Photo above taken by student, Katelyn Neuburg
INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH (written December 2013)
“Racing is in my blood.” Some would argue the desire to race comes from the personality traits within. Others would conclude that the desire to race is taught by various socializing agents around a person.
Drive past the Raceway Tavern or the Tri-Par gas station on the corner of Hwy 60 and Hwy 175 in Slinger, Wisconsin at any time of the year, and there are visual reminders of the presence of a racing culture in the Slinger community. Drive through Slinger on a summer late Sunday afternoon or early evening and you’ll see the race cars on trailers coming into to town and hear the engines revving in the distance. Walk through the halls at Slinger High School and you'll see motocross and auto racing shirts and jackets.
The race track in Slinger is relatively well known among those in auto racing. Open the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sports section when the Slinger Nationals are taking place in July and there is usually an article discussing the mix of national and local racers and racing fans that converge on the Slinger Super Speedway. The West Bend Daily News consistently has articles specifically on racing during the racing season. For many generations in the Slinger Area, attending or racing at the race track in Slinger has become a strong norm.
For younger racers, there are rites of passage: helping build their first go-kart or car, getting sponsors, picking car design, their first race, potentially their first win, etc. Approximately fifteen students at Slinger High School in the 2013-2014 school year race at the Speedway. Several others do not race, but have parents or relatives who do. For spouses and family members, racing season may bring with it a sense of routine or a shared family experience.
Middle-aged or older adults in the area tell stories about early racing legends Miles “the Mouse” Melius, Bill “the Cat” Johnson, or Wisconsin natives who went onto become household names nationally like Dick Trickle, Alan Kulwicki, Matt Kenseth and others. Others reminisce about NASCAR Hall of Famers like Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace racing at the track. Many, like the most recent co-owner of the race track, Rodney Erickson, who along with Todd Thelen took over the race track from his dad, Wayne, in 2013, understand the cross-generational importance of racing in the Slinger community as well as importance of preserving its stories. “I grew up at the race track. Its success and the stories are very important to me. I know we have a lot of young racers at Slinger High School who it’s important to and a lot of community members who like coming to the races at Slinger.”
Sociology and history students in 2013-2014 at Slinger High School decided to study various aspects of the racing culture in the Slinger area with the hopes of making conclusions about the racing culture locally as well as to try to preserve some of the memories from the Slinger Super Speedway. Students added more research in 2017 about the Working Lives that help sustain the race track.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE TABS AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT SOME HISTORY AND CULTURE OF RACING IN THE SLINGER AREA. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS
INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH (written December 2013)
“Racing is in my blood.” Some would argue the desire to race comes from the personality traits within. Others would conclude that the desire to race is taught by various socializing agents around a person.
Drive past the Raceway Tavern or the Tri-Par gas station on the corner of Hwy 60 and Hwy 175 in Slinger, Wisconsin at any time of the year, and there are visual reminders of the presence of a racing culture in the Slinger community. Drive through Slinger on a summer late Sunday afternoon or early evening and you’ll see the race cars on trailers coming into to town and hear the engines revving in the distance. Walk through the halls at Slinger High School and you'll see motocross and auto racing shirts and jackets.
The race track in Slinger is relatively well known among those in auto racing. Open the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sports section when the Slinger Nationals are taking place in July and there is usually an article discussing the mix of national and local racers and racing fans that converge on the Slinger Super Speedway. The West Bend Daily News consistently has articles specifically on racing during the racing season. For many generations in the Slinger Area, attending or racing at the race track in Slinger has become a strong norm.
For younger racers, there are rites of passage: helping build their first go-kart or car, getting sponsors, picking car design, their first race, potentially their first win, etc. Approximately fifteen students at Slinger High School in the 2013-2014 school year race at the Speedway. Several others do not race, but have parents or relatives who do. For spouses and family members, racing season may bring with it a sense of routine or a shared family experience.
Middle-aged or older adults in the area tell stories about early racing legends Miles “the Mouse” Melius, Bill “the Cat” Johnson, or Wisconsin natives who went onto become household names nationally like Dick Trickle, Alan Kulwicki, Matt Kenseth and others. Others reminisce about NASCAR Hall of Famers like Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace racing at the track. Many, like the most recent co-owner of the race track, Rodney Erickson, who along with Todd Thelen took over the race track from his dad, Wayne, in 2013, understand the cross-generational importance of racing in the Slinger community as well as importance of preserving its stories. “I grew up at the race track. Its success and the stories are very important to me. I know we have a lot of young racers at Slinger High School who it’s important to and a lot of community members who like coming to the races at Slinger.”
Sociology and history students in 2013-2014 at Slinger High School decided to study various aspects of the racing culture in the Slinger area with the hopes of making conclusions about the racing culture locally as well as to try to preserve some of the memories from the Slinger Super Speedway. Students added more research in 2017 about the Working Lives that help sustain the race track.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE TABS AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT SOME HISTORY AND CULTURE OF RACING IN THE SLINGER AREA. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS
