Hawkeye Downs Speedway and Expo Center

08/29/2025

Our Hawkeye Downs office will be CLOSED on Monday, September 1st, in observance of Labor Day. We will resume normal office hours on Tuesday, September 2nd. Thank you!

08/27/2025

ICYMI 👀 Hawkeye Downs Champions Have Been Crowned

The Gazette

https://www.thegazette.com/sports/hawkeye-downs-champions-have-been-crowned/ #

The champions are Kurt Bohnsack (Hornets), Kevin Korsmo (Legends), Todd Ness (Sportsmans), Tallan Chandler (Sports Mods), Adam Petrzelka (Hobby Stocks), Michael Weber (Late Models) and Garrett Warren (HD Dawgs).

08/27/2025

Our regular season of racing may be over, BUT there is plenty coming up at Hawkeye Downs Speedway and Expo Center to keep you entertained!

September 5-7: Trade Show Productions' Gun Show at Hawkeye Downs
September 12: Iowa Mustangs Unstabled's Cedar Rapids Night Meet
September 13-14: Midwest Shredfest's Closing Time
September 19-21: Vintage Market Days of Eastern Iowa's "Freshly Picked" Fall Market
September 20: Dirt at the Downs Demo Derby presented by Honus Motorsports
..and the action continues with even more Dirt at the Downs events! Stay tuned this week 👀

08/25/2025

08/24/2025

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO 🧠
🏁 200-Lap Enduro Presented by Marion Tire Co. and Mt. Vernon Road Tire Co.
➕️ All Seasons Automotive Powder Puff Enduro

📆 EVENT SCHEDULE
Sunday, August 24th
Pits open 9AM
Gates open 11AM
Opening ceremonies 12PM

🎟 ADMISSION
General Admission $10
Children 8 and under FREE
Tickets are available at the front gate or online. Cash or card is accepted.

RULES
🎒 Bags will be searched upon entry
🚭 Smoking is permitted in designated areas only
🚫 No weapons or fi****ms
🚫 No outside food or beverage
🚫 No drugs or drug paraphernalia
🚫 No fighting, intimidation, bullying, or harassment
🚫 No intoxicated or drug-influenced individuals
🚫 No pets (service animals allowed)
🚫 No livestreaming or commercial photography without a media pass

RSVP 👇
https://www.facebook.com/events/1282146500272616/

08/23/2025

Don't forget! This Sunday (TOMORROW!!) is our 200-Lap Enduro + Powder Puff Enduro at Hawkeye Downs Speedway 🏁

EVENT SCHEDULE
Pits open 9AM
Gates open 11AM
Opening ceremonies 12PM

ADMISSION
General Admission $10
Children 8 and under FREE

Tickets are available at the front gate or on My Race Pass. Cash or card is accepted.

See you at the track 🏁

08/23/2025

🎉 CONGRATULATIONS to our 2025 Hawkeye Downs Speedway Season Champions!!

Legends.Direct Legends 🏆 Kevin Korsmo
Sunline, Inc. Cedar Rapids Hornets 🏆 Kurt Bohnsack
Performance Concepts Late Models 🏆 Michael Weber
Anderson Automotive Service & Repair Hobby Stocks 🏆 Adam Petrzelka
All Seasons Automotive Sportsman 🏆 Todd Ness
Cassill Motors Sport Mods 🏆 Tallan Chandler
HD Dawgs 🏆 Garrett Warren

08/21/2025

Les Burianek is one of those guys that have been around cars and racing a long time and seems to know everyone.

Les was good friends with IMCA Sprint Car star Gus Schrader. Les was in Gus’ pit crew in the late 1930s. Les bought his own midget race car around 1939. His wife did not want Les to race and when Gus found out that Les had bought a car, Gus tried to talk Les out of driving as it was too dangerous. We are not sure exactly what Gus told Les but the Midget was sold without Les driving it. Gus Schrader was killed a few years later in 1941 in a race in Shreveport Louisiana. Les eventually would buy and drive his own midget race car and drive it for 2-3 years, much against his wife’s wishes.

Les was a route driver, first for Coco-Cola and later for Peter Pan bread. He also learned the photography trade from working for the Hardendorff family’s photo shop. Towards the end of World War II Les enlisted in the Army Air Corp in 1945 and worked as a photographer.

After the war Les started his own company, The Camera Center in Cedar Rapids. Les worked as an investigator and expert for car accidents and he would testify at trials Les also sold photos to the Cedar Rapids Gazette as a freelance photographer. He would also be hired to take photos for various events.

