event, making just two pit stops en route to his win; his fourth victory of the 1956 season.Bill Stroppe‘s cars actually finished 1-2 in the race with Flock winning and his teammate Billy Myers finishing second.This weekend‘s NASCAR Cup Series race the Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip on Sunday, July 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) will be just the second Cup series event held at Road America.
STARTS
A total of 26 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America.No active driver has made a NASCAR Cup Series start at Road America.28 of 40 drivers entered in this weekend‘s NASCAR Cup Series race have competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America, led by 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain and Josh Bilicki with five Xfinity Series Road America starts each.Two drivers have made their NASCAR Cup Series career debuts at Road America in 1956 — Ansel Rakestraw from Hiram, Georgia and Jack Goodwin from Birmingham, Michigan. It was both driver‘s lone start in the series that season. Rakestraw started 26th and finished 19th. Goodwin started 21st and finished 15th.
POLES
NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker won the pole for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America in 1956.NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker won the pole at Road America at the age of 37 years, 5 months, and 8 days.NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker won the pole driving a 1956 Dodge.None of the active NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Road America.Two of the 40 NASCAR Cup Series drivers entered this weekend have won at least one pole in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America — AJ Allmendinger (two poles: 2013, 2019) and Michael McDowell (one pole: 2011).
WINS
NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock won the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America on August 12, 1956 with an average speed of 73.858 mph and did it in 3 hours, 29 minutes, and 50 seconds. He won the race by a 17 second margin of victory.NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America on August 12, 1956 at the age of 32 years, 3 months and 1 day. His date of birth was May 11, 1924.No active NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Road America.Four of the 40 NASCAR Cup Series drivers entered this weekend at Road America have won in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 4.048-mile road course — Austin Cindric (2020), Christopher Bell (2019), Michael McDowell (2016) and AJ Allmendinger (2013).The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America (1956) was won from the sixth starting position (Tim Flock, Mercury).NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock won the 1956 NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America driving a Mercury, the only manufacturer with a victory at the track in the series.
ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Race winner Tim Flock‘s teammate, Billy Myers, finished runner-up in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America on August 12, 1956.Five different drivers have finished in the top-five in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America — 1. Tim Flock, Billy Myers, 3. Fireball Roberts, 4. Paul Goldsmith, 5. Joe Eubanks. 10 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America — 1. Tim Flock, Billy Myers, 3. Fireball Roberts, 4. Paul Goldsmith, 5. Joe Eubanks, 6. Herb Thomas, 7. Jim Paschal, 8. Buck Baker, 9. Fred Johnson, 10. Johnny Dodson.
LAP LEADERS
A total of four different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Road America — Marvin Panch (23 laps led), Speedy Thompson (18), Tim Flock (17) and Buck Baker (five).Marvin Panch leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Road America with 23 laps led.The most laps led by the winner of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America was 17 of the scheduled 63 laps (26.9%) on August 12, 1956 by Tim Flock. He started the race in sixth.The most laps led by a driver that did not win a NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America was 23 of the scheduled 63 (36.5%) on August 12, 1956 by Marvin Panch; he started in second but ultimately finished the race in 22nd-place due to a rear end issue.
TRACK & EVENT SPECIFIC STATS
The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America on August 12, 1956 was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock with a 17 second margin of victory over his teammate Billy Myers.The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America produced four lead changes among four different leaders — Marvin Panch (23 laps led), Speedy Thompson (18), Tim Flock (17) and Buck Baker (five).
NASCAR IN WISCONSIN
There has been a total of 46 NASCAR national series races among two tracks held in the state of Wisconsin.Track NameCityCupXfinityTruckTotalsFirst YearRoad AmericaElkhart Lake1110121956Milwaukee MileWest Allis01915341984Totals1301546The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Wisconsin was on August 12, 1956 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The event was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock driving for car owner Bill Stroppe.
WISCONSIN DRIVERS IN NASCAR
A total of 58 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Wisconsin.Of the 58 Wisconsin NASCAR drivers, 14 of them have won at least one NASCAR national series race.Matt Kenseth leads all drivers from Wisconsin in wins with 68 NASCAR national series wins (39 Cup and 29 Xfinity).
NASCAR National Series Winners From Wisconsin
RankDriverCupXfinityTruckCombined1Matt Kenseth39290682Alan Kulwicki50053Dave Marcis50054Paul Menard13045Norm Nelson10016Scott Wimmer06067Johnny Sauter0324278Dick Trickle02029Ted Musgrave00171710Travis Kvapil009911Jay Sauter004412Rich Bickle003313Sam Mayer001114Bryan Reffner0011Totals514359153
— NASCAR —
