News

Well, its edition # 3 of TRACKSIDE!  2019 Racing has begun in earnest.  Maybe not up here, in the snow, rain and ice, but at least down south.  We get to see some live “racing” from Daytona and can follow the various short track racing notes from different venues. I’m sure we all know people that are down in Florida taking in races.  I for one am a little envious of them!  Soon local car shows will be showing off the 2019 Race Cars and then, how far away can practice and racing begin?  That is correct just around the corner!

I am excited to share some pictures received from the driver of the Super Stock #21 Dodge, Rick Verberne.   Rick has a new major sponsor in SPARKPOWER this year, and the car looks fantastic along with terrific support from his continuing sponsors.  Such a different looking race car than Ricks previous ones. I’m sure Rick is looking to beat his 6th place point standings, in his Super Stock Rookie year. I believe he will be one of the main contenders for the 2019 Transaxle Super Stock championship.  Stay tuned.

His sponsors for the 2019 season are

Spark Power, Tiltran, Talltrees, Lizco, Wight Motorsports Inc, CARQUEST, McKenzie Auto Parts, RA Watters Graphics, Elgin Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Oxford Pallet, Castrol, Oxford Civil Group, Panton Paint & Collision, Blake Painting, Dennis & Wanda Walter, Canadian Linen, Loctite, Arc-1 Welding Supplies

TRACSKSIDE, also received a note from last years 2018 Super Stock Champion, Gary Adriaensen, in response to my questionnaire. Gary is moving up to the Case ‘N Drum Oil Late Models Presented by MRE.  

“My 2019 plans are to race in the Delaware Pro Late Model class full time and compete for the rookie of the year and the Championship. We also intend to run a couple APC races at Delaware and Jukasa. As well as try to make the show for the Canadian Short Track Nationals at Jukasa.  

The car I purchased is an MRE chassis that is a couple years old. It was originally owned by Jason Parker. Jesse Kennedy drove it at the Canadian Short Track Nationals and Cayden Lapcevich drove it in a couple races during the playoffs. It’s a great piece and I look forward to seeing what I can do with it. This season will be my 20th season running at Delaware Speedway and I couldn’t be more excited to race with the best PLM drivers in Ontario.”

His sponsors for the 2019 season are: 

Dowler-Karn Fuels, Bumper to Bumper, London Drive Systems, Guild Electric, Concorde Distributing, Doxtator Property Maintenance, Speedpro Imaging, Epic Racewear, Cabral Racing Promotions

I have seen this car run many times. It is a very fast car!  Is there any doubt, based on previous experience, it won’t take long for Gary to be running with leaders in the Late model division in 2019?  Also, don’t be surprised to see new colours for Gary, on this new car and new division this year. Look for the debut of the car at the Delaware Speedway booth, at London Speed and Custom Car show in March.

That’s it for this week,   Bob

Drivers or owners, send in your pictures or any news of your 2019 race cars that we can share with the readers as we look to ramp up for the 2019 exciting and action packed season, in whatever state they are in to Bob at trackside@DelawareSpeedway.com

Looking forward to including them in future publishing of the columns.

Delaware Speedway is looking to fill a handful of employment positions ahead of the 2019 racing season. Excitable individuals that love working in a high speed work place are encouraged to email russ@delawarespeedway.com with their resume and a cover letter.

Available positions include:

Tech/Safety Inspector for all race events
Track Safety Crew Team Member for all race events
Opening cleanup crew for track facility start-up for the month of April 
General Maintenance person during the week – position runs April to mid October
Scoreboard tower operator, scoring assistant
Smart Serve bartenders
General Admission ticket agent / scanner 

Exciting news, the counter has started and there’s only ​88 days​ till opening day at Delaware Speedway for the exciting and electrifying 2019 season! Trusting the time will go very quickly so stay tuned and get ready to buckle up from both a driver and spectator perspective. Based on driver registrations to date, there’s noted influx of new drivers and drivers in new divisions this year. Nice to see some drivers moving up along with new ones starting in 2019. Should be a very interesting season for sure. Also, great to see more Windsor area drivers coming back to the track.

One of the teams is making a big jump from Bone Stocks to Super Stocks. Scott Slager (STS Roofing) has acquired the former #51 Super Stock of Matt Robblee, who is moving to Late Model. Scott’s driver, Derek Moesker will be behind the wheel of the Super Stock. I also hear maybe a new Bone Stock is also in the works. Good luck to this team. I think they will do very well. Below is a picture of the car in the STS Garage and also a preliminary design for the new wrap.

Drivers or owners out there, please send pictures or any news of your 2019 race cars, in whatever state they are in, to Bob at ​trackside@DelawareSpeedway.com

Looking forward to including them in future publishing of the column​.

