Season opener at Aberdeen's Brown County Speedway scheduled for Friday, May 19
The 69th season of racing at Casino Speedway is scheduled to open Sunday with a Mother's Day racing program set for 6:30 p.m.
The event will include the six regular classes of cars: WISSOTA late models, modifieds, Midwest modifieds, hornets and super stocks as well as limited late models.
"It's a little later start than normal, but that's because we've been getting rained out in late April and early May. I think it will work out well," said Casino Speedway promotor Todd Good.
Sunday's program is the first of 17 events scheduled this summer for the one-quarter mile clay oval track near Lake Kampeska that was established in 1955. All of the events are scheduled for Sunday nights with the exception of the sixth Autumn Classic, the annual season-ending doubleheader that is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22-23 this year.
Few changes are on tap at the local speedway this summer, but that's more because things have been working pretty well at the track.
"We can't complain about how well things went last summer," said Good. "I believe we only had three rainouts and the entire year went very well."
Returning track champions from last year include two drivers, Chad Becker of Aberdeen (late models) and Tyler Peterson of Hickson, N.D. (modifieds) who won national WISSOTA points championships. Becker won the late model title at Casino for the fourth-straight year and fifth in six years and Peterson topped the modified class here for the third time in four years.
"That was pretty cool to have two national champions where basically this was their hometown race track," said Good.
Watertown's Mike Nichols won his third-straight Midwest modified title, Maria Broksieck of Goodwin topped the street stocks for the third time in five years and Adam VanDerostyne of Canby (Minn.) the hornets for the second time in three years. Watertown's Tony Croninger took the limited late models championship.
The Casino Car Show and Test-N-Tune session was held on Sunday. The sting of a long winter could be eased with a return to racing.
"I am still trying to get things rolling. There were a lot of improvements I wanted to do," said Good. "I think the track is ready to go, but the facility needs a lot of paint and other work. It's been a crazy year, trying to juggle everything."
For more information throughout the summer, visit www.casinospeedway.com or myracepass.com. Additional details are available for Casino Speedway are also available on Facebook and Twitter.
2023 Casino Speedway Schedule
MAY — Sunday, May 14: Mother's Day Season Opener; Sunday, May 21: Regular racing; and Sunday, May 28: Eighth Casino Speedway Memorial.
JUNE — Sunday, June 4: Regular racing; Sunday, June 11: 11th Marilyn Olson Late Model Challenge; Sunday, June 18: Regular racing; and Sunday, June 25: Regular racing.
JULY — Sunday, July 2: Independence Day Bash with fireworks special; Sunday, July 16: Toys for Tots Night; Sunday, July 23: Summer Sizzler Northern Outlaw Spring Association Special; and Sunday, July 30: Kids Night. (Note: Thursday, July 20 is special racing program at the Yellow Medicine County Fair in Canby, Minn.). There is no racing program scheduled for Sunday, July 9.
AUGUST — Sunday, Aug. 6: Rebel Midwest Mod Tour; Sunday, Aug 13: Regular racing; Sunday, Aug. 20: Regular racing; and Sunday, Aug. 27: Season Championships.
SEPTEMBER — Sunday, Sept. 3: Pre-Labor Day Draw/Re-Draw Special; and Friday, Saturday, Sept. 22-23: Sixth Autumn Classic.
Brown County Speedway
There's a good share of the Casino Speedway regulars who opened their weekends on Friday nights at Brown County Speedway.
The one-third mile dirt oval in Aberdeen is also getting ready to kick off its season. Test-N-Tune sessions are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, followed by the season-opening racing program on Friday, May 19.
The season opener is the first of 14 racing programs scheduled at BCS this summer, mostly on Fridays. Racing starts at 7 p.m.
Five classes race regularly, WISSOTA late models, modifieds, Midwest modifieds, street stocks and super stocks.
Aberdeen driver Kent Arment is the returning season points champion in both the late model and modified divisions at BCS. He's won the late model division three years in a row.
Other 2022 champions included Adam Brotherton of Huron (Midwest modifieds), Jaden Christ of Jamestown, JN.D. (street stocks) and Trevor Nelson of Warner (super stocks). Nelson has won the super stock class four-straight years and Brotherton's title was his second in a row.
For more information throughout the summer, visit myracepass.com. Additional details are available for Brown County Speedway on Facebook.
2023 Brown Speedway Schedule
MAY — Friday, May 19: Season opener; and Friday, May 26: Regular racing.
JUNE — Friday, June 2: Tri-State Late Model Series; Friday, June 9: Street Stock Tour; Friday, June 16: Moonshine MOD Tour; Friday, June 23: Regular racing; and Friday, June 30: Northern Outlaw Sprint Association special and fireworks.
JULY — Friday, July 7: Kids Night; Friday-Saturday, July 14-15: Dacotah Insurance Rumble; Friday, July 21: Regular racing; and Friday, July 28: Super Stock Special.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER — Friday, Aug. 4: Rebel Midwest Modified Tour; Friday-Saturday, Aug. 25-26: Season Championships; and Thursday, Aug. 31-Saturday, Sept. 2: Agtegra Big Buck Nationals.
Other Area Tracks
Many of the drivers who race regularly at Casino Speedway and/or Brown County Speedway also compete in racing events at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, Miller Central Speedway, Fiesta City Speedway in Montevideo (Minn.) and Madison (Minn.) Speedway as well as other venues.
Dakota State Fair Speedway has events scheduled for Saturday, May 13; Thursday and Saturday, June 1 & 3 and Saturday, Aug. 19.
A complete scheduled has not been released for Miller, which held weekly races on Saturdays last summer with pure stocks and WISSOTA late model, super stocks, Midwest modifieds, modifieds and street stocks.
Fiesta City Speedway's season opened last week and includes 16 scheduled programs, mostly on Fridays. Seven classes of cars compete at the track. Pure stocks and WISSOTA late models, hornets, Midwest modifieds, modifieds, street stocks and super stocks. The season championship is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 25 (Sept. 1 rain date).
Madison Speedway will open its season on Memorial Day (May 29). It's the first of 14 scheduled programs, mostly on Saturdays. The season championships are set for Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 4. Six classes will race regularly: pure stocks, limited late models and WISSOTA hornets, Midwest modifieds, modifieds, street stocks and super stocks.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: A preseason look at Casino Speedway and other area stock car tracks
