News

The IRA Lightning Sprints have released their preliminary 2026 Schedule. Still looking at filling one more date, but currently we see 16 races across 4 tracks. Wilmot Raceway will continue to be our base with 9 dates. Sycamore Speedway sees 4 dates and including their season opener with all 3 IRA classes as well as the 4th annual John Smith Memorial. A Sunday Funday event with the IRA Sprints at 141 Speedway on Memorial day weekend and 2 dates at Plymouth Dirt Track including the season...more

Once again, longtime supporter and Series sponsor, 1175 Sports Park and Eatery hosted the IRA Lightning Sprint Banquet, marking the completion of year 35 for the club. The evening was emceed by series competitor Tim Brannam and featured awards and door prizes from several series sponsors and supporters like Hoosier Racing Tire, Hepfner Racing Products, CSI Shocks, Hyper Racing, Allstar Performance, Bell Helmets, Wilwood Engineering, Triple X Race Components, Slade Shocks, Force 1 Performance...more

The ILS banquet will be Saturday, December 6th at series sponsor 1175 Sports Park and Eatery in Kansasville, WI at 6:30pm. Tickets are $35 each. Please send checks payable to IRA to Mike Neau by November 19th. You can reach out to Mike via email at mneau@wi.rr.com or ira.lightning.sprints@gmail.com for mailing address. Thanks and see you there!

(Grayslake, IL, Wednesday, October 22, 2025)--Colin Sivia of Winthrop Harbor, IL, 13-year-old 8th grader, shared his knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion for racing with over 6,000 junior high through high school students at the Navig8Lake County event Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Colin, the fourth generation driver and 11-75 Sports Complex and Eatery IRA Lightning Sprints 2025 Rookie of the Year, showed the students how to change a tire, explaining the workings of his lightning sprint and...more

(Plymouth, Wis., Saturday, September 27, 2025)-- For Mike Neau of Pleasant Prairie, the 11-75 Sports Complex & Eatery IRA Lightning Sprints season finale was somewhat of a repeat as he scored the feature win for the second year in a row, part of the Wisconsin Sprint Championships at Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, September 27. "Last year when I won, I didn't know if I was going to retire or not," admitted Neau, who ran a limited schedule this season. "Winning here again, coming out of...more

(Plymouth, Wis., Saturday, September 20, 2025)--Wisconsin Sprints Championship Night is next up for Plymouth Dirt Track on Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. Despite valiant efforts by Nick Simons, promoter, and along with his fellow track prep crew the 8th Annual Jim "Wildman" Watson Classic on Saturday, September 20 at Plymouth was cancelled after a second heavy rain hit the facility just as the Bandit 4-Cylinder Stock Cars first heat was taking to the track. After an earlier...more

(Wilmot, Wis., Saturday, September 13, 2025)--In a battle of the young guns, 16-year-old Brian Strane Jr. of Paris edged out 13-year-old Colin Sivia of Winthrop Harbor, IL by .032 seconds to score the win in the 20-lap 11-75 Sports Complex & Eatery IRA Lightning Sprints main on night two of the Wilmot Raceway 75th Anniversary 2nd Annual Fall Classic. on Saturday, September 13. "It was a hard win but a fun battle with Colin," said Strane following his sixth main event win of the season...more

(Wilmot, Wis., Saturday, September 6, 2025)--Big Bend's Chad Stouthamer used a lot of knowledge learned from Waukesha's Mark Heinert to pick up the 11-75 Sports Complex & Eatery IRA Lightning Sprints Wilmot Raceway 75th Season Championship Saturday, September 6, 2025. "I learned a lot from Mark and he helped me quite a bit when I was first getting started in lightning sprints," admitted Stouthamer following a runner-up finish in the 20-lap feature. "I would have rather had Mark right behind...more

(Beaver Dam, Wis., Saturday, August 30, 2025)--Nick Petska of Spring Grove, IL possibly closed out the 11-75 Sports Complex & Eatery's final appearance ever at Beaver Dam Raceway by scoring the victory in the Harry Nietzel/Jim Wipperfurth Memorial Tribute 20-lap feature Saturday, August 30, 2025. "It's kind of nice if this turns out the lights on the lightning sprints here at Beaver Dam Raceway, but it's sad, too, that it could be going away," Petska commented following his sixth feature win...more

(Sycamore, IL)--Jacob Irwin of Genoa City led flag to flag for his first ever 11-75 Sports Complex & Eatery 25-lap feature Saturday, August 23, 2025 at Sycamore Speedway highlighting the John Smith Memorial. "It's unbelievable," said 16-year-old Irwin, joined by his family in victory lane. "I listened to a lot of people who kept giving me help along the way, and it finally all came together." "I was actually kind of relieved to have the yellow come out so I was able to take some breaths and...more