|| *Comments on Heartland Park Topeka:* View the most recent comment <#28> | Post a comment <#post> 1. RACER101 posted: 04.24.2010 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Heartland Park Topeka was built in 1988 a great place for racing action with a champion ship 2.5 mile road course a 1/4 mile dragstrip and a 3/8 mile dirt track it's a fun place for weekend saturday night racing. 2. Cooper posted: 03.08.2011 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Heartland Park Topeka is a multi-purpose motorsports facility located 5 miles (8 km) south of Topeka, Kansas. When it opened in 1989, it was the first brand-new auto racing facility to be built in the United States for 20 years. Its facilities include a road-race course with 4 possible configurations (ranging from 1.8 miles (2.9 km) to 2.5 miles (4.0 km) in length), a â?? mile clay oval, off-road course and a ¼ mile drag strip. After several years of neglect, owing to continual financial difficulties, the track surface and other facilities had deteriorated badly and the very survival of the track was in doubt. In 2003, it was bought by Raymond Irwin, former owner (2007) of Blackhawk Farms Raceway, who has instituted a program of major renovations to the facility. The drag-strip is used by local clubs and the National Hot Rod Association. The road-course is mainly used by the SCCA and marque-clubs. The track was the home of both the SCCA's National Championship Runoffs and the The Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships from 2006 to 2008. In the past, it has hosted ARCA, ASA, IMSA, AMA. 3. RaceFanX posted: 04.06.2011 - 12:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The road course originally featured a long section of the drag strip as a its front stretch. This was the track's configuration during its NASCAR days but that feature has since been eliminated during the track's recent overhauls (The road course now parallels the drag strip but mostly does not include it minus a brief crossing only used depending on the layout) One of the few if not the only drag racing/road racing facilities ever to host the World of Outlaws. The dirt track sprint car series first raced on a temporary oval constructed on top of the drag strip for two years before the track's permanent dirt oval was constructed in 2001. For a temporary layout the original dirt track was quite professionally laid out if YouTube videos are anything to go by. Temporary tracks have also been built in the infield of the road course for off-road truck racing. It's also notable for being one of the furthest, if not the furthest, east tracks ever used by the NASCAR Winston West/K&N West series in a standalone event for that series (Iowa Speedway is further east but that's usually a companion event with the K&N East series). 4. Spen posted: 06.14.2011 - 5:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Winston west also ran the 1994 Brickyard 400 as a compainion race. They also ran a race at Twin Ring Motegi, and you can't get much further east than that. 5. RaceFanX posted: 12.05.2012 - 10:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The West series has since run standalone races in Minnesota since I made that post. 6. RACE34 posted: 07.29.2014 - 3:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I really wish at least an ARCA or NASCAR K&N race would come back and run on the Road Course. 7. RACE34 posted: 05.06.2015 - 2:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So, the city of Topeka voted no on the issue of STAR BONDS to pay off the debt the track owes. I'm sure the track will be foreclosed on and we can probably kiss the NHRA Kansas Nationals goodbye. This is such and underrated track that has been the victim of bad owners. Lario Enterprises almost ran the track into the ground in 2002 and then Raymond Irwin came along and made millions of dollars of improvements to the facility in 2003 and then pretty much after that he started neglecting the responsibilities of the track too. The only decade that this track really boomed was the 1990's when it had NHRA, NASCAR, IMSA, ARCA, AMA, ASA, WOO (World of Outlaws), the SCCA, a proposed CART (now Indycar) race that never happened and much more. I really hope someone buys this track and gives it the chance it truly deserves. I also hope the NHRA will come back after 2015 if we are lucky. 8. RACE34 posted: 07.02.2015 - 1:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) OMG, now the city of Topeka has shut off the water because of overdue bills. Good job Raymond Irwin, you destroy a perfectly great facility and are getting rewarded for it!!! I really hope someone buys it and runs it right!!! 9. RACE34 posted: 08.31.2015 - 5:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am so HAPPY that this track is being saved!!! Does anyone else remember the truck races on the road course? Some guy from Minnesota is buying it that once owned a NHRA funny car team. 10. RaceFanX posted: 08.31.2015 - 7:50 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This track was the first new major professional race track built in the United States in about 20 years when it was constructed in the late 1980s. The goal for the Topeka track was to attract many professional series including NASCAR Winston Cup and IndyCar although those plans never came to fruition. Still the track became a NHRA staple and it hosted premiere IMSA Camel GT action from 1989 to 1991. The Truck series always put on a good show here. I'd love to see a stock car series back in competition on the road course. 11. RACE34 posted: 12.17.2015 - 1:35 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) This track is going to turn into another North Wilkesboro Speedway!!! Left to rot for many years!!! The new ownership group (International Motorsports Entertainment and Development Co.) just terminated their contract to take over the track with the bank this morning. The stupid, uneducated constituents of Topeka are largely responsible for what will possibly happen to this facility. Sad how some people have no respect for motorsports!!! 