This Morning's Free Press Catch Up on Grand Bend Speedway....
Grand Bend goes quarter-mile
Wed, March 7, 2007
By JIM CRESSMAN, SUN MEDIA
Grand Bend Speedway is growing.
The former sixth-mile circular track will be a quarter-mile tri-oval when it re-opens under new ownership May 19.
"We're hoping to attract other classes of racing," said Lorne Rodgers of Lucan, who is with the ownership group.
While the property remains under control of the Spriet family, owners of the Grand Bend Motorplex drag strip, the stock car track is operated by Rodgers, Brad Clarke of Strathroy and Doug Bice of Ailsa Craig. They signed a 20-year lease last December and are putting $250,000 into renovations.
The track will have a 300-foot front straightaway and two 100-foot chutes to form the tri-oval. The asphalt surface will be expanded to 40 feet wide all around, giving it three racing grooves. There will be 12-degree banking in the corners.
Rodgers previously worked at Delaware Speedway. Clarke designs and manufactures junior racing car bodies and had the travelling JCAR Series that needed a home track. Bice is a contractor.
The group has created the V8 Super Truck Series where the new fibreglass body can be fitted onto the old CASCAR Sportsman Series chassis.
There will be appearances by the Can-Am midgets (June 23 and July 28), the Delaware street stocks (July 15 and Sept. 9) and open wheel modifieds (Sept. 29).
Grand Bend attempted to get the new Ontario Sportsman Series to make a stop but couldn't work out a date.
"We would have had to run four weeks in a row to accommodate them," said Dave Connelly of Ottawa, who along with Ron Lethbridge of Barrie created the new series with six dates on its inaugural schedule.
"We've also had interest from Delaware and Ste. Eustache, but we just wanted to make sure we did a good job the first year," Connelly said.
The OSS replaces the CASCAR Sportsman Series, which was dissolved by NASCAR in late December after it took over CASCAR in September.
Four-time sportsman series champion Steve Robblee of Dorchester will participate in some OSS events.
NASCAR has yet to release a schedule for its new Canadian Tire Series, which replaces the CASCAR Super Series. It traditionally opens on the Victoria Day weekend.
"It is expected to debut in May 2007 with a 12-race schedule, including races at Barrie Speedway and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve," says a posting on the series' website.
The race teams also haven't seen a NASCAR rule book and are concerned what the new program is going to cost.
"We don't have any idea where and when. You'd think they'd be a little more professional and get this sorted out," said one team owner, who asked that his name not be used after NASCAR chided owner/driver Kerry Micks of Mount Albert after his wife Susan, who runs the business affairs for Micks Motorsports, publicly criticized the body for its lack of a schedule.
SPORTSMAN SERIES
June 16: Mosport
June 23: Cayuga
June 30: Sauble
July 14: Cayuga
July 21: Peterborough
Aug. 25: Sunset
On the Internet:
www.ontariosportsmanseries.com Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=5895.msg23479#msg23479