One of his favorite subjects to shoot was car racing in the Midwest. He captured Darrll Dake in his #602 jalopy coupe sailing over the wall at the CeMar Speed Bowl. This photo was used in the 1953 CeMar race program. Les also captured Bob Slater going over the wall in 1955 at the 1955 Hawkeye Futurity in Des Moines. Slater was killed in this accident and Les’s spectacular shot was seen in newspapers all over the country.

In the 1950s Les started working with the newly developed process – layered fiberglass and resin. Les brought home a metal Quarter Midget body, made a mold off of it and started hand forming and selling his own fiberglass Quarter Midget bodies. He built a Quarter Midget for his son John Burianek to race on the Lincoln Park Speedway built by Cecil reed on the corner of Mt Vernon Road and Bertram Road on the southeast side of Cedar Rapids. The Lincoln Park races were not an organized event, whoever showed up on any given day would line up and race. Les would act as both the de facto organizer and flagman for these races. John also raced his Quarter Midget at the small asphalt oval next to 6th Street SW on the Hawkeye Downs property. Les helped organize the Hawkeye Downs races and he started the Iowa Quarter Midget Association.

Les wore many other hats during his life. He was the Deputy Coroner for Linn County and invest9igated violent and suspicious deaths. This was before the requirements were changed and a coroner had to be a medical doctor. He raced hydroplane boats and he was the flagman at Hawkeye Downs for a couple of years. He worked for Aut Swenson who ran the Thrillcade automobile daredevil shows. Les would take photos and design the show’s brochures. He would also act as the promoter for some of Aut’s events including demolition derbies.

Les was friends with reporter Tony Dean. In fact, Les took Tony to his first automobile race. Les and Tony would broadcast the IMCA races live on the radio. Les also wrote the racing column ‘The Finish Line” for the Cedar Rapids Citizen-Times newspaper that was published weekly by Lee Grant.

Les investigated the car crash of a 914 Porsche. Les had custody of the wrecked car during the investigation. Porsche flew factory Porsche factory race driver Mark Donahue to inspect the car for them. Les would let Donahue look at the car but not touch it or remove anything. He had recorded his deposition for a car crash case. Lawyer Tom Riley asked Les to record the deposition before the trial started. Les joked “I guess Tom Riley thinks I won’t live until the trial”. Les was woken later that night to investigate an accident scene on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids. Sometime between 1 and 2 AM Les suffered a fatal heart attack at the accident scene. Les passed away in 1975.

I would like to thank John Burianek for his help with this story about his father.

08/20/2025

Join Iowa Mustangs Unstabled for the last Cedar Rapids Night Meet of the year!

IMU packed the track in April with over 600 cars, trucks, and bikes...and they’re doing it again at Hawkeye Downs Speedway on Friday, September 12th! This event is brought to you by Brown's Ford in West Branch and is open to all makes and models.

Gates open at 6:00pm so get out early to secure the best spot. It is only $5 to park on the track! You know the drill: arrive together, park together, no saving spots.

Questions? Contact IMU via Facebook, Instagram, or their website 🔗

08/19/2025

It's not too late to squeeze in summertime racing at Hawkeye Downs Speedway! We've still got time to celebrate 100 years of racing with the fan-favorite enduro races at Hawkeye Downs, presented by Marion Tire Co. and Mt. Vernon Road Tire Co., on Sunday, August 24th!

The 200-lap enduro on the oval course is fun for the whole family, PLUS we're excited to host the All Seasons Automotive Powder Puff Enduro in 2025.

EVENT SCHEDULE
Pits open 9AM
Gates open 11AM
Opening ceremonies 12PM

ADMISSION
General Admission $10
Children 8 and under FREE
Tickets are available at the front gate. Cash or card is accepted.

08/15/2025

We're looking for more old school vehicles to be featured in our VIP section at the LAST Cedar Rapids Night Meet of the season

📲 https://forms.gle/NMXpRuY6A19mvei67
✅ Reserved Prime Parking
️✅ Skip The Line Entry
️✅️ Professional Pic of your ride

08/15/2025

🚨 WEATHER UPDATE 8/15/25 AT 6:30PM 🚨

Due to severe weather in the area, we have made the decision to CANCEL tonight's races. While this isn't the end to the season we were hoping for, we appreciate your understanding. Additional race announcements will be made in the coming days. Thank you!