KIRKWOOD, N.Y. – The 70th anniversary season of racing at Five Mile Point Speedway is still on hold until at least late May as the state of New York remains on a stay in place status in the battle against COVID-19.
The season was slated to begin on April 4.
A big early season schedule had been put in place at the historic quarter mile clay oval in Kirkwood. The latest big event to be postponed is the Short Track Super Series 70th Anniversary Special slated for Sunday, May 3. The race has been postponed with the hope of rescheduling at a later date this season. The event was to be a 51-lap modified race paying $7,000 to the winner.
The Mike Colsten Remembered 51 lap modified special scheduled for Saturday, April 18 will also be rescheduled. No makeup date will be established until there is a much clearer picture of where the protocols for mass gatherings stand in the weeks and months to come. The race will honor the legendary modified driver who passed away in early January. Longtime Mike Colsten team member Dan Hollenbeck has done a tremendous job in raising thousands of dollars in bonus lap money for the race.
“We are anxious to begin our 70th anniversary season but only at a time that our Federal and State authorities are comfortable that we can host racing events under guidelines as they are revised,” said Five Mile Point Speedway owner Andrew Harpell. “We truly don’t know if our season will consist of five races or 15 races. We will adapt to the guidelines as they are provided in the weeks to come.
“Our commitment remains to at least have a few of our core scheduled events at a time in the future that we are able.”
Those core events include: The Mike Colsten Remembered 51-lap modified special, the Short Track Super Series race, the annual Heath Memorial and National Quarter Mile Dirt Track Championship Weekend currently scheduled for mid-October.
Whenever the racing season does get the green light it is likely to start off with at least one open practice for the teams to properly prepare for actual racing.