WAVERLY, Ohio — The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models return to Atomic Speedway in Ohio on April 22 for the first time since 2018.
It’s an event that Atomic Speedway Promotor Charlie Vest and his team are excited for, as it’s one that involves a premier national series.
Leading up to the World of Outlaws return, like most of the country, the start of the season at Atomic has been impacted by weather. Just last month, the Super DIRTcar Series Rumble in the Hills event was postponed.
“We can’t wait to get racing in general,” Vest said. “The awesome thing about it is to have that quality of racing back-to-back this early in the season, and everyone is chomping at the bit both fan-wise and driver-wise to come race. We’re begging for it, we’re begging to get everybody back in the stands, and the quality of the World of Outlaws this early is kind of a preview of everything else we have going on with World Racing Group.”
Atomic Speedway is the only track other than Volusia Speedway Park to hold an event for every premier series this season — including the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Cars presented Low-E Insulation and the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds.
Vest and his team hope the Outlaw invasion brings momentum back to the speedway.
“I feel like we haven’t really got any momentum,” Vest said. “It’s kind of like getting two laps and a caution, and then two laps and a caution. I’m just excited. I just wish Mother Nature would start taking her meds and having a better attitude towards life, so maybe we can get some sunshine.”
The last time the World of Outlaws Late Models visited the Buckeye State venue, Tyler Erb swept the weekend, bringing fans to their feet with a last-lap pass on eventual series champion Mike Marlar.
Since that visit, track officials have made some changes to make a more enjoyable experience for the fans.
“The biggest thing is we’ve tried to streamline our entry,” Vest said. “So, from a fan perspective, we’ve tried to add some more ticket windows. That way, everyone’s not waiting. We’re adding additional exit points as far as point of sale and concessions, so you get your food a bit faster.”
The drivers and teams will also notice a few improvements at the facility. After the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series raced there in March, Vest received feedback from drivers that helped enhance the track.
For one, the wall that recently came down has not been replaced.
“Obviously, with the wall deciding it didn’t want to be there anymore, that’s been a massive positive for us this year,” Vest said. “The feedback so far has been really good. The guys just like the fact there’s some escape ability at Atomic now. We also removed some of the inside wall, just because we liked the way it raced a little better. As expensive as things are and as tough as things are for the drivers, the least amount of wear and tear or tearing up your vehicles you could do, the more likely we are to have a better show.”
Some of the changes were not only made to improve the racing, but also to enhance safety.
“Anywhere we had walls that were exposed that are impact spots, we’ve put the EPS foam, in which everyone’s feedback on that was great,” Vest said. “We’ve also added fencing and catch fence, so there’s a fence all the way around the wall in [Turn 3] to [Turn 4].”
Vest realized when he took over the reins of the track that, despite the need to make changes, he couldn’t change too much. There was still a need to build off the positives of the track’s history.
“It’s been such a good racy place, you don’t want to change it too much,” Vest said. “You have to leave it for what it is and really just take advantage of the positives that are there and make them stronger and make them better.”
The mentality Vest takes at Atomic may be aggressive, but it’s only because of his love of the sport.
“I love being at the track, and I love providing a service, and that’s kind of what I think our mentality is like,” Vest said. “It may be an odd mentality, but we want to provide that service to the drivers, the teams, the fans, and our employees.
“We have to make it fun because most of the people are at the track because they love it.”