How far is the house from Boone Speedway?

About a 20-minute drive. The A-frame sits on the north edge of Ames, so the track is a straight shot down the road.

When does Boone Speedway race?

Saturday nights from April into September, with IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Mod Lites on the weekly card. Check raceboone.com for the current schedule, since special shows and rainouts move things around.

What is the IMCA Super Nationals?

A September event at Boone Speedway that draws more than a thousand drivers from the United States, Canada, and Australia to race seven IMCA divisions across most of a week. It's the biggest thing on the track's calendar, and lodging in the area goes quickly for it.

Is there parking for a trailer?

There's free parking on the property with room for more than one vehicle. If you're bringing a long rig, message before you book and we'll talk through the driveway.

Can we get in late after the races?

Yes. Check-in is self-service with a smart lock any time after 3:00 PM, so a late feature or a rain delay doesn't cause a problem.

Race nights in Boone

Where to stay for a night at Boone Speedway

Boone Speedway runs Saturday nights from spring into fall, and the Super Nationals take over the first part of September. The A-frame sits about twenty minutes away in Ames: room to park the tow rig, a washer for the track clothes, and a hot tub that's still warm when the feature ends.

Twenty minutes from Iowa's Action Track

Boone Speedway is a third-mile, high-banked dirt oval outside of Boone, and it has answered to the nickname Iowa's Action Track for a long time. A strong Saturday puts around two thousand people in the grandstand, pulled from a radius of about sixty-five miles. Ames sits well inside that circle.

The drive from the A-frame runs about twenty minutes. You can leave after dinner and still catch hot laps, and nobody's arguing about the ride home at eleven at night.

What a Saturday night looks like

The track posts each week's card and current prices on its schedule page, so check before you go. The shape of the night rarely changes:

Five IMCA classes most weeks
Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Mod Lites make up the weekly program. Special shows add Late Models and Sport Compacts.
Gates around 5:30 and 6:00
Pit gate first, then the front gate, with hot laps around 6:45 and racing at 7:30. Get there early if you want a seat near the flag stand.
Cheap by spectator-sport standards
Grandstand admission has run $10 for adults and $2 for kids ages 2 to 12, with pit passes at $20. Bring cash and confirm the current numbers with the track.
April through September
Weekly Saturday racing runs from spring into early fall, so most of the season lines up with warm nights and a hot tub that's still pleasant at midnight.

Super Nationals week

Every September the track hosts the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals. Drivers call it America's Racin' Vacation; IMCA calls it the biggest event in dirt track racing. More than a thousand cars come in from across the United States, Canada, and Australia to run seven divisions over the better part of a week.

That's a different animal from a normal Saturday. Rooms in Boone and Ames tighten up, days start early in the pits and end late in the grandstand, and most people are here for five or six nights instead of one. If you race it or follow it, book lodging when the dates get announced, not in August.

The green A-frame at dusk with a long wood deck, a covered gazebo strung with lights, and a private hot tub.

Full kitchen with a stainless range and hood, butcher-block counters, sage-green cabinets, and white subway tile.

Why it works as a race-week base

Room for the crew
Three bedrooms, each with a king bed, plus a sofa bed in the loft. Six people can share one house instead of splitting into hotel rooms. That matters most during Super Nationals week.
Free parking on the property
There's room on site for more than one vehicle, so a truck and trailer or a couple of cars aren't a problem.
Washer and dryer
Track clothes come home smelling like the track. Running a load overnight makes a five-night race week a lot more civilized.
The hot tub
A night in the grandstand leaves you stiff and cold by late September. The tub sits out on the deck under an open patch of sky, and it beats a hotel shower as a way to end a race night.
Self check-in, whenever you get back
A smart lock means a rain delay or a late feature doesn't turn into a scramble to meet somebody with a key.
Quiet in the morning
The house is on a wooded acre off Riverside Road, set back from the road and the neighbors. Sleeping in after a late night is easy here.

Making a weekend of it

If you're already driving to Boone for the races, there's more in the county than the track. Rail Explorers runs pedal-powered railbikes over a 156-foot trestle a few minutes away, and the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad still pulls its excursion train with steam on select Saturdays.

Back in Ames, Ada Hayden Heritage Park is a five-minute walk from the front door, and Iowa State is about ten minutes by car if the racing weekend happens to fall on a football weekend too.

Common questions

How far is the house from Boone Speedway?: About a 20-minute drive. The A-frame sits on the north edge of Ames, so the track is a straight shot down the road.
When does Boone Speedway race?: Saturday nights from April into September, with IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Mod Lites on the weekly card. Check raceboone.com for the current schedule, since special shows and rainouts move things around.
What is the IMCA Super Nationals?: A September event at Boone Speedway that draws more than a thousand drivers from the United States, Canada, and Australia to race seven IMCA divisions across most of a week. It's the biggest thing on the track's calendar, and lodging in the area goes quickly for it.
Is there parking for a trailer?: There's free parking on the property with room for more than one vehicle. If you're bringing a long rig, message before you book and we'll talk through the driveway.
Can we get in late after the races?: Yes. Check-in is self-service with a smart lock any time after 3:00 PM, so a late feature or a rain delay doesn't cause a problem.

Book before Super Nationals week

Race weeks pull people to Boone from all over. Check the dates for your weekend and reserve the A-frame while it's open.

See the full house