Grattan Raceway, Racing Circuit

Grattan Raceway is a 2.2-mile road course set in the wooded, rolling hills of Grattan Township, north of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The site, a former Christmas tree and flower farm, was identified by a group of local sports car enthusiasts, with U.S. Navy veteran and construction business owner E.J. Faasen providing the funds and expertise to build it. Work began in 1960 and the layout largely followed the natural topography, reputedly traced out by Faasen driving a Jeep and turning wherever a tree was too large to drive over. The first road race ran on Memorial Day in 1962 on a part-gravel surface, and proceeds from drag racing on the long paved main straight, once a drag strip, helped fund full paving by 1965. The circuit became a family enterprise under the Faasens, who built a home on the grounds and raised nine children there, with multiple generations working the registration, concessions and grounds. Drag racing ended after the NHRA judged the run-off areas inadequate following an incident in which a dragster failed to stop. The challenging, undulating course attracted car clubs for marques such as BMW, Porsche and Corvette, became especially popular with motorcycle racers, and drew testing visits from figures including Paul Newman and Walter Payton, as well as Porsche and Alfa Romeo IndyCar teams in the 1980s. E.J. Faasen ran the venue into his eighties until his death in 2017, after which his sons continued operations even as the circuit was marketed for sale. It remains an active club venue hosting SCCA, WERA and AMA-sanctioned events.