12. RACE34 posted: 12.17.2015 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Now they have just announced that Shelby LLC, another track owning company has bought it!!! What a turn of events!!! 13. Tylor Thaber posted: 12.17.2015 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (7) @12 You're...really friggin' excited about this, aren't you? 14. RACE34 posted: 12.17.2015 - 8:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @13 Yes I am. I only live a few minutes away from there. This track was never given a fair chance to succeed because of poor ownership. The only major event it currently hosts is the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, everything else is local track racing either on the drag strip, dirt track, or road course. It may not be known nationwide but the NASCAR truck series ran on the road course from 1995-99, and also a few ARCA races. Also the World of Outlaws have run on the dirt track. 15. RaceFanX posted: 12.17.2015 - 10:35 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The road course hosted the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in 2006, 2007, and 2008. The 2006 Runoffs included the only two SCCA Trans-Am races run that season, the last before the famous series died off temporarily (it came back in 2009). 16. Tylor Thaber posted: 12.18.2015 - 9:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) Jeez, what's with all the dislikes for @13? I was just wondering why Race34 was so ecstatic. No matter, I suppose. This, in my opinion, is a track with an excellent layout but really meh racing, kind of like the old street circuit at Valencia. Also, note: The 2016 NHRA schedule is out, and Topeka isn't on it. 17. RACE34 posted: 12.18.2015 - 6:22 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @16 I respect your opinion. The racing was better in the 1997-99 races on the 2.1 mile configuration than it was in the 1995-96 races on the 1.8 mile configuration IMO. Many drivers did enjoy racing here however. Also about the NHRA event not being on the schedule next year, the NHRA is talking with the new ownership group about holding the event not only next year but with a long term contract. I don't know what will happen, but many people in the local racing community and midwestern drag racing fans do care about this facility and I am excited about it because I want it to succeed. 18. RACE34 posted: 12.19.2015 - 1:50 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The NHRA has added Heartland Park Topeka to the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Another step in the right direction for this track!!! 19. RACE34 posted: 05.11.2016 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Will now include a motocross track along with the drag strip, dirt track, and road course. 20. RACE34 posted: 05.21.2016 - 7:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It is now the home of some new NHRA National Records. Matt Hagan laid down the National Record ET and Speed for Funny Car with an ET of 3.862 and a Speed of 335.57 mph. Also, Brittany Force ran the new National Speed Record for Top Fuel Dragster with an ET of 3.676. 21. Anthony posted: 09.05.2016 - 7:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) run this track instead of the cookie cutter track up the road 22. RACE34 posted: 11.04.2016 - 3:02 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) The road course is in the process of being repaved. It needed it!!! It was really cool when the NASCAR trucks ran there in the mid to late 90's. I know NASCAR probably won't come back again because of Kansas Speedway, but it would be nice to get some major racing series to compete on it again. 23. RaceFanX posted: 11.28.2017 - 6:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The final road course race in ASA history was held here in 1995. The race was won by future NASCAR racer Tony Raines. 24. Motorsports Man posted: 12.12.2017 - 6:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On December 4th, the track officially changed its name to Heartland Motorsports Park. 25. Mr. Checkered posted: 06.16.2018 - 6:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Camping World Truck Series definitely needs more short tracks and road courses. I would be in favor of taking the trucks away from Kansas Speedway if it meant coming back to this track. One less 1.5 mile track on the schedule. 26. Mr.Checkered posted: 04.06.2019 - 9:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Shawnee County is trying to tax this track into bankruptcy. Luckily, track owner Chris Payne is going to fight it. We need MORE tracks, not less!!! 27. Mr.Checkered posted: 01.19.2021 - 10:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) They have disassembled the dirt track in Topeka in favor of a new facility near Kansas City. Very sad!!! Dragstrip and road course are still active for now. Chris Payne is a shady owner. 28. RaceFanX posted: 03.16.2021 - 2:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 1989 to 1991 IMSA races here were known as the Camel Grand Prix of the Heartland, with the GT and prototype cars running separate races over the course of the weekend. The overall GTP winners of the event were Geoff Brabham in the #83 Nissan in 1989, Juan Manuel Fangio II in the #99 Toyota in 1990, and Chip Robinson in the #84 Nissan in 1991. Fangio's 1990 victory was especially notable as being the first-ever GTP victory for Toyota with the brand coming to dominate IMSA GTP racing in the years that followed before the class' termination after 1993. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: