Let's go racing!

The 2015 schedule of the famed half-mile Shawano Speedway, which opens its season Saturday, is once again littered with special events — something for the whole family.

The highlights again this season include the return of the World of Outlaw Late Models on July 28 for the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win Sun Drop Shootout.

This season the Modifieds and Stock Cars join the shootout, which should make for an unbelievable show.

On June 13, The Havoc on the Half Mile Late Model special sponsored by Suebert Calf Ranches returns. Once again, the admission price and the pit price will not be raised for the this night, so with Plymouth and Cedar Lake running the UMP Summer Nationals not running that night, for $10 you can see the best Late Model drivers in our area competing for $2,000 to win and their share of the $15,000 purse.

The following week, on June 20, the Hammond Farms & Greenhouse IMCA Stock Car Showdown returns. The winner of the 25-lap race wins $750. With “Hard Charger” and lap leader money, the purse for this event is in excess of $5,500.

The fifth annual Racing for a Reason returns July 11. This event has raised $43,000 for local childhood cancer awareness charities in its first four years.

Many other events return as well, including the following:

• Family Night, July 4: Mom, dad and kids all get in for $15.

• Fan Appreciation Night, Aug. 29: Adult admission only $5.

• Mother’s Day with Ladies Night, May 9: The first 500 ladies get in free.

• Cody Hudson Racing Autism Awareness Night, Aug. 8: Free corn roast after the races.

Of course, the Spectator Eliminators return in 2015, and what grudge matches will pop up this season?

I could go on and on, but grab a schedule and check it out for yourself. There is something to do every week.

So, I went over the old, but what about the new? Where to start.

Let’s start with the drivers. We have increased the purse for the IMCA Mods, Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Mighty Fours by more than $2,000 a week. We also went out and got feature winner decals, and every feature winner will get a feature winner plaque.

B & J Custom graphics will be redoing our entire victory lane sign and give it a fresh look.

To help drainage on the track, we moved pit entrance down on the front stretch.

For the fans, we upgraded our Kid’s Club, design-the-car contests, bike/scooter/skateboard giveaways, Sun Drop water truck ride and are working on more. We will be moving Kid’s Club under the grandstand in the Kid’s Zone. Our goal is to make this area very interactive for families.

We are adding a TV in the beer garden area. We will be showing previous weeks’ races and some old races from throughout the years. This should add to our fans experience here.

June 27 will bring our first Alumni Night. Shawano Speedway is one of the longest running dirt tracks in the country, and we felt it was time to honor those who paved the way. We will have old programs and photos all over the grounds, old videos playing on the TV. 1st Choice Auto and Kelsey Coatings will be displaying and hot lapping the coupes. I was also told that there will be some new old-school cars that will debut that night.

We will finish Alumni Night off by kicking off your Fourth of July week with a big fireworks show after the races. This should be a fun one.

Chuck Buckbee and JJ Smith will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 28. These are great choices as they cover a few eras from Shawano Speedway.

On the track, we have Jared Siefert, Modified driver and multi-time Mod champion in Shawano, in a Late Model this season.

Look for Josh Oakley, Gary Janke and rumblings of a few others in the Late Model division this season as well.

Stock Car frontrunner Scott Stewart and Derek Loberger look to tear up the half-mile this season. The Stock Car class will see the return of a few drivers in 2015. 2013 Rookie of the Year Maria Steinke returns to the seat after a year off, as well as fan favorite Dan Michonski. Matt Alvey moves from a Mod to a stock car as well this season, and Scott Blanke moves from the 4 cylinders to a stock car.

Sport Mods will see new names join the ranks this season, including go-kart hot shoe Kyle Raddant.

Will Van Straten continue his dominant ways? Will Berna get his eighth track championship? Will the rookies or returners make a splash? Time will tell, but to you, the best fans anywhere, you deserve the best show possible and we will do everything in our power to make that happen.

So, please, leave the hustle and bustle of your week behind, and sit back on Saturday Nights and enjoy the show.