New speedway season is upon us

The venerable half-mile oval known as the Shawano Speedway will soon come alive and welcome racers and fans of all ages.

As the offseason comes to a close, it will be remembered as a season of loss. Seven-time Shawano Speedway Late Model track champion and longtime fan favorite M.J. McBride passed away this winter along with former Sportsman division track champion Bill Lemmens. Opening night will be the M.J. McBride memorial, beginning around 6:15 p.m.

The Late Models will also be running for an increased purse. The race will pay $2,000 to the winner as well as bonus money for each lap led and additional money for the hard charger.

Along with the Late Models, each race night will again host the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport Mods and Mighty Fours. The Spectator Eliminators are once again slated to be part of the show numerous nights this summer.

Some of the highlights on the season schedule include Ladies Night on June 4, the Hammond Farm and Greenhouse IMCA Stock Car Shootout on June 18, the Fury at the Fairgrounds on June 25, the sixth annual Racing for a Reason on July 9, Hall of Fame night on July 23, the Sun Drop Shootout on Aug. 2 and Fan Appreciation night on Aug. 27.

The Fury at the Fairgrounds on June 25 is the third leg of the Cheesehead Triple Crown for IMCA Modifieds. The three-race swing will also feature a $10,000-to-win show at 141 Speedway along with $5,000-to-wins at the Oshkosh Speedzone and Shawano Speedway. This should be an awesome show with some of the top Modifieds racing talent from across the nation.

This year’s Hall of Fame class will feature two former track champions, smilin’ Clyde Schumacher, the track’s first-ever point champion, and George Sweere, a former Hobby Stock track champion.

Also some new names to look for in victory lane this summer include Tyler Thiex, Kyle Raddant, Brekken Kleinschmidt, Lucas Hacker, Scott Blanke and Brianna Ambroziak (who will also be racing against her brother, Kyle).

Look for a return this summer to weekly racing by former IMCA Modifieds track champion, “Modzilla” Jeremie Hedrick, who is planning on racing weekly at the track.

I think the class with the most competitive racing week in and week out may be the IMCA Sport Mod. Last year, it featured the closest point battle and it may well again this summer. Lucas Lamberies is the two-time defending champion, but he will have his hands full if he wants to make it three in a row. Look for last year’s runner up, Jason Jach, along with the likes of Jordan Bartz, Wyatt Block, Thiex, Raddant, Kleinschmidt, both Ambroziaks, Brandon Nygaard, Jordan Barkholtz, Logan Fleischman and Brock Saunders all to make some noise this summer.

Winter is gone, and spring is on. Let’s go racing!