Auto racing history in the Region spans more than a century of time
In 1895, on an icy Thanksgiving Day, the first organized auto race in the United States took place in Chicago.
Six cars made it to the starting line on the morning of Nov. 28, 1895, where 10 inches of snow covered the ground. The “track” was from Jackson Park on the South Side to Evanston, Illinois, on the north and back, and the
first car to finish took just over 10 hours, averaging a speed of 7.3 miles per hour.
The winner of the 2018 Indianapolis 500, Will Power, of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, claimed the checkered flag after 200 laps and the field averaged 166.9 mph. Times have changed, but the spirit of the driving cars fast around the 2.5-mile track in Indianapolis in May is a Hoosier trait.
The 103rd Indianapolis 500, held annually over Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place Sunday.
“For being a Hoosier, to me, it’s the greatest race in the world,” said Jack Kalwasinski, a former latemodel stock car racer from Dyer. “I’m more into stock cars, but I went to a lot of open-wheel races throughout my life.”
Kalwasinski, born and raised in the Region, began racing at age 9 — first with go-carts and later with stock cars. He said his dad, Stan Kalwasinski, was the one who got him into the sport. Stan Kalwasinski has been involved in auto racing for nearly 50 years, as a photographer and a writer, according to his profile on Speed Sport. Stan Kalwasinski also created the website KalRacing about Chicagoland auto racing.
Jack Kalwasinski said he stopped racing five years ago, and with three daughters he prefers to be able to spend his free time with them. Even if he doesn’t race himself, though, he said he still enjoys watching.
“I've probably been to 100 different race tracks in the c o u n t r y,” Jack Kalwasinski said.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909, and the first 500-mile race took place in 1911. While it may be one of the largest auto-racing tracks, it wasn’t the only track to be raced on in the state.
In the past, races could be seen on tracks in Hammond, which was home to three tracks — Roby Speedway, Hammond Raceway and Wolf Lake Speedway — before World War II.
The Illiana Motor Speedway, a closed racetrack in Schererville, was built in the late 1940s. When it first opened, it was a simple half-mile dirt track — one that wasn’t paved over until almost 20 years later. The track closed in 2016 when owner Mike Mikuly sold it to the town of Schererville.
With a history of racing in the area, Northwest Indiana proves to be a hub for some former and current drivers.
For D.J. Weltmeyer, a Dyer driver for the Weltmeyer Racing Team, racing is a family event. Weltmeyer said his dad, Dave, got him into driving in 2011 when he was 16 or 17, though his uncle, Bob, drives, too.
“It’s a big family ordeal,” Weltmeyer said. “We have full support from my parents, my mom, my sister, my girlfriend is there with us all the time, and the family goes and watches. Everybody kind of knows what’s going on within our team.”
Weltmeyer is currently building a car for the year with his father to race at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill. He said he is looking forward to going out six to 10 times this year.
While Weltmeyer may not always be able to drive himself, he said he enjoys watching, especially if he knows someone who is racing.
“It’s always more fun when you know somebody doing it,” Weltmeyer said. “You can kind of relate to them — it’s not just a car out there.”
Weltmeyer said he watches the Indy 500 every year, and while he hasn’t been able to attend it just yet, he’d like to. While watching as someone who drives, he said he looks for plenty of different things.
“You’re watching their lines and who’s gaining who and when, on what part of the corner is somebody better than somebody else,” Weltmeyer said. “You got a lot of respect for the guys out there that are doing it.”
Weltmeyer said driving and watching provide extremely different perspectives, and create different emotions.
“I have yet to find anything that is even close to comparing to how much of a rush it is to drive these things,” Weltmeyer said. “From the start of the day to the end of the night, you’re working your heart out the whole time.”