Legends return for full schedule at Hawkeye Downs Speedway

CEDAR RAPIDS – Legend cars racing at Hawkeye Downs Speedway has come full circle.

The last eight years it has gone from Landon Cassill winning the track championship to leaving the track to a limited return to points races again.

The division is running a full schedule at the asphalt track for the first time since 2003, and will be part of the weekly points races Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m. The Legends are back for a second straight year, running part-time in 2010 after a seven years away from Hawkeye Downs.

Warren Ropp, who runs Bulltown Legends of Iowa in Kalona, started his 17th season racing Legends. He began at the track and received a call from Hawkeye Downs Race Promoter Mike Becker during the offseason about increased Legends appearances this summer.

“He asked us if we'd be part of his show and if we would commit to every Friday night,” Ropp said. “We decided we would. We'll see how things go. The only difficult portion of that is that we also run at another track on the same evening.”

Despite the scheduling conflict causing some drivers to choose where to race, Ropp said numbers have been good and he expects them to grow throughout the summer. About 10 drivers competed in the opening night feature last Friday on a cold, windy night.

“It's a whole different group of people and we're starting to see a lot of interest,” said Ropp, who was third last Friday. “Never a week goes by without a phone call from somebody saying we're going to be there anyway with a late model or modified and we just want to bring a Legends also.”

Kyle Hanson, a 13-year-old from Le Sueur, Minn., won the season's first Legends feature at Hawkeye Downs. Tim Brockhouse, also of Le Sueur, Minn., was second.  Ben Schaitel of La Crosse, Wis., competed last Friday. Becker and Ropp both expect a teenage driver from Kansas City to make appearances at the track this summer, and Ropp said a female driver from Chicago is expected to be in the field this week.

“We're not only pulling from local we're pulling from other states,” Ropp said. “That's a good thing, because we, potentially with what we're seeing happening around the United States with tracks, people want to go race and weather is driving them in our direction.”

Ropp credited Becker's enthusiasm and the promotion efforts of driver Al Diercks, a chiropractor from Davenport, whose Legends cars that resemble Lightning McQueen and Sally Carrera from the Disney movie “Cars” have been regulars at Hawkeye Downs the last two years.

Becker said it will take an effort to build car counts.

“It's a bit more of an established class because legends have been racing around the area for a few years,” Becker said. “It's something we're going to have to get them interested in coming.”

Gates open at 6 p.m. with pre-race ceremonies at 7:15 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for seniors. Students 12 and older are $5 with children under 12 admitted for free.