4/16/2026
Rice Lake Speedway
Rice Lake Speedway Opener Set For April 25th
Rice Lake WI – The Rice Lake Speedway is set to open their gates to the racers and the fans for the first time in 2026 on Saturday night, April 25th and according to speedway spokesman and co-track owner Kolby Kiehl, the track is ready for racing to begin.
Kiehl, who is in charge of preparation of the racing surface, is excited about the prospects for great racing on the track this year. “I have been on the track a number of times already with both the grader and the other heavy equipment and the surface is firm and smooth and should provide an excellent surface for the drivers,” he stated. He is eager to see how the new dirt that was applied last Fall along with the reshaped corners will race. “We already had cars on the track last Fall after the new clay was applied so I'm confident that the track will be ready for racing on opening night.”
Opening night will feature a full program of racing in five divisions with WISSOTA sanctioned Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks and Pure Stocks all in action. All defending track champions are expected back to defend their titles with a number of other contenders expected to provide a stiff challenge.
Along with the weekly five class programs, a number of special events are also slated for the track with every class having at least one special event to highlight their schedule, along with both WISSOTA and USRA Late Models making appearances along with Legend Cars and Outlaw Mini Mods. The season will once again conclude on Labor Day weekend with the third annual Dairyland Dash two day event.
Continued improvements, some visible and others not so much, continue to be made at the facility as Rice Lake Speedway LLC continues to upgrade the entire facility as they begin their third year of ownership of the track.
The good news for the fans is that there will be no increase in admission prices as the ownership group continues to hold the line on price increases while at the same time announcing a twelve per cent purse increase for the drivers along with a new track point fund for 2026.
A practice session is scheduled for the drivers on Thursday night, April 23rd when racers in all classes are invited to turn laps on the track from 6-9 pm.. Fans will be allowed to watch from the grandstands for free and concessions will be available. If the forecast for April 23rd is not good, there is the possibility that the practice may be moved up earlier into the week so that should be monitored.
On April 25th, the pit gates will open at 3 pm, the grandstands will open to the fans at 4 pm and racing will begin at 6 pm.
For the latest announcements and updates, the speedway website at www.ricelakespeedway.net and the track's face book page should be monitored. The race day phone number of information is 715-236-2002.
Article Credit: Ed Reichert