Mother Nature ends Speedweeks a few day’s early in Florida forcing East Bay Raceway Park to cancel last weekend of Winter Nationals.
East Bay Raceway’s Late Model Sportsman Appearance Canceled
ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. — The inaugural appearance of the Crate Racin’ USA
602 Late Model Sportsman division scheduled Feb. 18-20 as part of the
traditional Florida Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park in
Gibsonton, Fla., has been canceled due to recent inclement weather, and
a prediction for more rain through the coming weekend.
The announcement cuts short a solid opportunity for both the track and
the Adairsville, Ga-based sanctioning body to showcase a fast-growing
division on a larger stage during the annual Florida Speedweeks
festivities, but that disappointment will only be temporary. Both track
officials and Crate Racin’ USA management personnel hope to reschedule
the division for next year’s version of the annual speed celebration
in the Sunshine State.
“It’s a decision we sure didn’t want to make, and we hope to make
this class a permanent part of our annual Florida Winternationals,”
track owner/promoter Al Varnadore said. “We’ve had about five inches
of rain here in the last few days, and it absolutely poured here last
night after we’d already had rain for a couple days. Due to the bad
weather we haven’t had a lot of time to prepare the track surface they
way we’d like, and now with more rain coming in the forecast and some
of these drivers locked in by cold and snow in their home regions, we
felt it was best to do this early. We don’t want them coming
unnecessarily, and we want them to have multiple chances to race for
money. Right now with weather forecasts and our current situation here
at the track with muddy conditions, it’s possible we’ll only be able
to get one or two shows completed rather than all three.”
One of five different classes that are under the highly-successful
sanctioning banner of the Crate Racin’ USA Weekly Racing Series, Late
Model Sportsman competitors are a strong piece of the company’s weekly
racing foundation, even though the division was only established four
years ago, and will soon be entering its fifth campaign. Former Weekly
Racing Series National Champions include Kyle Clifton (2017), Haden
Duncan (2018), Bryson Mitchell (2019) and last year’s titlist Ryan
King.
“This is a division we’ve been getting more and more excited about
as it continues to grow beyond what we ever expected,” Crate Racin’
USA series director Adam Stewart said. “The future looks really bright
for the competitors in this division, and we felt that having a chance
to be part of a huge weekend during Florida Speedweeks was a huge step
for the class. Unfortunately the weather isn’t going to allow us the
opportunity this year, but we’ll look forward to being a part of the
Florida Winternationals during the 2022 season.”
The inclement weather that has spread across the company’s home region
has some race teams unable to travel, as snow and ice continues to
affect the main area such as Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
“We’ve heard from a dozen or more teams that they’re going to be
unable to attend, and we know they had been planning to make the
trip,” Stewart said. “There’s also another round of bad weather
coming to the region, and we don’t see where the situation is going to
improve for the next few days. We’ve got to take our teams and fans
into consideration, and we do not want to have them traveling in those
conditions. This is something we were really looking forward to have
happen for this division and its competitors, because East Bay Raceway
Park is among the best tracks in the country to showcase your
organization in February.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to step back and take a second glance.
It’s best for all concerned to make this decision as early as
possible, and to start planning for next year.”
The economical 602 Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine is utilized
by competitors on the series. It’s in stock and available for free,
next-day delivery from Newsome Raceway Parts in Hartsville, S.C.
The company gives a portion of the sales from each engine sold back to
the series point funds in four different divisions. Each engine is built
and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications. To
place an order, call 1-877-497-3624.
For more information and rules about the division, visit the
organization’s website at www.crateracinusa.com [1], or follow our
extensive social media programs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.