Heartland Park Track Guide

Everything you need to know before you head to Darana-Heartland Motorsports Park for the Prairie Crown Time Attack Festival on September 5, 2026 — whether you're hauling a car or just bringing a lawn chair.

Address: SE Gary Ormsby Dr, Wakarusa, KS 66546 — just south of Topeka, off US-75.

About the track

Heartland Park opened in 1989, and at the time it was the first new purpose-built road racing facility constructed in the United States in roughly two decades. It hosted its first race — an IMSA Camel Grand Prix round — in August of that year, and went on to become a fixture of Midwest motorsport: home of the NHRA Kansas Nationals from 1989 through 2023, and host of the SCCA National Championship Runoffs from 2006 to 2008, when club racing's biggest event came west of the Mississippi for the first time in over 30 years. The SCCA is headquartered in Topeka, so this track has always mattered to the road racing crowd.

Then it went quiet. After a property tax dispute with Shawnee County, the park ran its final NHRA event in August 2023 and announced a full shutdown that September. For two years, one of the region's best facilities sat closed.

The revival came fast once it started. In late 2025, the International Hot Rod Association announced it had purchased the park, reopening it in 2026 as Darana-Heartland Motorsports Park. Renovation work ran through the spring — local coverage from WIBW and KSNT has tracked the progress — and the park hosted its first event back, a car show, in June 2026. The Prairie Crown Time Attack Festival is the first competitive road course event at the park since the closure. That's not marketing copy; it's just what it is.

The road course

The full road course is 2.5 miles and 14 turns — the longest of the configurations the facility has run over the years (historically the layouts ranged from 1.8 to 2.5 miles). Drivers who raced here in the early 2000s took to calling the big layout "the Prairie Crown," which is where the event gets its name.

We're not going to give you a fake turn-by-turn guide — walk it or watch a session and learn it honestly. What you should know: this is a proper, purpose-built road course that has hosted IMSA professionals and SCCA national champions, sitting on open Kansas terrain with the kind of runoff and sightlines that a facility built for racing (rather than converted to it) tends to have. Track maps and session details will be posted on the event page closer to the date.

Getting there

The park sits off US-75 south of Topeka, near Topeka Regional Airport (Forbes Field). SE Gary Ormsby Drive is named for the NHRA Top Fuel champion — you're in the right place.

  • From Topeka: About 15 minutes. Take US-75 South from I-470 and follow signs for the park.
  • From Kansas City: About 1 hour 15 minutes (roughly 70 miles). I-70 West / Kansas Turnpike to Topeka, then US-75 South.
  • From Wichita: About 2 hours (roughly 140 miles). I-135 North to the Kansas Turnpike (I-335) toward Topeka, then US-75 South.

Parking details for the event, including where to enter with a trailer, will be on the event page.

Where to stay

Topeka is 15 minutes away and has plenty of rooms, but a race weekend plus a college town means you should book early.

Hotels

  • Cyrus Hotel (downtown Topeka) — the nicest room in town; a boutique hotel on Kansas Avenue with a genuinely good restaurant and bar if you want a proper dinner after the checkered flag.
  • Hotel Topeka at City Center — the big full-service option on the southwest side, with an indoor pool and easy highway access toward the track.
  • Hampton Inn / Hilton Garden Inn / Country Inn & Suites (Topeka) — reliable chain options clustered on Topeka's south and west sides, all within an easy 15–20 minute drive of the park.

Camping

  • Capital City KOA (1949 SW 49th St, Topeka) — the closest full-hookup campground to the track, only a few miles up US-75. First choice if you're bringing an RV.
  • Lake Shawnee Campground — 150 sites with electric and water hookups plus tent camping, run by Shawnee County Parks on the east side of town. Cheaper, lakeside, about 20 minutes from the park.

On-site: camping and trailer parking details for the Prairie Crown are still being finalized — check the event page.

Spectating at a time attack

If you've never been to one: time attack is simple. One car at a time against the clock, fastest lap wins its class. No pack racing, no waiting three hours for your favorite car to get a stint — cars are on track and pushing hard all day, and the running order means there's always something to watch.

It's one of the most spectator-friendly formats in motorsport. You can walk the paddock, look at the cars up close, and talk to the drivers between sessions — most of them will happily tell you exactly what their build is and what it's doing wrong.

Bring:

  • Folding chairs — grandstand and viewing area details will be confirmed on the event page
  • Sunscreen and a hat — it's Kansas in September and shade is not guaranteed
  • Water
  • Ear protection if you're sensitive to noise — optional for time attack (these aren't Top Fuel cars), but kids may want it
  • Comfortable shoes — you'll want to walk the paddock

Get tickets here. Full event info at drivelinekc.com.

Upcoming events at the park

  • Prairie Crown Time Attack Festival — September 5, 2026. The first competitive road course event since the park's revival. Details and entry info.
  • IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series — October 8–10, 2026. The new owners' headline drag racing event, featuring Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars on the quarter mile. If you've never heard a nitro car in person, fix that.

Check the park's own channels for additional 2026 dates — the new ownership has said more is coming, including the return of the dirt track.