About Belleville High Banks
Belleville High Banks is a half mile high banked dirt oval at the North Central Kansas Fairgrounds in Belleville, Kansas. Racing has happened on this ground since 1910, and the track calls itself the world’s fastest half mile dirt track, a claim the lap times support. With as much as 23 degrees of banking and a shape closer to a circle than a conventional oval, it is one of the most demanding tracks in the country for both drivers and engines.
A Century and More of Racing
The first documented race at Belleville was on July 4, 1910, when somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 people watched three cars run ten laps around the half mile. The winning time was seven minutes and ten seconds, roughly 43 seconds per lap.
The track started flat and was reconfigured into a high banked oval in 1932. By the 1950s the banking reached 18 feet. It has been lowered somewhat since, but it remains a genuinely intimidating place to race.
For comparison with that 1910 time, Terry McCarl turned a lap in 14.32 seconds in a 410 sprint car in 2009.
Over the decades the track has hosted sprint cars, late models, motorcycles and most everything in between. Kansas named racing on the dirt track at Belleville one of its 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs.
What Makes It Different
Two things set this place apart, and the track explains both.
The surface is Kansas gumbo, a heavy clay that ends up on the track and sometimes in spectators’ laps. Time and heavy equipment shape it each season into the banking the track is known for.
The shape is the other part. Belleville is not a true oval and not really a circle, and that geometry changes how a lap feels. There are no distinctive corners the way there are at most dirt tracks. It is virtually flat out the whole way around, which is why it punishes equipment as hard as it does.
A dirt late model driver who won here put it simply after a 2004 race: this place is fast.
Two Tracks in One
Built inside the half mile is a quarter mile track, and the two run together on most event nights.
The big track carries sprint cars, silver crown cars and late models. The quarter mile runs midgets, dwarf cars, mini stocks, hobby stocks, TQ midgets and cruisers. A typical event has the headline division on the half mile and a support class on the small track, both on the same night.
The Nationals
Belleville is a special events venue rather than a weekly track, with a volunteer racing committee hosting ten to twelve events a year.
The Belleville Midget Nationals is the mainstay, run every year since 1978 after racers in a 1977 challenge race kicked the idea around among themselves. It became the richest midget race in the country, drawing the best owners and drivers across a three day event.
The Belleville 305 Sprint Nationals now anchors the calendar, running in late July or early August with substantial purses and large fields. The United Rebel Sprint Series has brought more than 40 cars to a single night of it.
Other recurring events include the Huncovsky Classic with USAC Silver Crown cars on the big track and midgets on the quarter mile, ASCS and 360 sprint tour dates around the Fourth of July, and the Belleville Dirt Nationals, which brought super late models to the track with six figure purses across a week of racing. The World of Outlaws have raced here as well.
Getting There
The track is at the North Central Kansas Fairgrounds in Belleville, Kansas, in Republic County near the Nebraska line, at the junction of Highways 36 and 81.
Belleville is a small town, and the track draws crowds well beyond what the population would suggest, so lodging across the area fills for Nationals weekends. Book early.
Racing typically starts at 6:30 on event nights.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the track?
A half mile high banked dirt oval, with a quarter mile track built inside it.
How steep is the banking?
As much as 23 degrees. In the 1950s the banking reached 18 feet before being lowered somewhat.
How old is the track?
Racing dates to July 4, 1910, making it one of the oldest operating race tracks in the country.
Why is it called the world’s fastest half mile?
Because of the banking and the track’s near circular shape, which allow cars to run essentially flat out the whole way around. A 410 sprint car has lapped it in 14.32 seconds.
What is Kansas gumbo?
The heavy clay the track is built from, which gives the surface its character and occasionally ends up on spectators.
What is the Belleville Midget Nationals?
The track’s signature event, run every year since 1978 and long regarded as the richest midget race in the country, held across three days.
What is the 305 Nationals?
The Belleville 305 Sprint Car Nationals, a two night winged sprint car event held in late July or early August with substantial prize money.
Is there weekly racing?
No. Belleville is a special events track, with a volunteer committee hosting ten to twelve events per season.
What runs on the quarter mile?
Midgets, dwarf cars, mini stocks, hobby stocks, TQ midgets and cruisers, usually as support to the big track program.
Where is Belleville High Banks located?
At the North Central Kansas Fairgrounds in Belleville, Kansas 66935, in Republic County near the Nebraska border.
More information on Belleville High Banks; Click here https://bellevillehighbanks.org/
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