About Lakeside Speedway
Lakeside Speedway is a 4/10 mile high banked dirt oval at 5615 Wolcott Drive in Kansas City, Kansas. It has carried the same name since 1955, which makes it older than either of the city's professional sports franchises. Friday nights from spring through fall, five divisions of stock cars and modifieds run here under USRA sanction, on a surface drivers consistently describe as one of the fastest bullrings in the region.
Seventy Years and Two Addresses
The track opened on April 17, 1955 at 92nd and Leavenworth Road. Three fatalities during the 1956 season closed it, and it stayed dark until new management reopened it in 1961. It ran at that address through 1988, when developers building The Woodlands dog and horse track bought the property.
Lakeside moved to Wolcott Drive for the 1989 season. The relocation was an upgrade rather than a retreat. The new site brought modern grandstands, a press box, and room for a campground next to the facility. Very few weekly dirt tracks in the country have been operating continuously for seven decades, and the track marked its 70th anniversary with a race on July 4, 2025.
Asphalt, Then Back to Dirt
From 1989 through 1999 Lakeside ran as a half mile asphalt track. Ownership changed again in 2000 and the new group converted it back to dirt in the high banked 4/10 mile shape it uses today. If you see a half mile figure quoted somewhere, that is where it comes from.
The current configuration is fast. In 2017 Chase Stockon set the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car track record here at 16.438 seconds, a number the touring sprint car fields are still chasing. Clint Bowyer raced at Lakeside on his way up. The NASCAR Convertible Series visited once in 1956, with Frank Mundy taking the win, and the NASCAR Midwest Series ran a date here in 1999.
Weekly Racing
The weekly program runs as the Nextran GMC Championship Series on Friday nights, generally from March through October. Five divisions make up a typical card: USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars, USRA B Mods, E Modifieds and Pure Stocks. Car counts on a normal Friday often run in the sixties across all classes, which keeps heat races full and the feature fields deep.
Point battles run all season and wrap up with Season Championships in September. Owner Don Marrs is a racer himself and still climbs into a car on some nights, which tells you something about how the place is run.
Special Events and Touring Series
Beyond the weekly show, Lakeside draws national and regional touring series. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars have raced here, as have the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars and the USAC Wholesale Batteries MRA Sprint Car Series. The track also runs themed nights through the season, including a fireworks show, first responder appreciation nights, memorial races and Iron Man doubleheaders for the Stock Car and B Mod classes.
If you cannot make it to the track, races are streamed at LakesideSpeedway.tv.
Getting There and What to Know
The track sits one mile west of I-435 at exit 18, on SR 5, northwest of downtown Kansas City and just north of Kansas Speedway. The mailing address is different from the physical address, so use 5615 Wolcott Drive for navigation.
A campground sits next to the facility, and there are concessions and suites on the property. One practical note: the Missouri River is close enough that flooding and weather cancellations are a real part of the schedule here. Rainouts do happen, and the track posts them on its Facebook page and website the same day, so it is worth a check before you leave the house.
Frequently Asked Questions
What night does Lakeside Speedway race?
Friday nights, with the season running roughly March through October. Touring series occasionally add a Thursday or Saturday date, so confirm on the schedule page before you go.
How long is the track?
It is a 4/10 mile high banked dirt oval. It ran as a half mile asphalt track from 1989 to 1999, which is the source of the half mile figure you sometimes see quoted.
What classes race there?
The weekly divisions are USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars, USRA B Mods, E Modifieds and Pure Stocks. Sprint car series visit for special events.
Where is Lakeside Speedway located?
5615 Wolcott Drive in Kansas City, Kansas 66109, one mile west of I-435 exit 18 on SR 5. The track phone is 913-299-9206.
Is there camping at the track?
Yes, there is a campground adjacent to the facility, added when the track moved to the Wolcott Drive site in 1989.
What happens if it rains?
Cancellations are announced on the track website and its Facebook page, usually the afternoon or evening of the race. Check before you drive out, especially in spring when the ground stays wet.
Can I watch online?
Yes, races are streamed at LakesideSpeedway.tv.
Phone: 913-299-9206
More information on Lakeside Speedway; Click here https://www.lakesidespeedway.net/
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