Smoky skies make EAA AirVenture Cup Race a no-go for Merrill

For area aviation fans fired up about watching the 28th annual EAA AirVenture Cup Race on Sunday, July 19, 2026, the day was a bit of a disappointment. After multiple postponements to the start of the race on Sunday due to poor visibility due to the smoky skies from wildfires to the north and west of Wisconsin, the race was bumped to Monday, July 20, and the race route altered, leaving Merrill out of the race altogether.
“The race needs six miles of visibility in order to fly safely,” explained Joe Malsack, Merrill Airport Events Coordinator and Airport Commission Secretary. “Most of the course was two to three miles visibility.”
“They did race from Wausau to Shawano on Monday, July 20,” he said. But even then, “they couldn’t run the full race due to weather in Michigan.”
The smoky skies also drastically reduced the number of aircraft participating in the shortened race. “Only 40 planes made it into Wausau to compete,” Malsack said.
For the Merrill crowd, the delay and then route changes were particularly disappointing, as this was the first year Merrill was able to officially host the race as a spectator event with a designated place for spectators on airport property at the Champagne Street terminal location, and the Merrill Airport Commission was excited to bring in rest rooms and a food truck for attendees.

The Commission is hopeful that next year’s EAA AirVenture Cup Race will once again designate Merrill as the finish line for the race so Merrill-area residents can come out to share in the excitement of the event.
Though Merrill residents, as well as sky watchers along the originally designated race route in northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, were disappointed to miss out on the action and excitement of this year’s race, safety is paramount.
“We are hoping next year not to have smoke from Canada stopping the event. Thanks to everyone who came out [in anticipation of the event] that we talked to,” he said.