Times turn hot for Hawkeye Downs racetrack in summer

During the summer months, the track at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids literally and figuratively heats up.

“We are the only paved racetrack with weekly racing in the state of Iowa,” Hawkeye Downs Executive Director Roy Nowers said.

This differentiating factor, however, doesn't come without challenges.

“It's an expensive hobby,” Nowers said. “You have to have tires, fuel and a truck and trailer to haul your car. And with the downturn in the economy we are losing racers.”

It's not unusual to have 60 to 70 cars race per week, while in past years something like 80 to 100 race cars would be registered.

And in today's busy world, it can be difficult to get drivers to consistently race all summer, Nowers said.

“At the end of the year we have a season championship race. We have points and we keep track of that all season long,” he said.

“This is to encourage them to come every Friday night and race. But it's hard to commit to that all summer long.”

Race promoter Mike Becker said that while most of the drivers racing at Hawkeye Downs are local, they have several drivers that come from two to three hours away to race.

Come and go

The season - which runs from May through the last race, scheduled this year for Aug. 23 - features six different racing divisions: late models, modified sportsman, stock car, hobby stocks, hornets, and legends, a fan favorite.

“Cars can register at any time. It used to be more hard core and you wouldn't think of jumping in midsummer. It didn't happen,” Becker said.

“But now we try to make it as easy as we can so people can come and go.”

It's yet another adaptation the industry as a whole has had to make in the past decade, Becker said.

“We didn't do a good job cultivating new fans and competitors,” said Becker, who has been involved with Hawkeye Downs, as a fan and racer, since the 1960s. “We didn't see it coming as racers because we were busy racing. So we are working now to try to create new race fans.”

Becker noted at Hawkeye Downs they created a new program called the Little Racer Club in 2010 for children attending the races.

“We plan different activities for them, and the drivers get involved. The kids leave glowing,” he said.

It's no surprise that sponsorship dollars help sustain the racing program, but with both Hawkeye Downs and the drivers out seeking sponsors, the process can be more complicated.

“There is an unwritten rule that we don't step on each other's toes,” Nowers noted.

The fact that racing is a loud sport can be a challenge as well.

“It's hard to talk to the person sitting next to you,” Nowers admitted, adding that can make it difficult to illicit fan engagement.

Still, on an average Friday night, some 1,500 to 1,600 fans attend.

All Iowa Agriculture

Hawkeye Downs got its start in the 1920s when 10 business men invested $10,000 each to create the Cedar Rapids Amusement Co., which had a heavy agriculture focus. When that venture failed to take off after a year, the city and the convention and visitors bureau stepped in to open the facility as Fonner Park in 1925.

Years later, ownership of the property was turned over to the All Iowa Agriculture Association, a 501(c)3 organization that runs Hawkeye Downs to this day.

Taking up 96 acres on the city's southwest side, Hawkeye Downs is best known for racing. But Nowers - who has worked for the organization since 2006 - said there is more to the enterprise than most consumers realize. Most people don't know Hawkeye Downs is a not-for-profit organization with a $2.25 million annual budget.

“All the money we make goes right back into the facility,” Nowers said.

Led by a volunteer board of a dozen, Nowers and his employees - including Becker as race director and a full-time business manager, along with six other full-time-equivalent positions - keep the enterprise functioning year-round. Nowers said Hawkeye Downs relies heavily on part-time staff - 40 in the winter and about 80 during summer months.

“Everybody knows racing, but there is always something going on,” he added.

Hawkeye Downs hosts Bingo three nights a week, and motocross races take place every other week from April through October. Plus, it hosts some 625 events - from home and boat shows, antique shows and swap meets to business meetings, auctions and trade shows - in the expo hall each year.

“We'll try anything once,” said Nowers of their events. “And if it doesn't work we won't do it again.”

Nowers said one of his main roles is to rent the facilities.

“I try to cultivate our current business and look for new clients,” he said. “We have to work together to create cost-effective cross-marketing opportunities.”

“It's a balance of writing contracts and looking ahead to April of next year, even while we have a race this coming Friday night.”