3/15/2019
Laird Raceway
A New Season is Brewing!
We are busy getting ready for another exciting season of race action at Laird International Raceway. We have a few things to tell you about...
First off, you may have noticed that we’ve changed the name of the track back to the original name of Laird International Raceway, from Superior International Motorplex which we were operating as last year. When asked why, track promoter Donnie Varcoe said, “We are doing it for legal reasons. All our leases, accounts, licenses, and more were still in the name of Laird International Raceway last year, and to change all that is just a big hassle.” Besides that, people were still calling it Laird Raceway. The track has been in operation since 1999, with a year or two being shut down, so more or less this is our 20th year in operation under the name.
Our schedule for this year consists of 9 events, three of which are “Race Weekends”. The remaining events are being held on a mix of Thursday and Friday evenings.
Our first event of the season will be a new one which we haven’t held before; a single 250 lap “Enduro Race”. This event starts on Saturday June 1st with car setup and practice, then on Sunday June 2nd the main event will be held. 250 Laps on our 1/3 mile track = 75 miles. This event sees dozens of old cars take to the track with few rules, and no cautions. The only reason for stopping the race after a start (red flag) is if there is a safety issue. Cars that can’t finish due to crashes or breakdowns stay where they are and are not removed, effectively making the track into an obstacle course. We are still working on the rules and event details, so stay tuned. If you have an old junker sitting in the driveway and want to have some fun with it, this event may be for you! The winner will take home $3500! To see what this event might look like, visit YouTube and search for “Enduro Stock Car Racing”.
On the weekend of August 4th & 5th (that’s a Sunday/Monday) we will hold a “Weekend Race for a Cure”. Sunday will be a full practice, qualifying and heat races, and Monday we will hold the features. Planning and organizing for this event is still being done.
Our Season Championship Night is set for August 23rd, which will showcase all the talent that comes with great racing in the north.
The our last race event of the season will be a weekend event from Friday Sept 13th to Sunday Sept 15th (Sunday is a rain date if needed). This race weekend will include camping, food and entertainment all weekend long.
We are also looking to bring back our nightly 50/50 draw this season. If you know of a charitable organization that would like to participate, let us know. Charitable organizations must obtain a license for these draws.
We also have some good news for drivers in three of our divisions. Payouts in all divisions were increased mid season last year. This year we are increasing the “start money- minimum payout” in three divisions: Start money in the Factory Stock and Modified divisions increases to $150 from $40. In the Factory Four Cylinder division the payout is now $100 in the feature for all cars competing, whether they finish or not. In addition, we’ve added a “laps led” payout in all three of these divisions. Drivers get additional payouts for laps led in the feature event. In the modified division, drivers get paid $7 per lap led in the feature. If there are more than 12 cars starting the feature, this increases to $12/lap led. In the Factory Stock division, the lap led money is set at $10 per lap led in the feature. Factory Four drivers will see $5 per lap led in the feature. There are no changes in payouts for the Late Model Division from last year, but payouts in this division are were substantially increased last season.
There are no rule changes proposed for this season, but this might be reviewed during an upcoming drivers meeting. We will be announcing a drivers meeting within the next week or two, tentatively to be held during the first part of April.
Current points/payouts/rules can be found on our website at http://lairdinternationalraceway.myracepass.com/rules/
Allison Wagner has been hired on this year to assist with event coordination. She has been working hard over the past few weeks with the schedule, and upcoming events. We’ll release more news as things get finalized through the season.
Hope to see you out at the track!
Article Credit: Tom Stephenson
Submitted By: Tom Stephenson