New proclamation: All racetracks must have trees. Not just random trees in parking lots, but trees with the ability to house campgrounds. Woods. Timber. Wilderness. A proper forest.

Trees make people want to pitch a tent, put some beer on ice, start a campfire and create shenanigans. And what is racing without shenanigans?

Races should be more than just racing. They should be events. They should be weekend family summertime camping trips that somehow happen to include a race. They should involve campfires and great food and laughter. They shouldn’t be something you simply drive to and leave in the same day. They should be occasions.

That’s where Road America gets racing right. The venerable road circuit in the Kettle Moraine of east-central Wisconsin is a forest that politely allows a racetrack to run through it. What results are numerous breathtaking sight lines, a racing playground enhanced by the sound of fast cars and the smell of brats on the grill.

Road America is how it should be done. Great facilities, great food, great fans. A full, three-day weekend of dawn-to-dusk racing set at summer camp with fans who get into all of it, from practice sessions to champagne. It’s impossible to not fall in love with the place, and it’s reassuring that it will be back for at least three more years.  

“Ask any driver, from nearly every discipline, especially open-wheel, and they love this place,” said George Bruggenthies, Road America's president and general manager, while making Sunday’s announcement that the circuit and INDYCAR had extended their contract through 2021. "The track is designed to make full use of the natural terrain, with elevation changes and undulating turns that allow for intense speeds that test driver skill to the maximum. Combine that with our park-like atmosphere, open seating and great spectator locations and it all equates to IndyCar Series racing at its best.”

Trees aside, Road America has two other elements that make a great venue -- history and a knowledgeable fanbase. For all the checkered flag costumes and copious amounts of beer and cheese consumed, Wisconsin race fans know their racing. Mario, Michael and Emmo each won three times at Elkhart Lake; cheeseheads know this. Villeneuve, Franchitti, da Matta, Zanardi, Tracy and Sullivan -- among others -- won here. Again, the locals know this.

But the periphery is what makes Road America irresistible. Where else would you have a contest for best campground display? Where else would a garden display honoring Josef Newgarden -- New-garden, get it? -- be among the finalists? Where else would New-garden not be clever enough to win the prize for best campground display?

The night before he won the KOHLER Grand Prix, the garden’s namesake visited the gardeners.

“These people had a professional setup with little baby Josefs growing,” adult Josef Newgarden said. “It was kind of cool. I'm actually very disappointed they didn't win the whole camp crown competition. The judges were there. I tried to slip them $50. They weren't having it. But I think just on execution, those guys killed it. They had my vote. I wish they would have won. Either way, (it’s) really cool to see. That's what Road America brings. It brings those kind of fun things.”

Road America wasn’t on the schedule for a long nine years, but now, three years into its return, it seems to have found a forever home. We should thank the fans, of course, but fans don’t make it fun without full involvement. Which brings us back to trees, and all else positive about racing.

“Road America represents everything good about INDYCAR racing, from the on-track action to the viewing opportunities to the fans and staff here,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Hulman & Company, the parent of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “We welcome the chance to race here for years to come.”

Yes, thank the trees. Trees beget campfires, and campfires beget stories, and stories beget shenanigans. And shenanigans are at the very core of being a race fan. Without the shenanigans borne of trees, we’re just sitting in bleachers watching cars go fast.

Nobody has ever gone on a snipe hunt from a racetrack parking lot. Nobody parked in an RV in the infield of an oval track ever thought, “Hey, let’s race each other down that hill in inner tubes.” Nobody ever sat in the suites at a track and said, “Hold my beer.”

Nobody at a track without trees has ever eaten Antoinette’s buffalo mac ‘n’ cheese before noon and washed it down with a cold beer. (Ask a fan at Road America about Antoinette’s. They’ll explain in detail.)

Ask Sunday’s winner, who enjoys the woodsy vibe of the place as much as the fans do.

“I don't know if I'm surprised that it's turned into what it has,” Newgarden said after the race. “I don't think many are, because it's Road America. This is an Indy car track. You got INDYCAR fans up here. You talk to anyone, they know what's going on in the series, they're excited to be here, they like this type of race weekend. You even have fans that aren't diehard INDYCAR fans, they're casual fans, like to camp, have a great weekend at Road America. Whether you're a hardcore race fan or enjoy a camping weekend with good weather, this is your track.

“Really sad it wasn't on the schedule when I first got into the IndyCar Series. Now that it's back, I don't think anyone could imagine it going away again.”

There’s something magical about this place, and, like Newgarden says, we should be thankful that it will remain in the schedule and resume its rightful place as a cornerstone of the INDYCAR season.  

But let’s give credit to those silent sentries of the woods. It’s about the trees, man. It’s always about the trees.