City: Des Moines, IA

Category: Spectator Sports

Telephone: (641) 842-5431

Address: 1000 N. Lincoln St.

Description: A 1⁄2-mile dirt-track raceway at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, a short distance from the Dutch village and popular tourist destination of Pella. The track is the self-proclaimed “Sprint Car Capital of the World,” with over half a million dollars in prizes awarded as part of its championship series, and it’s worth attending just to see the wild shapes and styles of the cars, many of which resemble souped-up go-karts with a large “wing” jutting out over the driver’s safety cage. Races are held regularly on Sat nights as well as on other nights during the season, which starts in Apr and culminates with the Knoxville Nationals, a series of races for different types of cars held from Aug through Sept. The on-site National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, (515) 842-6176, http://sprintcarhof.com, gives visitors the opportunity to see more cars, as well as numerous displays on famous racers and races and the history of the sport.