What a weekend! I wish I was able to tell you about what a great Pro All Star Series weekend we had at Speedway 660. I wish I could write about an incredible race, with an exciting finish and an amazing celebration in the Riverview Ford Lincoln Victory Lane!
But the Geary Woods sat silent on the weekend. Well not completely silent, I’m sure there was the splish-splashing of rain hitting the puddles and the wind whipping through the trees, but there wasn’t the roar of the engines that we all wanted to hear. Based on the weather forecast for the weekend, Speedway 660 and PASS officials had no choice but to pull the plug on the event on Friday and it’s a good job they did. Saturday was a complete wash-out and Sunday wasn’t a whole lot better.
But that’s how it goes. Our favourite sport is an outside sport and it is very much weather dependent. And so far the weather hasn’t been kind to racing in 2013. But all of that is going to change, it’s got to! And here’s hopin this is the week the weather changes in our favour and allows us to get back to the track – back to racing in the Geary Woods!
Saturday is Kids Night at Speedway 660. There’s racing in five divisions and lots of fun for everyone, especially our youngest race fans.
Have you ever gone to Speedway 660 and seen the reaction of our youngest fans? It’s amazing to see how excited they get and how much they love the sport. They get to head out to the races with their families and spend a night together enjoying incredible entertainment.
Kids love racing and candy! They
will enjoy both this weekend at
Speedway 660!
What is it about kids and racing? I can remember a long, long time ago when I was a kid. I grew up on a dairy farm in Albert County and there was always lots of work to do. But, after working hard all week we got to go to the races at Riverglade Speedway every Saturday night.
It was the mid-sixties and back then you could get an order of “Lion’s Club” fries and bottle of Sussex Golden Ginger Ale for the grand total of 25 cents! That’s was my weekly treat. And oh how us kids loved the races. The sun would go down and the action would heat up. Back then I obviously cheered for my Dad, but I also liked “Fearless Frankie Fraser”, Caleb Dunn, Donnie Beers and Paul Lewis.
Those were the days.
Fast forward almost five decades – for some reason that doesn’t sound as bad as fast forward fifty years. Wow, I am getting old, who’d a thought – I sure didn’t.
Anyways, today I see the same enthusiasm and love of racing we had way back when, in the faces of the young race fans at Speedway 660. This Saturday is Kids Night and we’ll see lots of youngsters, especially during intermission when we host our incredible candy scramble for kids 12 and under.
Back in the day, kids used to be confined to the grand stands. Sometimes we might sneak into the pits after the races, but there is no way we could ever have got in a car and gone racing. Perhaps that is the most significant change in the sport. I know racing is more high-tech than it used to be and faster, but I think the biggest change is allowing kids to really get involved.
We see it every week at Speedway 660, well at least every week it doesn’t rain! And not only in the Westwood Estate Apartments Bandolero and Fredericton Jewelers 4 cylinder divisions. Kids are also racing in the DMR Auto Sales and Service Street Stock, Martins Home Heating Sportsman and Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock divisions.
Dana Hamm-Cameron won the Bando title in 2011 and this year he’s in pro stock. Jordan Gahan, Colter Wiggins and Dustin Tucker, who aren’t much older than Dana, are also running in our top division. Matt and Andrew, the Rodgers brothers, are both in Sportsman and there’s a strong crew of youngsters in Street Stock too including: Destiny Enkle, Alexandra O’Blenis and Kenny MacKenzie Jr.
It’s great to see the kids on the track and in the stands at Speedway 660. To me, that means my favourite sport continues to appeal to the younger generation, which also means racing has a bright, strong future.
Saturday is Kids Night, so I hope you will fill your car with kids of all ages and head on down to the Geary Woods to see some great short-track racing. Times sure have changed since the 1960’s but one thing has remained the same – kids love racing!
By the way the pits open at 5PM and kids can go meet their favourite drivers and check out the races cars. Bando and 4 cylinder heats go at 6:20PM and street stock, sportsman and pro stock racing get underway at 7PM.
We’ll see you at the races!
