Berlin Raceway is a 7/16-mile-long paved oval race track in Marne, Michigan,[1] near Grand Rapids. The track races weekly as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.[2] It has also held touring series events on the ARCA Menards Series,[3] ARCA Menards Series East,[3] American Speed Association National Tour,[3] USAC Stock Cars, USAC Silver Crown, World of Outlaws Sprint cars, and World of Outlaws Late Model Series tours.
 Travis Braden in victory lane at Berlin in 2014 | |
| Location | 2060 Berlin Fair Drive Marne, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Time zone | Eastern (U.S.) |
| Coordinates | 43°2′8″N 85°50′7″W / 43.03556°N 85.83528°W |
| Capacity | 9,000 |
| Owner | Berlin Fair |
| Operator | DBD Ventures |
| Opened | 1951 |
| Major events | ARCA Menards Series Zinsser SmartCoat 200 SRL National Tour Tekton 250 Battle at Berlin Money in the Bank 150 |
| Length | 7/16 miles (0.704 km) |
| Turns | 4 Turns |
| Banking | 13° corners, 9° straightaways |
| Race lap record | 12.513 seconds (Brian Gerster, , 2018, Sprint Car) |
The track opened in 1950. It was originally a horse track before World War II. Berlin's current track record is 12.513 seconds, set by Brian Gerster in 2018 in a winged sprint car.[4] Berlin Raceway takes its name from the city of Marne's original name "Berlin," which was changed due to Anti-German sentiment following World War I.[5]
History
editThe track was developed by the Chester Mysliwiec family in 1950.[1] It was purchased by the West Michigan Whitecaps in 2001.[1] The group made numerous improvements to the facilities such as new bathrooms, updated catch fences, and a new sound system.[1] Dirt was temporarily placed over the pavement after the 2017 regular season and three touring series visited the track in September / October - American Ethanol Late Model Tour, American Ethanol Modified Tour and Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt.[6] Some racing scenes for the movie God Bless the Broken Road were recorded at the track in early 2016 for the 2018 film.[7] The track dropped its Super Stock and Modified classes in 2020 and added a class of Limited Late Models.[8] Other classes include Super Late Models, Sportsman, 4 Cylinder, and Mini-Wedges.[8] Berlin Raceway won the 2021 Advance Auto Parts 'Advance My Track Challenge' $50,000 award beating out Hudson Speedway in New Hampshire and Alaska Raceway Park.[9]
Some drivers that have come from the track are Jack Sprague, Tim Steele,[1] 1967 track champion Bob Senneker,[10] and 2017 Super Late Model track champion Carson Hocevar.[2] 1989 track Outlaw Late Model champion Johnny Benson Jr.[11] described the track as "one of the most difficult tracks in the country."[1] The track has a 13-degree banking in turns and 9-degree banking on the straightaways.[1] The track is notable for the lack of an outside wall on the back straightaway, a rare feature for a track featuring national series races. In addition, the short straights make it feel almost circular.
ARCA winners
editReference:[12]
- August 2, 1986 Bob Keselowski
- July 10, 1999 Frank Kimmel
- July 15, 2000 Tim Steele
- September 22, 2001 Tim Steele
- July 20, 2002 Fred Campbell
- May 24, 2003 Frank Kimmel
- July 3, 2004 Frank Kimmel
- July 16, 2005 Joey Miller
- July 15, 2006 Brian Keselowski
- July 7, 2007 Brian Keselowski
- July 26, 2008 Scott Speed
- July 25, 2009 Justin Lofton
- August 7, 2010 Joey Coulter
- July 9, 2011 Matt Merrell
- August 11, 2012 Chris Buescher
- August 10, 2013 Erik Jones
- August 9, 2014 Grant Enfinger
- August 8, 2015 Grant Enfinger
- August 6, 2016 Dalton Sargeant
- July 21, 2018 Joe Graf Jr.
- July 17, 2021 Daniel Dye
- June 18, 2022 Sammy Smith
- June 17, 2023 William Sawalich
- June 29, 2024 William Sawalich
American Speed Association Winners
editBob Senneker won seven ASA National tour races at the track.[10] Other winners on the ASA National tour starting in 1998 include:[12]
- June 13, 1998 Gary St. Amant
- August 2, 1998 Scott Hansen
- June 5, 1999 Mike Miller
- August 14, 1999 Mike Miller
- July 14, 2001 Butch Miller
- June 1, 2002 Butch Miller
- August 2, 2003 Peter Cozzolino
- June 12, 2004 Mike Eddy
ARCA Menards Series East Winners
editOne race held in 2017 under the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East[13]
- July 1, 2017 Todd Gilliland
One race held in 1973 called the Coca-Cola 100[14]
- August 17, 1973 Bob Senneker
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Berlin Raceway". Michigan. Michigan Economic Development Corporation. December 29, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Kaminski, Steve (July 30, 2019). "2017 Berlin Raceway champ Carson Hocevar to make NASCAR debut". mlive.
- ^ a b c "Berlin Raceway Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "Track Records". Berlin Raceway. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. p. 354. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
- ^ "Berlin Raceway Goes Dirt for First of Three Big Shows Saturday". American Ethanol Modified Tour. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ Brenzing, Bob (May 10, 2016). "Berlin Raceway among locations for new faith-based film". WXMI. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Berlin Raceway dropping two divisions, adding new one in 2020". mlive. 23 October 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "Advance My Track Challenge". Fox 17 online. 13 May 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ a b Steve, Kaminski (August 11, 2015). "Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame to induct racing great Bob Senneker". mlive. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ "Johnny Benson Jr. to compete in Keyser's Port City Racing 125 at Berlin May 8". Constantcontact.com. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ a b "winners at Berlin Raceway". Racing Reference. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR K&N Pro Series East". Racing Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "1973 Coca Cola 100". Racing Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
External links
edit- Speedway website
- Berlin Raceway race results at Racing-Reference
- Berlin Raceway race results at The Third Turn