Dirt track racing season isn’t done just yet
If you don’t mind a little drive you can catch the final dirt track racing event of the season here in the Northeast. Eat Thanksgiving dinner with the family, we’ll provide the dirt-track dessert.
On Saturday, November 24, the curtain comes down on the Northeast outdoor season in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Accord Speedway, the quarter-mile clay oval operated by Gary and Donna Palmer, plays host to the ‘Gobbler’ season finale for the sixth consecutive year.
The ‘Gobbler’ is an annual post-Thanksgiving co-promotion involving the Palmer family and BD Motorsports Media LLC.
The headline event, of course, is the 50lap main for the ‘Mashed Potato’ Modifieds paying a healthy $5,000 to the winner plus bonuses. Last year, the event featured an epic battle between eventual winner Andy Bachetti and runner-up Mike Ricci. The pair traded the lead on several occasions before Sheffield, Mass., driver Bachetti ultimately won out.
Fans making the trip will most likely get to see some of their favorite local dirt track talents in action as the racers look to close out their season with one more race.
The Modifieds will compete under Short Track Super Series rules for this event.
The ‘Cranberry Sauce’ Crate 602 Sportsman are set for a 25-lap event offering $1,000 to take the victory.
Also on the docket, the ‘Pumpkin Pie’ Pure/Street Stocks in a Shootout Series event honoring the memory of Ron Wright, a Four Cylinder ‘Feast’ and a side of Enduro pudding.
Pit gates will open at 9 a.m. Grandstand gates will unlock at 10 a.m. Hot laps begin at noon and the first green flag flies at 1 p.m.
Adult grandstand admission is $24. Seniors (ages 65 and up) pay $22. Kids 11 and under are $5. Reserved outdoor seating
can be obtained for $26. Limited indoor seating is available for $35 by calling the speedway office at 845.626.1142.
Pit admission is $40, with no license required.
There is a ‘weather date’ in effect for this event of Saturday, December 1.
Accord Speedway is located at 299 Whitfield Road Accord, NY 12404. To learn more about the speedway, visit www.accordspeedway.com, call the speedway office at 845.626.1142 or the race day line: 845.626.3478. E-mail the speedway at accordspeedway@yahoo.com.
*** Season passes, reserved seating, pit parking and licenses for Big Diamond Speedway are available for purchase.
The 2019 season will kick off with two free-to-thepublic practice sessions. One on Sunday, March 31: Open practice (1 p.m.), Enduro, and the other on Friday, April 5: Open practice (7 p.m.), Enduro. Followed by the 48th annual season opener on Friday, April 12 consisting of Modified 30, $4,000 to win, Sportsman 20, $1,000 to win, Roadrunners, and Street Stocks.
A season pass is $330 and checks made payable to Big Diamond Speedway can be sent to PO BOX 671 Minersville, PA 17954. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Information on marketing through motorsports at Big Diamond Speedway (event sponsorships, billboards and more) are available by contacting Kris Perry at (570) 691-4730.
Those wishing to reserve a seat without purchasing a season pass can do so for $30 per seat.
Fans purchasing a season pass & those who purchased reserved seats without a season pass will be able to select their reserved seat at the practice on March 31.
Pit license forms and parking map is available on the speedway website www. bigdspeedway.net
*** Veteran IndyCar driver Marco Andretti, grandson of legendary Mario Andretti, will be taking an enhanced role in the No. 98 team’s entry come 2019 as the U.S. Concrete-branded Honda will officially be entered by Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Marco Andretti & Curb-Agajanian.
“I’m happy and proud to invest back into the team that I have been with for 13 seasons and counting,” said Marco Andretti. “I truly believe this is the best team out there and I’m looking forward to a fun, competitive future with the U.S. Concrete No. 98 family.”
“I’m proud to see Marco looking beyond the racing seat and taking a vested interest in not just his car entry, but the future of motorsport that can one day take him beyond his driving career,” said Andretti Autosport CEO Michael Andretti. “Marco has many driving years ahead of him and many victories yet to come but is continuing to see the big picture of racing and that will in turn make him a stronger competitor all around.”
The No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Marco Andretti & Curb-Agajanian entry will take to the track for the 2019 IndyCar Series season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg March 10. Marco Andretti will join Andretti Autosport teammates Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda), Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda) and Zach Veach (No. 26 Group 1001 Honda) for 17 rounds of competition in America’s premiere open-wheel series.
Local fans will get to see the team in action when they compete at Pocono Raceway come August.