By Steve Pados, Accord Media
Heavy storms rolled through the Hudson Valley on Tuesday night and with it came downed trees, flooded basements and the loss of power to many homes and businesses throughout the valley. Accord Speedway ranked high was among those who suffered through the loss of power and not having any idea whatsoever as to when the power would be restored to the facility, Promoter Gary Palmer was forced to cancel the opening night of the Mid Week Madness Series for the small car divisions of racing. While not having power to operate the raceway, the quick thinking Palmer put a plan into effect and turned the evening into a practice session for the drivers to test and prepare their equipment for when the track finally goes green next Wednesday night on June 18th.
The track was rewarded with all divisions of small scale racing coming out to test and tune their equipment on the refurbished raceway. Nearly 90-competitors came out to shake down their equipment and a nice crowd gathered for the 3 hour practice session. Bikes and Quads highlighted the turnout and although some drivers occurred some problems during the duration of the practice sessions, all of the incidents were harmless as the drivers quickly adapted to the new surace and higher banking of the Accord facility. 10 Slingshot cars were in attendance all were quite pleased with the work Promoter Palmer accomplished during the off-season at Accord. Reigning track champion Zach O'Connell and the gifted Anthony Perrego said the track was right on the money and both young talents could flat foot their racers all of the way around the raceway.
The Midweek Madness drivers and fans will have to wait until next Wednesday night, June 18th, when Promoter Gary Palmer will usher in the 2008 racing season for the Mid Week Madness Series as the small car divisions of racing receive their first opportunity to race competitively at Accord. The enthusiasm for the Wednesday evening shows is running at a fever pitch as many of the weekly regulars were anxiously watching the Friday night racing action trying to figure out what they will need to be prepared for the new surface, higher banking and the fast line around the speedway once the season begins. The practice session gave the drivers the needed track time to dial their equipment in and the season opener will prove to be highly competitive from start to finish.
Karts, Quads, Motorcycles, Lawn Mowers, and Slingshots will all be part of the action when the new season begins next week. The Slingshot division, headed up by car owner and former driver Tom Perrego, will headline the action as more than a dozen of the top names in the Slingshot division have committed to being part of the action when the Season kicks off. "The Bushkill Bullet" Kyle Rohner, with two big wins already to his credit at Hamlin and a "Rookie" in the Accord Spec Sportsman ranks, missed last night's practice, but will be in the field for the initial show. Another couple of time winner already in 2008, the "Montgomery Missile" Anthony Perrego will be a regular for the Mid Week shows. West Park, New York teenage talent the "Z-Man" Zach O'Connell has inked on as a regular for the series as he divides his time between his new CRSA 305 Sprint Car and the Slingshot divisions. Local Slingshot star "Mighty" Michael Horton from nearby Cuddebackville is the latest "Slinger" star who has announced his intentions to be part of the Wednesday night action in his Horton Well and Pump/Orange Energy sponsored machine but did miss the practice session as well. It is also expected that Marshalls Creek driving star Kyle "Hot Rod" Rode will be also be testing the tacky Accord clay in his Frank Smith Surveyors/RGB Homebuilders racer. Other Slingshot drivers who took part in the practice session included the highly recognized Joesph Kata, Kayla and RJ Smykla, Kyle Van Duser, Brian Fink, Kevin Schultz and Charlie Lawrence. With more and more Slingshot cars being sold and distributed in and around the parameters surrounding the Accord area, all indications for a solid field of racers for opening night is expected. The Slingshot race car division has grown in popularity since the car was created in 1999 by former Syracuse Modified winner Rich Tobias and to date Tobias has stated he has sold 582 of the little creations across the country.
Names familiar with the Wednesday night shows will once again the headline the action once the season begins. Quad and Bike Champions Cougar and Scott MacDowell are set to return to the speedway to defend their titles from a year ago. Names quite familiar with the racing community such as McGill, Hentschel, Roselli, Plumstead and Barbagallo are all names that have captured titles or runner-up status from a year ago and all have indicated a return to the speedway again this year. The Mid Week shows have given credence as the proving ground and the feeder system for the Friday night programs at Accord as some of the now Friday night stars such as "Dynamite" Danny Cross, and Spec Sportsman Rookies this year, Tyler Odendahl and Richard Smith are graduates and former champions from the Mid Week shows.
The Membership price is $45.00. Non-member entry is $12.00 and for members the cost is $10.00. Non-member class cost is $30.00 and for members the cost is $25.00. For all money classes, the cost is $40.00 with payback at class being at 75 percent. Grandstand admission is set at $3.00 per person and a concession stand will be open for the great food the speedway is noted for. Gates open for the Midweek shows at 5 PM with hot laps getting underway at 6:15. The racing immediately follows. Spectator admission for the Wednesday shows is a very affordable $3.00 and a great night for the fans to come out and enjoy small car scale racing at it's very best.
The Palmer Family would like to thank all of the sponsors, competitors, fans and staff for their solid support and encouragement during the off-season as the Speedway is a continuous work in progress and all systems are go for the Mid Week Madness racing season that promises to be bigger and better and more exciting than ever. All fans and businesses are encouraged to visit the newly constructed website often for continued updates and information regarding the great racing activity at the "Gem in the Catskills"
For further updates and information regarding the great racing at the Accord Speedway, logon to their newly constructed website at: http://www.accordspeedway.com or call the speedway hotline at: 845 626 3478
A TRAIL OF DIRT LEADS RIGHT TO OUR DOOR