Too Wet for ’22 ABC Raceway Opener; Reset for May 21
New events, bonuses aim to woo fans, drivers
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI, May 5 – It may still be a bit too wet to get the 2022 stock car racing season started on time at the ABC Raceway, but the Board of Directors of the Ashland-Bayfield County Racing Association isn’t worried about running short on excitement for the rest of the upcoming schedule.
No fewer than seven of the remaining 15 race nights slated for the award-winning Northern Wisconsin red-clay oval’s 58th season of action can be categorized as special events, while four are shows that will be held at the historic facility for the very first time. And while the ABC Raceway will once again host a six-division offering during its regular Saturday-nightprograms – featuring WISSOTA-sanctioned Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Pure Stocks and Hornets, plus the track’s own ABC Six-Cylinders – it will also bring in three other divisions to visit at various times throughout the Summer of ‘22.
In addition to an ambitious schedule, the ABC Raceway hopes to attract drivers with a couple of bonus offers. These are geared toward encouraging new drivers to race at the track as well reward loyal ones.
“With all that fans and drivers will have to deal with, it’s important that we do all we can to help them continue to race, plus show our appreciation when they race here,” said ABC Raceway president Eric Erickson recently, referring to the current economic struggles that hobby racers and their fans are contending with, such as parts and supplies shortages, climbing fuel prices, and other increasing expenses.
“We hope that fans and race teams will keep our track in mind when they plan their racing weekends.”
One of the offers that ABC has established is the waiving of driver entry fees for the Pure Stock and Hornet divisions during regular weekly shows in 2022. The Raceway, like many grass-roots facilities throughout the country, has watched car counts dwindle in various classes. ABC’s Board hopes that this might offer some relief from the rising costs that competitors in these entry-level divisions incur.
“We’d love to get the numbers (of entries) in those divisions back up,” Erickson stated. “We sure hope this helps.”
Another offer to drivers is a fixed fund to the top points finishers of 2022 in all six of its regular weekly divisions. By setting this fund in advance, drivers know what they’ll be racing for, as opposed to waiting until the end-of-season banquet to find out.
The caveat to this is that drivers will be paid a percentage of the fund amount set for their finishing position in the standings based on the percentage of shows they participate in during the season. For example, if fifth place in the Modifieds’ final standings pays $500, but the driver who finishes fifth only races in 12 of the 13 shows run, that driver would receive 12/13ths of the $500 advertised.
“We wanted to give drivers a reason to be loyal to our fans and our facility,” explained Erickson.
Once the season gets underway, it won’t take long for drivers to start running for some big-paying purses. On May 28, White River Ag Products of Mason will present the first-ever Farm Stock Special, offering a purse that will pay $2,500 to win for the Modified feature, $1,500 to the Midwest Mod feature winner, and $1,000 to the top finisher in the Super Stock A-main.
The Advantage RV Mod Tour returns to Ashland on June 11, in a program presented by the Bad River Lodge, Casino & Convention Center of Odanah. The stop will be night number three of a four-race set in four days to kick off the popular series for WISSOTA Modifieds in the Upper Midwest.
On June 26 the Northern Renegades traditional sprints will be part of the track’s “Racing for a Reason” fundraiser night, presented by Northern Clearing Inc of Ashland. All fans will be welcomed into the main grandstand to watch the show with no admission charge on this night, with fan donations and other proceeds benefitting several area charitable organizations.
After taking a Saturday night off on July 2, the ABC Raceway will induct its eighth class into its Hall of Fame on July 9, with Zar’s Bar & Banquet Hall of Ashland as the presenting sponsor of this very special program.
The track will then deviate from its usual Saturday schedule for the second running of “The 444 Memorial,” to be held on Thursday, July 21, and presented by Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center. The event, part of the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series, will be the fourth race of a huge mini-series for WISSOTA’s premier division to be called the RaceXR.com “Northern Storm” tour.
The “Northern Storm” will start on Monday, July 18, in Ogilvie, MN, and continue on consecutive nights at Grand Rapids, MN; Hibbing, MN; Ashland and Superior. Besides paying $2,000 to win each night to the Late Model winner, and $2,000 to the five-race tour champion, each race of the set will also pay $1,000 to win the Modified features and $750 to win for the Midwest Mods.
NAPA Auto Parts of Ashland and Washburn will present the eighth annual visit by the FastLane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series on July 30. The ABC Raceway is one of the Series’ three charter-member tracks, along with Superior and Proctor, MN, and the event has grown to include shows at seven tracks this year, each expected to draw in excess of 40 entries.
Another of the new events this year is the “Little Car Classic,” to be presented by the Ashland-Bayfield County Sportsmen’s Club on August 6. WISSOTA Street Stocks will make their only appearance of the season at Ashland, running for $1,000 to win, while Midwest Mods ($500 to win) and Hornets ($300) will join the Pure Stocks and Super Stocks for this unique night for the “budget-oriented” divisions.
After the Mountain Dew Championship Saturday Night season-ending program on August 27, during which the track’s 2022 division champions will be crowned, the crew at ABC Raceway will get the facility ready for one of the Midwest’s biggest and most prestigious races of the year – the 47th annual Red Clay Classic, to be presented by Red’s Auto of Ironwood, MI; FastLane Motorsports & Custom Powdercoating of Ashland; and Tim’s Automotive Machine of Bloomer. The weekend of September 30-October 1 will see upwards of 200 WISSOTA Late Model, Modified, Super Stock and Midwest Mod drivers take to the three-eighths-mile oval for a chance at their share of a total purse that will once again exceed $100,000.
“While this may be one of the most challenging seasons races and fans have faced in many years, the Board and staff of the ABC Raceway are committed to making this one the best seasons ever,” said Erickson.
More information regarding the ABC Raceway and its 2022 season schedule are available on the track’s website,www.abcraceway.com, and via its FaceBook page.
ABC 2022 schedule advance 5/5/22
ABC Raceway – 2022 season schedule
May 14 – season opener, presented by Northern State Bank (cancelled due to wet grounds)
May 21 – rescheduled season opener and Teacher Appreciation Night, presented by WIMI, 99.7 FM
May 28 – Farm Stock Special, presented by White River Ag Products
June 4 – Kids’ Meet the Drivers Night
June 11 – Advantage RV Mod Tour, presented by Bad River Lodge, Casino & Convention Center
June 18 – AFCO Race of Champions qualifiers, presented by Safari Bar
June 25 – “Racing for a Reason” Night, with Northern Renegades sprints, presented by Northern Clearing Inc (free grandstand admission)
July 9 – Hall of Fame Night, presented by Zar’s Bar & Banquet Hall
July 16 – kids’ bike races, presented by Chicago Iron & Supplies
July 21 (Thurs) – “The 444 Memorial” WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series / RaceXR.comNorthern Storm special, with Modifieds & Midwest Mods, presented by Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center
July 30 – FastLane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series, presented by NAPA Auto Parts of Ashland & Washburn
August 6 – Small Car Classic, presented by Ashland-Bayfield County Sportsmen’s Club
August 13 – Northern Renegade Sprints, presented by Heartland Communications Group
August 20 – kids’ backpack night, presented by Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce
August 28 – Mountain Dew Championship Saturday Night, presented by North Star Beverage
Sept 30-Oct 1 – 47th annual Red Clay Classic, presented by Red’s Auto, FastLane Motorsports, and Tim’s Automotive Machine