Story By Kevin Litwin | Photography By Brian McCord
What’s Online Catch the action at the Gillette Thunder Speedway at imagesgillette.com.
H
ere’s the dirt on motorsports in Gillette – they are alive and well, and exciting. One rollicking example is the high-banked, 3/8-mile, dirt track oval of the Gillette Thunder Speedway, a popular racing venue whose attendance has grown steadily over the years. Motorsports action at the speedway takes place every Saturday night from mid-April to mid-September. The Gillette Thunder was established in 1977, but moved to its current location on the eastern portion of the CAM-PLEX property in 2004. CAM-PLEX donated the land to the track, and the speedway holds its weekly races as a nonprofit organization.
The divisions that compete each Saturday night are late models, limiteds, B-modifieds, A-modifieds and thunder stocks. Other events include two sprint car races that are scheduled twice a year, a monster truck competition and the nationally known World of Outlaws series that makes an appearance at Gillette Thunder every July. “On any given Saturday night, we have 85-115 cars out here competing, with 1,5001,800 people in the pit road areas and another 600-1,000 people in the grandstands,” says Ed Kirchoff, promoter of the Gillette Thunder Speedway. “No kidding, this is one of the best manicured dirt tracks in Wyoming – it is real friendly to the tires and the car chassis. Plus it’s
• Our buses are clean and comfortable with air conditioning and restrooms • Wheelchair accessible buses available upon request • Charter and contract services
1700 E. Hwy. 14-16 • Gillette, WY • (307) 682-0960 • Toll-free: (800) 442-3682 E-mail: powderriver.charters@coachamerica.com • www.gillette.coachamerica.com