Wilmot Raceway - New Management, New Sanction! Wilmot Raceway, a 1/3-mile dirt track located between Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL, will start its 2009 season under new management
...along with joining the ASA Member Track program. Two things that long time fans of the famous speedway will be excited to know as it prepares to open its season on Saturday, May 16th.
The first thing the fans will notice is that the track will be under the new name of Wilmot Raceway and it will be managed by the Kenosha County Fair Association. The KCFA will run 13-15 race dates including five sprint specials featuring the Bumper-To-Bumper IRA/ASA Sprint Series.
“The sprints are strong here, especially IRA, which is sanctioned by ASA, as we draw close to 40 cars every time they’re here. Other dates feature Modifieds, Street Stocks, Mini-Sprints, and Fearless 4's,” Randall Rossi, Kenosha County Fair President stated. “Of course a Demo Derby and Tractor Pull appear on the schedule in addition to the regular race nights. A Late Model event is hoped to be added yet for 09, and an October special(s) featuring numerous area divisions were just announced.”
Along with deciding their 2009 schedule the KCF also thought it was best to join the ASA Member Track program, “We think it's good to put ourselves with an established sanctioning group like ASA,” Rossi explained. “Some other nearby tracks like Madison, The Dells, and Illiana plus the area's most popular touring series like the ASA Midwest Tour and of course the IRA Outlaw Sprints, which are just huge around here, have gone with ASA. We believe that by putting ourselves with a proven sanction will show our fans and racers that we are serious about stepping up our program.”
Not only do they see the benefit of being with the American Speed Association, they also see a positive for their competitors as well, “Well being involved with a highly recognized sanction should be an automatic positive. The insurance program of course made us feel good about making the move. Having something in common with other successful area tracks has to be good,” Rossi stated. “We want this new endeavor of running our own facility to be successful and believe this move will expedite that process. We want our racers to feel good about our program, and our fans to know that we intend to treat our racers well. We have already brought our purses up for 09 to put them equal to other area venues running similar classes, and we're tweaking the rulebook to be a little more universal too.”
Rossi feels they have put together an exciting 2009 schedule that will be perfect for their fans to visit Wilmot Raceway as it is the only track literally between Milwaukee and Chicago. “Our Fair week is certainly motorsports based, we've got the 2-day IRA show of course, but we have 2 support classes each night including the Vintage Mods which was the norm here 30-50 years ago. We have a few specials planned for the Modifieds and Street Stocks too. We need to grow all our classes. This was a sprint track for a long time too; we hope the specials will keep the interest while we grow our other divisions, as we need those divisions to be strong before we can run sprints again weekly. Our overall car count needs to increase and we believe this is the way to do it initially. We have big plans for a couple October specials too which should draw cars that haven't raced here much over the past few years; hopefully they'll enjoy themselves and look at racing with us more in the future.”
Rossi and his fellow KCF members realize they are in for a learning experience but have a great group of people to give their support and advice, “I admit we in the Fair Board are in the midst of a big education curve, however we have people like Steve Sinclair from the IRA, and local racing legend Joe Roe helping us as well as many others. We have raced on these grounds for over 50 years; there is a lot of tradition here that unfortunately began slipping away. We won't let that happen. We want this to be a successful deal for everyone and definitely believe the ASA relationship will show everyone we're serious, not to mention the knowledge and advice Dennis Huth can share with us. Wilmot Raceway is the ONLY remaining track between Chicago & Milwaukee. The potential here is huge and we saw the track's popularity starting to fade the past few years, particularly on the weekly shows as the specials still remained strong, but we need to get the weekly show built up again, by going ASA and treating the racers and fans with respect, and providing some shows which highlight each of the classes, we believe we can make Wilmot the well respected venue it was for so many years. We have a very passionate fan base in this area, we will do everything we can to make everyone’s experience to Wilmot Raceway an enjoyable one.”
“We are excited to welcome Wilmot Raceway to the ASA Member Track program,” Dennis Huth, American Speed Association President stated. “If you are a dirt track fan or just a race fan period, you owe yourself a visit to one of the more historical racing facilities in the United States. We are proud they are carrying the ASA banner this season. We are a national organization that is here to help in any way we can, whether it’s a long established track or one that is making major changes like Wilmot.”
For more information on Wilmot Raceway including their 2009 schedule, please visit www.wilmotraceway.com.
The ASA Member Track program is comprised of more than 35 short tracks around the United States, as well as a variety of regional and national touring series. For more information, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from all the racetracks and tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.
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