An aerial look of the Speedway taken June 7 shows the full oval, the inner oval and its Figure 8 track.
MONROE —The Evergreen Speedway in Monroe is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and it plans to celebrate all season.
“We have been around since the 1950s, so all season, we have been sharing stories and posting old photos,” said Traci Hobbs, the director of sales and marketing for the track. Hobbs and her husband, Doug Hobbs, have managed the track for 14 years.
What sets this venue apart is its diverse track layout, featuring a 5/8-mile paved outer oval, a 3/8-mile paved inner oval, a 1/5-mile paved inner oval, a renowned figure-eight track, and a 3/4-mile road course.
Evergreen Speedway earned the title of the “Super Speedway of the West,” a distinction bestowed by racing legend David Pearson during his visits to this venue. Before the superspeedways in California and Nevada, Evergreen hosted numerous NASCAR 500-lap events. Today, it serves as the home for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, local autocross and drift racing days, and is a stop on the Formula Drift national tour.
The track is the only NASCAR-sanctioned track in Washington State. Track officials hope to bring back NASCAR’s Truck Series that last ran here in the 2000 season.
Opening in 1954, it was paved in the 1960s. Its covered grandstand accommodates up to 7,500 spectators, complemented by 5,000 uncovered seats.
June 15 will be driver reunion night, where five more Evergreen Speedway legends will be inducted into the track’s top drivers list, including over 60 members.
This year’s driver class includes Mark Weedin, Jimmie Harter, Ricky Dietz, Jim Foti and Ken Schukar.
“The Speedway has been a fixture in the community and is a very family-oriented sport. The sponsors help keep it going, and multiple families and generations are involved with the racing teams,” Hobbs said.
The Hobbs’ are working hard to give back to the community by holding 50/50 raffles for nonprofits, charity car shows and donating to various causes.
Snohomish County resident Steven Moseley is a fan who enjoys going to the track and appreciates the atmosphere on race day.
“When they have a special event going on — fireworks, race cars, and a full crowd — it’s a fun atmosphere,” he said.
In addition to being a fan, Moseley also enjoys participating in some of the programming.
“My personal favorite is autocross day. Every racer brings their personal car to get the best time attack around the course. I have the best-sounding car and always get complimented there,” he said.
Many local racers from Snohomish County have started and grown their careers at Evergreen Speedway. Snohomish’s Kevin Hamlin, for one.
Mackenzie Deitz has been at the track since a young age and now competes there with her Monroe-based family team. Deitz grew up in the stands watching her family race over three generations. She started racing competitively in 2017 when she drove in Figure 8 races. She is currently in the Super Stock Figure 8 class but has also driven in the Outlaw Figure 8 class.
To her, the track is unique and holds special meaning.
“I grew up here (at the track), and having one of the only NASCAR-sanctioned tracks in WA is pretty special. We get some big-name drivers and events. In addition, we have quite a bit of diversity among our drivers. Many rookies, veterans, youth, with an increase of female competitors, which is great to see,” Deitz said.
For Deitz and her team, she hopes the 70th at Evergreen Speedway brings a championship.
“I’d love to continue seeing growth in classes as well as fans continuing to come out to watch,” she added.
“It’s a great family-friendly venue with a night full of action-packed racing,” she said.
The track has been driven by a fair share of top-level NASCAR drivers in its history.
One is NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, who participated in the Winston West races at Evergreen every year from 1986 to 1994.
Some pros grew their careers running Evergreen’s oval, one being Kevin Harvick, now a NASCAR Cup Series champion. Another is Greg Biffle, a Washington State local from Camas, who drove at Evergreen Speedway and went on to race in NASCAR’s Cup Series.
Racing at Evergreen Speedway is running from this spring until October. During its 70th year, in addition to racing, the track will host fireworks nights and a host of promotions. For their full schedule, see their website: evergreenspeedway.com
Amber Taylor and David Nelson - Elevate Racing Media
Circle track stock car racing action at Evergreen Speedway, one of the variety of motorsports at the track.