Well, we are almost into the Daytona race and it’s nice to see race cars on TV. It means spring and summer can’t be that far behind. For those who are interested or follow the racing at New Smyrna Speedway World Series, you can see the features live on Fanschoice.TV every night. Helps quench the desire for a racing fix!

Will any of the teams be displaying their race vehicles at the London Speed and Custom Car show being held at the Western Fair Grounds Agriplex on March 23r​ d​ & 24t​ h​ , 2019?

As mentioned in the previous column, I can’t believe the enthusiasm for the Delaware Speedway 2019 season. More drivers and more cars than we have seen in the past few years. This is good for fans and competitors alike. Look forward to the regulars coming back also.

Question from last week​ – ​who do you think was the best driver ever at Delaware Speedway? Any era. – ​well the responses were minimal, there were some good names, like American supermodified driver Wayne Landon, Earl Ross, Jr Hanley, Harvey Lennox, Steve Robblee. All extremely talented drivers.

Some day, just go down the list of drivers that started at Delaware Speedway and have gone on to have many wins. It’s a impressive list!

Found a page of interest from a 1966 Delaware Speedway Program. This was a couple of years before the track was enlarged from quarter mile to its present half mile form. Can anybody name all the drivers?

That’s it for this week, Bob

Any comment, suggestions, news, topics are welcome. Please feel free to contact me at

trackside@DelawareSpeedway.com

Welcome to the first edition of the TRACKSIDE column / blog.  My name is Bob Kennedy and with the support of Steve Yarkovsky, we will be providing comments, news, historical features, interviews and general discussion on the Delaware Speedway racing scene.  Look forward to questions, comments and suggestions from the racing audience both trackside and spectator side.

First off, I have been a spectator at Delaware since I was 3, when my parents, who were huge race fans, brought me along.  Since I’m over 60 now, it’s been quite a journey. I love car racing, no matter what kind. I have my favourite divisions of course, but overall, I’m a race fan.  As a race fan, it’s clear to see that the demographic of both the racers and fans continues to evolve and change and there is a constant….a warm sunny day, clear skies with a track filled with racers, fans, friends and family ready to settle in for a great race and to hear the magical words Gentlemen and Ladies “start your engines”. And we are off.

This column is intended to provide interest and enthusiasm for Delaware Speedway through a very interactive dialogue. I look forward to chatting with drivers and fans alike for their ideas or comments on the state of racing at Delaware, encouraging balanced input, views, and ideas which will always be welcome.

Will be contacting you, the drivers, shortly, so I can get to know all of you and to get your views and status for the exciting 2019 season ahead.  This is a new venture for me so am looking for all the support I can get.

This past Saturday, we had the opportunity to attend the Delaware Awards Banquet, for the first time ever.  We understand that last year there were 110 people attending and this year there were 160! Very much enjoyed the banquet and seeing the drivers, owners, families, etc. and the awards presentations. Not only the Class Point Champions, but the Top 10 in points in each class, were recognized from the 2018 season.
• CASE ‘N DRUM LATE MODELS PRESENTED by MRE CHAMPION –  Jesse Kennedy
o CASE ‘N DRUM LATE MODELS PRESENTED by MRE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR –  Jake Sheridan
• TRANSAXLE SUPER STOCKS CHAMPION –  Gary Adriaensen
o TRANSAXLE SUPER STOCK ROOKIE OF THE YEAR –  Rick Verbene
• DOXTATOR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT V8 STOCKS CHAMPION –  Barry Watson
• TRUCKS CHAMPION –  Tom Zagarodny
o TRUCKS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR –  Jacob Campbell
• D.A.D.S. BONE STOCKS CHAMPION   –  Craig Cole
o D.A.D.S. BONE STOCKS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR –  Julie Saunders
• BEST APPEARING RACE VEHICLE –  Randy Thompson
• HARD CHARGER AWARD –  Trevor Collver
• MOST SPORTSMAN LIKE –  Lloyd Rawlings
• HARBORNE/LAWRENCE SPIRIT OF RACING AWARD –  Jo Lawrence
• EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR –  Chris Culos
 
It was a great evening and a lot of fun was had by all who attended.  It provided a great opportunity to chat one on one and in a group social setting sharing stories of the past season and the excitement of the up coming 2019 season!

There is tremendous enthusiasm for the 2019 Season at Delaware. Looking at the current list of drivers registered in the various divisions as Jan.28/19, there are a lot of new faces to Delaware Speedway and a few drivers changing divisions. I think a lot to look forward to. I know Opening Day can’t get here quickly enough!

Well I think that’s about it for me on the introduction, this the first of many posts to this new and exciting column.  Look forward to the next edition of TRACKSIDE !

Question of the week – Who do you think was the best driver ever at Delaware Speedway?   Any era.

Any comments, suggestions, news, topics are welcome. Please feel free to contact me at trackside@DelawareSpeedway.com