Wake the Lake 10, the powerboat racing spectacle that draws crowds to the Clark County Fairgrounds every fall, will not happen in October as planned. Organizers scrapped the three-day event, originally set for October 10-12, after they could not secure enough of the high-speed Formula One tunnel boats that serve as the race's biggest crowd-pleasers.
Dean Blair, executive director of the fairgrounds, confirmed the cancellation stemmed from a lack of available tunnel boats, according to the Springfield News-Sun. Those tunnel boats, which race in tight aquatic courses at speeds up to 120 miles per hour, have long been the flagship draw for Wake the Lake, according to the IHRA F1 Powerboat Series. Blair and Chris Fairchild, a former APBA chairman, initially tried to press ahead with the event despite the shortage before deciding to call it off.
Why Organizers Pulled the Plug Early
Blair said organizers did not want to jeopardize future years by disappointing the sport's devoted fanbase with a diminished lineup. Per the same account, he said smaller boats can still provide entertainment, but a show without the big tunnel boats risked alienating diehard fans long-term.
Wake the Lake 10 had already sold tickets and vendor spots before the cancellation, and the event was set to span Outboard Performance Craft, Stock, Modified, Junior, and PRO racing categories over three days. The station's report notes that organizers made the call early specifically to prevent out-of-town visitors from booking hotels and travel they would not be able to use. The American Power Boat Association now lists Wake the Lake 10 as canceled on its website.
A Track Built Just for This Sport
Champions Park Lake at the fairgrounds was custom-built in 2016 as a permanent powerboat racing venue, a design choice that spared organizers the trouble of securing temporary permits to close off public lakes or rivers, according to the IHRA F1 Powerboat Series. That permanence has made Springfield a rare fixture on the national powerboat calendar, and the lake also hosts the APBA-sanctioned Solar Splash collegiate engineering championship, which drew 11 university teams racing student-built solar watercraft in June 2019, per the Xenia Gazette.
The venue's history includes tragedy as well as triumph. During Wake the Lake 4 in August 2020, 60-year-old decorated driver and APBA Hall of Champions inductee Tracy Hawkins died from injuries suffered in a three-boat collision during the final F1 heat at Champions Park Lake, according to LimaNews. Two other drivers involved in that collision suffered only minor injuries, the outlet reported.
Springfield's Deeper Ties to the Sport
The cancellation lands even as Springfield has cemented itself as a national hub for powerboat racing. The American Power Boat Association, North America's oldest motorsports organization at more than 121 years old, moved its national headquarters to the Clark County Fairgrounds in 2025 after roughly 70 years based in Detroit. The nonprofit now operates an office at the fairgrounds under a 19-year lease signed that year, which also gave the organization naming rights to the fairgrounds' Arts Building.
Clark County officials have credited APBA races with filling area hotels, gas stations, and restaurants during event weekends, making the 2026 hiatus a real hit to local hospitality businesses even as the long-term partnership continues. Officials now need to reevaluate how and when to hold the event next year, and Blair said he believes Wake the Lake will return in 2027.
Fairgrounds' Future Looks Secure
The pause comes just weeks after Clark County Commissioners approved a 50-year lease lifeline with the Clark County Agricultural Society, securing the 119.93-acre fairgrounds property through June 2076. That long horizon, paired with the APBA's own multi-year lease, suggests Champions Park Lake is not going anywhere even with next year's races still to be scheduled.
Wake the Lake has also helped draw outside investment to the fairgrounds before. High-profile races previously allowed local officials to secure multi-year corporate sponsorships, including Coldwell Banker Heritage Roediger, which funded real estate and building upgrades on the property, according to the IHRA F1 Powerboat Series. For now, the 2026 edition remains off the calendar, with organizers focused on returning with the full tunnel-boat lineup fans expect.
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