BARBERVILLE, FL- For the second weekend in a row, weather put a stop to a scheduled night of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, this time forcing the postponement of the 6th Annual Scott Thompson Memorial, featuring the United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series and the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat Late Models. Fans and racers should take note that the reschedule date for the race will mark a dramatic change in the operation of Volusia Speedway, and a retooled 2011 racing schedule will be posted at www.TheVolusiaSpeedway.com very soon.
Twenty-two late models were in the pits and in the process of preparing their machines to race when steady rains moved in at around 5:30PM. At that point the track was in good shape so race officials decided to wait the rain out, as radar indicated that it should not last for very long. But the rain persisted as the storm system slowed over the track, and two hours later it became evident that a decision would have to be made. Volusia Speedway general manager, Ken Sands, and United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series director Ken Kinney, explained to the racers that it would take at least two hours to get the speedway into any sort of shape to race, and the racers decided at that time that the best move would be to postpone the event. The prevailing force behind the decision was that the racers wanted to give the Thompson family, and the fans, the best event that they could, and therefore reschedule the race for a later date when weather might not be an a issue.
The entire program for Saturday, June 25th, including all divisions and the 50 lap Scott Thompson Memorial, has been rescheduled for July 22nd, making it a Friday night event. That Friday will also mark a switch in race nights for Volusia Speedway Park, as the big half mile will begin running on Friday nights instead of on Saturdays. That decision came as a result of the fan and racer poll that was taken last month, and in response to over abundance of Saturday night programs across Florida. Ken Sands noted that the new night will afford racers the opportunity to race wherever they wished on Saturdays, yet still be able to take on the big half mile on Friday nights.
Volusia Speedway Park will be closed on Saturday, July 2nd for the Independence Holiday Weekend and to allow fans and racers to enjoy the festivities at Daytona International Speedway. The World’s Fastest Half Mile will return to racing action on Saturday, July 9th with the rescheduled “Holy Cow 25” Jack Miller Memorial Sprint Car Race, sponsored by Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson. VSP will race on Saturday for the final time on July 16th before switching to Fridays the following weekend on July 22nd.