Korsmo, Hawkeye Downs passionate about asphalt growth

CEDAR RAPIDS - Hawkeye Downs Speedway is not going back to dirt any time soon.

No, despite the pining of fans who remember the days before the track was paved in 1989, Hawkeye Downs General Manager Roy Nowers, race promoter Kevin Korsmo and everyone else at the speedway is set on rebuilding the famed speedway's status as the only paved ½ and ¼-mile racetrack in the state.

As they've said on several occasions, the process to getting Hawkeye Downs to where it was in the early- to mid-1990s isn't going to be fast or easy. But with Korsmo on the watch, they're going to do everything they can to make it happen.

'I'm passionate about having Hawkeye Downs survive as an asphalt track. We hear all the time, ‘It needs to be a dirt track.' Well, we have plenty of fantastic dirt tracks in the area, we don't need another dirt track. I'd like to have this asphalt thing work out. I don't want it to die under my time. We're working hard for that not to happen,” Korsmo said. 'Nothing is built overnight; it's just not going to happen that way. If we keep making steps forward, that's the goal.”

Korsmo has dedicated many weeknights - and even the majority of his wedding anniversary - this spring to getting new drivers up to speed in the effort to grow different classes at Hawkeye Downs.

Three new drivers in the Legends division have spent significant time at the track, all on nights where Korsmo has opened the track for otherwise non-regular practice nights to help them get up to speed. Joan Feller, Austin Slabaugh and Stacy Olson all lauded Korsmo's dedication and willingness to help them be ready for Friday's season-opener.

Korsmo, who will still race himself on Friday nights in the Legends class, said his aforementioned passion for the track's survival is the main push for so much extra time, but also the feeling of joy when it all clicks for a new racer.

'I just love working with these people,” Korsmo said. 'It brings a smile to my face in watching these new drivers go from a 24-second lap to an 18-second lap on the quarter-mile. We've got a great mixture of young and old, and it's a lot of fun for me. My wife and family loves it too. I'm doing it because I love to do it; it's not a job to me.”

All three newcomers had nearly the exact same thing to say when asked about Korsmo's efforts to grow the speedway.

Slabaugh, who is soon set to graduate from Mid-Prairie High School, set foot in a racecar for the first time this spring. He said going from being a football player to a racer has been a transition he's handled with curiosity and eagerness, but the help he's gotten has been invaluable.

His mom, Kathy, also has been able to have peace of mind with her son exploring a new sport.

'He's been a lot of help. My husband Mer has talked to him a lot. From times to practice to what we need, the equipment we need, all that stuff,” Kathy said. 'It takes away the first race jitters, I guess, him helping.”

Olson, who is part of the Olson family of racers - including cousins Tony and Kyle, as well as her uncles Russ and Randy, dad Dave and brother Rob - has help from her boyfriend and Sportsmen racer Dave McCalla in the effort to go Legends racing.

But as much as McCalla has been there to guide her, she said they wouldn't be at the track and continuing her family hobby if it wasn't for Korsmo.

'My family loves it. They never, ever thought I'd do it. It's awesome,” Olson said. '(Kevin) has been a great help. He'll text Dave all the time asking if we want to come out and practice or if we need help. He helped us look for cars online. He's always wanting to see the car and help us.

'Dave has raced for 20 years, and stopped racing out here in 2011. Kevin got more involved and now he's back and I'm out here. It shows he's going to bring more people in because he cares about everybody like it was his own kid.”

The season kicks off on Friday with regular points racing, and weekly racing continues through Aug. 21. Two major events highlight the schedule, including the Big 8 Series race on June 5 and the ARCA Midwest Tour Super Late Model race on Sept. 5.

The Midwest Tour race came under some fire from fans after its release date, as the race is the same day as the Iowa Hawkeyes open their football season against Ball State at Kinnick Stadium. Korsmo said the date was selected by the owners of that series, and Hawkeye Downs' eagerness to get the tour back to Cedar Rapids - and, quite honestly, give the fans a better show than the rain-plagued event last year - meant taking that date despite the conflict.

He did say, though, in an effort to meet fans halfway, the start time of the race was changed from midday to 7 p.m., to hopefully encourage fans to attend both the football game and the race.

'Last year the weather really messed with us, and fans and sponsors deserve a better day for it,” Korsmo said. 'Midwest Tour themselves picked the date. We wanted them back so it was a plus for us.

'Obviously, the Iowa conflict was one of the first things that came up after. We're Iowa fans as well. And on the same token, there's several Iowa games and just one ARCA Midwest Tour race, so I have to air on the side of that, too. Time-wise, it's going to be a 7 p.m. race, so we're hoping race fans come from the Iowa win and right back to the racetrack on the way home. We did adjust the times later based on the conflict.”

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