Great News for local racing fans! Champion Speedway in Owego will open its doors for its 47th Anniversary year on Saturday, May 15 at 7 p.m., with the East Coast Patrick Ahlund Championship / USSGP Qualifier. Fans will be welcomed in the stands, but social distancing guidelines will be in place.
The racing promises to be the best it has been in recent years and the sport looks to be making a strong comeback with a full Division 1 field already signed up for the Opener.
Among the riders committed to race the Opener are regulars – current track Champion Spencer Portararo of Maine, who was the top New York scorer in the US Open National last season; Lenny McBride of Windsor, who has four Track Titles; Dave, Jonny, Dan and Dalton Oakden of Rochester; Dave Clark of Newark Valley; Keith Hawkins of Nichols; Alex Heath and Brian Hollenbeck of Owego; Jesse Diem of Apalachin; and Mike Cortese Jr. of New Jersey will be looking to make an impact at the track this season.
A few rides by veteran heroes like Tuff McBride, Mike Robinson and more are in the works as well. And watch out for Andy Kourafas, Trenton Lane and Caleb Stewart, who are promising riders that put on a great show in the Support Division last summer.
ATV Racing returns to Champion Speedway in Owego, with a start time on Saturday for the ATV races of 4 p.m., and shows beginning at 7 p.m. Provided photo.
A large turnout of new adult and junior riders has been seen at practice sessions recently and there seems to be a resurgence going on in the sport. The ATV turnout was very strong last year and is expected to keep growing.
Local pros Shane Smith, Donnie Archibald, Stoney Ray, Chris Merwin, Dan Hawk, Dylan Hawk, Lonnie Whitmore, Toby Relyea, Tony Hanbury, and Bruce Stauder are just some of the names that will figure in on the action.
The Quad program grew to such large numbers that a new track for ATV’s and Karts is being constructed in the back parking lot area. An all-new BMX course is currently under construction at Champion as well.
The track’s promotion team will also be operating races at Action Park East, Champion’s sister track in Greene, N.Y., with an opening date of May 29.
Brian Mills, from Deposit, N.Y, will promote the Friday night dirt go-kart races. A special schedule of kart racing on Saturdays will also be happening at Action Park East and will be headed by Brandon Clapperton.
Action Park East and Champion will play host to the US Open Championships Memorial Day weekend and also the US National Championships on Labor Day weekend. A 3-day Monster Truck event will run at Champion Speedway on Oct. 1, 2 and 3.
Start time on Saturday for the ATV races is 4 p.m. The Speedway Show begins at 7 p.m. More information can be found at www.eastcoastspeedway.com or at www.speedwaybikes.com. Champion Speedway is located 227 Old Narrows Rd. in Nichols, N.Y.
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