A trio of historic dirt tracks in the Northeast will join the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series for the 2023 season.
Georgetown Raceway in Delaware and Utica-Rome and Fonda Speedways in New York, which are operated by promoter Brett Deyo, are the latest facilities to be certified by NASCAR.
“I’ve been looking at the option [to sanction with NASCAR] For the past two years,” Dio said. “For Fonda and Utica-Rome, we have the same base racers who run two nights, Friday night in Utica-Rome and Saturday night in Fonda. It gives them a chance to run for the state championship, regional championship, and national championship.
“From a Georgetown perspective, there is more growth here. We have a much more ambitious schedule after that [recently]. We’ve been on track part-time since 2016. We’re still not in Georgetown weekly, but we’re racing more than we have in the past.”
Video: Sights and sounds from last year’s Camp Barnes Benefit race at Georgetown Speedway.
Georgetown Speedway, located in Georgetown, Delaware, was built in 1949 by businessman Melvin L. Joseph. The track will host Thursday and Friday night races this year as well as special events.
Major events on the 2023 calendar in Georgetown include the 12K vs. 12K for the Gary Simpson Memorial (July 21) and the Mid-Atlantic Championship (October 27-28). Georgetown will open its season on April 7th.
Visit www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com for more information.
The Utica-Rome Speedway, located in Vernon, New York, was built in 1961 by Joe Lysick as a quarter-mile asphalt oval before it was converted to a dirt track in 1979. Known as the “Home of the Champions,” the city of Utica-Roma will host the weekly race. on Fridays throughout the next season.
Some of the best racing cars have won championships at the Utica Roma racetrack. They include Richie Evans, who won four titles during the asphalt era at Utica-Rome, and current NASCAR Craftsman Truck competitor Stuart Friesen, seven-time track champion.
Main events at the half-mile dirt oval in 2023 include Richie Evans Remembers 61 (July 20) and The New Yorker (September 3). The season opener in Utica-Rome is scheduled for April 21st.
Visit www.uticaromespeedway.com for more information.
2023 season opener at Utica Roma Speedway
Fonda Speedway, located in Fonda City, New York, opened in 1953 and is still in operation today as a half-mile dirt oval. Dubbed the “Track of Champions,” Fonda hosted four NASCAR Cup Series races in the 1950s and 1960s. Those events, known as the Fonda 200, were won by Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Richard Petty. The last time NASCAR sanctioned Utica-Rome Speedway was in 2016.
The track will host weekly races on Saturdays throughout the summer. Major events include the inaugural season opener of the Jack Johnson Memorial Montgomery County Open (April 22) as well as the $53,000 Fonda 200 (September 14-16).
Visit www.thefondaspeedway.com for more information.
Mods will be the number one class in the tri-track in 2023. Ryan Goodown (Georgetown), Matt Sheppard (Utica Roma) and Matt DeLorenzo (Fonda) are the ubiquitous champions of the modified circuit.
The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series runs short weekly penalties across the United States and Canada. Layne Riggs is the defending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I National Champion.
For Deyo, giving competitors in his three tracks the opportunity to earn more money and the chance to race for state, regional and national championships made joining the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series a much easier decision.
“It opens up another earning opportunity for our contestants, and that got me really excited, because we always try to give them as many opportunities to earn money as possible,” said Deyo. “I felt like the NASCAR program was giving them that opportunity without them having to do anything different than they were already doing.
“It’s an amazing opportunity. We pride ourselves on pushing so well at our tracks. Anytime you can give them a chance to race for more money, that’s a good thing. Not to mention the exposure that comes with it, the honor of being a NASCAR champion. Especially during the 75th season, There’s a lot of noise associated with it.”