Countdown: Wisconsin

Long before Wisconsin became a state, it got very good at being a territory. First part of the Northwest Territory, then the Indiana Territory, Illinois Territory and Michigan Territory, the Wisconsin Territory was organized in 1836 and became the 30th state 12 years later.

ARCHIVE •   Countdown to Daytona

The Badger State may be best known for brick cheese, brats and beer, but there's more to Wisconsin than dairy cows and Milwaukee's finest. Wisconsin was first and foremost a mining state, at one point producing more than half of the nation's lead in the early 1800s.

Wisconsin is the home of the ice cream sundae, Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, the hamburger hall of fame, the Republican Party and the jump rope capital of the world.

Magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, general Douglas MacArthur, supreme court justice William Rehnquist, architect Frank Lloyd Wright and pianist Liberace are all Wisconsin natives.

Wisconsin's connection to NASCAR started slowly but has grown to the point where there are more Wisconsinites driving full-time on the Nextel Cup circuit than Georgia and South Carolina.

Best behind the wheel

• Matt Kenseth, Cambridge

Most drivers learn to drive and then figure out how the car works. In Matt Kenseth's case, the opposite was true.

	Inside the Numbers Matt Kenseth's Cup career Year Starts W T5 T10 1998 1 0 0 1 1999 5 0 1 1 2000 34 1 4 11 2001 36 0 4 9 2002 36 5 11 19 2003 36 1 11 25 2004 36 2 8 16 2005 36 1 12 17 Totals 220 10 51 99

"My dad made me a deal when I was 13. He would buy me a race car and drive it if I would work on it and keep it up," Kenseth said in his Roush Racing bio. "Then, when I turned 16, I could drive the car. It was hard work, but it was also a great experience and really prepared me to do more than just steer the car."

Kenseth was a quick learner, winning his first race the third time he drove the car. By 19, he was racing on the Wisconsin late model circuit, running against Dick Trickle and Ted Musgrave. His victory at LaCrosse made him the youngest winner in ARTGO Challenge Series history.

Kenseth won track titles at Madison International and Wisconsin International, then picked up a Miller Genuine Draft national championship in 1994. With another Wisconsin track title in hand, Kenseth quickly moved up the ladder, running the All Pro Series in 1995, the Hooters Series in 1996 and the American Speed Association in 1997.

It was then when Robbie Reiser asked Kenseth to drive his Busch Series car at Nashville. He finished 11th in that race, then went on to post seven top-10s in 21 starts, finishing second to Steve Park for top rookie honors.

In his full season, Kenseth won three Busch Series races in 1998 -- and made his Cup debut, substituting for Bill Elliott at Dover, where he finished sixth.

Running five Cup races in 1999 for Reiser -- including a fourth at Dover -- Kenseth finished 14th in his full-time Cup season, winning the 2000 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

In six full seasons, Kenseth has won 10 races and the 2003 NASCAR championship, and made both editions of the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Other noteworthy drivers from Wisconsin

• Alan Kulwicki, Greenfield: 1992 champion scored five victories before tragedy cut his career short in 1993

• Travis Kvapil, Janesville: 2003 Truck champ's best run in 2005 was a seventh at Phoenix

• Dave Marcis, Wausau: Wing-tipped leadfoot posted 222 top-10s in 35-year career, including wins at Talladega and Atlanta

• Ted Musgrave, Franklin: 2005 Truck titleist has 20 top-fives in 305 Cup starts

• Norm Nelson, Racine: Drove Carl Kiekhafer's Chrysler to victory in the 1955 race at Las Vegas

• Jim Sauter, Necedah: Patriarch of the racing family made 76 Cup starts between 1980 and 1996

• Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids: Short-track king has well over 1,000 feature victories but was winless in 303 Cup starts

• Scott Wimmer, Wausau: Was third behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart in the 2004 Daytona 500, best finish in 81 starts

TAKE THE CHALLENGE Give the right side of your brain the day off as you juggle a field of NASCAR drivers while staying under a salary cap.  •   To play,  click here For Reese's, it's all about the Cup. Pick the best drivers from each group and walk away with the top prize. Build your point total week after week! Earn great prizes! Are you ready to make the hard choices?  •   To play, click here Streak to the Finish challenges you to guess a top-10 driver in next week's NASCAR race.  •   To play, click here Who do you want to make a superstar? The Superstar Fantasy Cap Challenge gives you that power. Just don't use the same driver twice this year.  •   To play,  click here Play the Ultimate Fantasy League. Draft, trade, add, and drop drivers throughout the season. Dominate your opponents with the best team of drivers you can assemble.  •   To play,  click here

We wish ...

Speed skater Eric Heiden had become a NASCAR driver.

It took Richard Petty 12 years to win five NASCAR championship. Heiden, a native of Madison and 10-time world champion, won five gold medals during a two-week stretch in 1980.

Keeping it on track

• The Milwaukee Mile

When the Agricultural Society of Wisconsin bought George Stevens' farm in 1891 to place the state fair there, it already contained a horse racing track. By 1903, the fair organizers decided to hold an automobile race, won by Chicago's William Jones.

From that point, the Milwaukee Mile has been a fixture on the American racing scene. Drivers like Wilbur Shaw, Rex Mays, Jim Clark and A.J. Foyt won there. The Green Bay Packers even played games in the infield.

The West Allis track was paved in 1954 and hosted the Busch Series for the first time in 1984, with Sam Ard taking the win. The Craftsman Truck Series has raced there since 1995.

Native sons Matt Kenseth and Johnny Sauter have visited Milwaukee's Victory Lane.

Gone but not forgotten

• Road America, Elkhart Lake

The 4.1-mile road course in America's heartland hosted one Grand National race in 1956, one year after the track was built, with Tim Flock beating Billy Myers by 17 seconds as 14 of the original 26 starters were running at the finish.

Other tracks which have hosted NASCAR races

• LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway, LaCrosse: First operated in 1970, the 5/8ths-mile oval hosts the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. Nine-time track champion Kevin Nuttleman won the Division III championship, his second NASCAR title.

A word from our sponsor

• Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee

Making the highest quality beer has been a passion of the Miller Brewing Company since its founder, Frederick J. Miller, began his brewing business in 1855. Since then, Miller Brewing has grown from a small local brewer to the second largest brewery in the U.S., with seven major breweries located across America.

• The official shop towel of NASCAR is manufactured by Sellars Wipers and Sorbents in Milwaukee.