A Road America license plate in Green Bay. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A relatively new specialty license plate in Wisconsin is catching the attention of thousands of drivers in the state, quickly making it Wisconsin’s top-selling specialty plate by far.
It may be hard to choose from the dozens of specialty license plates the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles offers. There’s everything from supporting veterans to supporting local endangered species, and of course, Wisconsin’s beloved sports teams.
But there is one plate that reigns supreme across the state: the Road America plate.
“We’re just very, very humbled. Very, very blessed that the design worked and the popularity is out there, because we have a bunch of little tiny billboards driving all over the state of Wisconsin,” says John Ewert, Road America’s communications director.
Road America in Elkhart Lake is a premier 4-mile, 14-turn road racetrack. Each year, it attracts hundreds of thousands of motorsport fans.
Ewert says that several years ago, Road America leadership was approached by fans and passholders.
“They said Road America should have a license plate,” Ewert says.
Like any organization must do in order to get a specialty plate, they gathered 500 signatures and paid a hefty fee. Then came time for the design.
“We came up with the black plates with the white lettering and the track outline and ‘Road America’ and it really stuck well with a lot of the people that were interested in having a plate,” Ewert says.
The plates hit the roads in late 2021 and were an instant hit
“I was extremely surprised. We actually ran out of sheeting fairly quickly, so there was a delay in plates. So that was very unexpected,” adds Monica Worzala, a supervisor of the specialty plate unit for the Wisconsin DMV. “And some people don’t even know what Road America is, they just like the design on the plate.”
“That was exciting to hear as well, that straight out of the box — kind of like a hit song straight out of the Billboard charts — like ‘Wow, we didn’t even know,'” Ewert adds.
Worzala says the Road America plates has became the most popular specialty plate.
“Right now, Road America has 39,779 valid plates on the road, which is a lot,” she says. “To give you another idea, the next closest plate number would be the Packers plates with 14,270.”
So popular, in fact, that the Wisconsin Legislature is hoping to issue a new, all-black Wisconsin plate.
Road America says imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
“That’s fine with us. All boats rise with the tide and we love the style and the aesthetic. We just hope people choose the Road America one over the basic black plate,” Ewert says.
Worzala says she has no doubt that new Wisconsin blackout plates would be popular, but some may be deterred by the price.
Proposed legislation indicates that it would cost $25 annually, with funds going to support roads and bridges across the state. The Road America plates, however, are a one-time $15 fee.
Ewert says the design has helped grow Road America’s fan base over the last few years, too.
“It serves as something that’s significant for passionate fans, but also it’s very, very stylish on cars. We have a lot of people come in here to Road America that have a Road America plate on their car that say, ‘I never even knew about this place, I bought the plate because it looked cool and looked great on my car.’”
Road America also hosts special events and exclusives for those with Road America license plates. Events at Road America can be viewed here.
The growth of local fans comes at a great time, Ewert says, because motorsports’ popularity and interest are growing and changing nationwide.
“Back in the day, you know, it used to be exciting because people wanted to watch racing for the crashes,” Ewert says. “Now they truly understand the talent that’s involved, they understand the risks that are taken by people and it’s also a great way to transfer technology from what manufacturers and engineering learn on the track to what you see in your everyday production vehicles and motorcycles.”
Worzala adds that it’s rare for specialty license plates to be removed, but they’re constantly adding new ones.
“Just last year to give you an example, in 2024, we had four brand new plates and in 2023 we had three brand new plates. So we’re definitely getting a lot of momentum, and I think part of that is Road America and how popular it’s been. That really has I think gotten the attention of a lot of groups applying for these special plates,” she says.
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