|
Accord, NY - Unpreditable Weather Halts Midweek Madness Opening At Accord Speedway
By Steve Pados, Accord Media
The heavy storm clouds that have been stalled over top of the Hudson Valley for the past 24-hours have halted the opening of the Midweek Madness scheduled to begin this evening. Again in looking at the overall weather picture and not wanting to bring the fans and competitors out needlessly, Promoter Gary Palmer made the decision to cancel the Midweek show early to save everyone some money as well as a damp night at the racetrack. In speaking with the 8th year promoter Palmer stated, "The slow economy and mother nature have not been kind to the racers and to the fans who follow them this year. All of the tracks have suffered rainouts and we have had more than our share. With that, I would rather wait until the percentages are in our favor to be able to complete a race show and give the racing faithful a great entertainment value". Palmer further added, "We all have to learn to deal with the set of cards we are dealt and tonight Mother Nature had the winning hand. Hopefully the cards will fall in our favor next week when we set out to kick off Midweek Madness".
The Midweek Madness drivers and fans will have to wait until next Wednesday night, June 11th, when Promoter Gary Palmer will usher in the 2008 racing season for the Mid Week Madness Series as the small car divisions of racing receive their first opportunity to test their skills at the newly configured quarter mile speedplant. The enthusiasm for the Wednesday evening shows is running at a fever pitch as many of the weekly regulars have been anxiously watching the Friday night racing action trying to figure out what they will need to be prepared for the new surface, higher banking and the fast line around the speedway once the season begins.
Karts, Quads, Motorcycles, Lawn Mowers, and Slingshots will all be part of the action when the new season begins next week. The Slingshot division, headed up by car owner and former driver Tom Perrego, will headline the action as more than a dozen of the top names in the Slingshot division have committed to being part of the action when the Season kicks off. "The Bushkill Bullet" Kyle Rohner, with two big wins already to his credit at Hamlin and a "Rookie" in the Accord Spec Sportsman ranks, will be in the field for the initial show. Another couple of time winner already in 2008, the "Montgomery Missile" Anthony Perrego will be a regular for the Mid Week shows. West Park, New York teenage talent the "Z-Man" Zach O'Connell has inked on as a regular for the series as he divides his time between his new CRSA 305 Sprint Car and the Slingshot divisions. Local Slingshot star Michael Horton from nearby Cuddebackville is the latest "Slinger" star who has announced his intentions to be part of the Wednesday night action in his Horton Well and Pump/Orange Energy sponsored machine. It is expected that Marshalls Creek driving star Kyle "Hot Rod" Rode will be also be testing the tacky Accord clay in his Frank Smith Surveyors/RGB Homebuilders racer. Friday night co-announcer Andy Crane has indicated he will be part of the Mid Week roster as well even though his car will not be ready for the opening night show. With more and more Slingshot cars being sold and distributed in and around the parameters surrounding the Accord area, all indications for a solid field of racers for opening night is expected. The Slingshot race car division has grown in popularity since the car was created in 1999 by former Syracuse Modified winner Rich Tobias and to date Tobias has stated he has sold 582 of the little creations across the country.
Names familiar with the Wednesday night shows will once again the headline the action once the season begins. Quad and Bike Champions Cougar and Scott MacDowell are set to return to the speedway to defend their titles from a year ago. Names quite familiar with the racing community such as McGill, Hentschel, Roselli, Plumstead and Barbagallo are all names that have captured titles or runner-up status from a year ago and all have indicated a return to the speedway again this year. The Mid Week shows have given credence as the proving ground and the feeder system for the Friday night programs at Accord as some of the now Friday night stars such as "Dynamite" Danny Cross, and Spec Sportsman Rookies this year, Tyler Odendahl and Richard Smith are graduates and former champions from the Mid Week shows.
Promoter Gary Palmer, who is entering his eighth year as the owner and promoter of the 46 year-old facility, is enthusiastic about the new season and has indicated he has been receiving calls from the tri-state area as new competitors seek the opportunity to test their skills at Accord. In a conversation with Palmer, he remarked, "Our phones have been ringing constantly about our Mid Week shows. The interest is running high and it is our hope we will be able to give the fans a great show and still be able to have them return home at a respectable hour. The track will be in excellent shape and all divisions should be able to utilize all of the new real estate we have given them to race on". He further added, "This will be new territory for us this year as well, as we will have Steve Pados announcing the action throughout the evening and with his knowledge of the small car divisions, Steve will keep the fans on the edge of their seats with his enthusiastic style".
The off-season has been a challenging undertaking for Palmer for as soon as the final event took place in Mid-October, he began the ardous task of a major overhaul of the race-grounds. Palmer widened the racing channels on both straights, increased the banking on all four corners, and added 165 loads of top-notch virgin clay to the already tacky racing surface. Palmer went one step further by replacing the outdated frontstretch fencing, and installed new high-standard lighting for the fans. The bathrooms have been refurbished, and additional pit-parking space has been created for the highly anticipated increase of race cars.
The Membership price is $45.00. Non-member entry is $12.00 and for members the cost is $10.00. Non-member class cost is $30.00 and for members the cost is $25.00. For all money classes, the cost is $40.00 with payback at class being at 75 percent. Grandstand admission is set at $3.00 per person and a concession stand will be open for the great food the speedway is noted for. Gates open for the Midweek shows at 5 PM with hot laps getting underway at 6:15. The racing immediately follows. Spectator admission for the Wednesday shows is a very affordable $3.00 and a great night for the fans to come out and enjoy small car scale racing at it's very best.
The Palmer Family would like to thank all of the sponsors, competitors, fans and staff for their solid support and encouragement during the off-season as the Speedway is a continuous work in progress and all systems are go for the Mid Week Madness racing season that promises to be bigger and better and more exciting than ever. All fans and businesses are encouraged to visit the newly constructed website often for continued updates and information regarding the great racing activity at the "Gem in the Catskills"
For further updates and information regarding the great racing at the Accord Speedway, logon to their newly constructed website at: http://www.accordspeedway.com or call the speedway hotline at: 845 626 3478
A TRAIL OF DIRT LEADS RIGHT TO OUR DOOR
|
|
