May 30 Tagged for ABC Raceway’s 56th Season Opener

by Nick Gima

                Ashland, WI, May 20 — Taking into account the effects of the current COVID-19 viral pandemic, the Board of Directors of the Ashland-Bayfield County Racing Association have decided that Saturday, May 30, will be the opening-night date for the 2020 stock car racing season at the ABC Raceway.

                To be presented by the Northern State Bank of Ashland, a full night of heat and feature race action for the track’s regular weekly divisions – WISSOTA-sanctioned Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Pure Stocks and Hornets, and the Raceway’s own ABC Six-Cylinders – will be held on the historic three-eighths-mile red-clay oval in northwestern Wisconsin on that night.

                Preparations for the 56th season opener at the venerable speedplant have been far different than those for any race season before, according to Raceway Board president Eric Erickson. Along with the usual pre-season sprucing, prepping and fixing, members of the Board have implemented many carefully-planned precautions to help assure that the facility will be clean and safe for race fans, drivers and their crews, and the track’s race-night staff.

                “We will put the safety and well-being of our fans as our first priority,” Erickson said regarding the Board’s decision to open the season. “We are preparing our facility to be very fan-friendly, while emphasizing the protection of the health and safety of our fans. But we also intend to do the best job possible in holding a good race program that fans can enjoy.”

                With the recent decisions by State and local governments to relax the various “stay-at-home” restrictions around the region, fans have become eager to enjoy racing and other sporting events. However, racetrack promoters – and people in general – realize that a genuine and unprecedented health hazard still exists, forcing them to take unique steps to minimize the possibility of transmission of the coronavirus at their facilities.

                Fans coming to the ABC Raceway will have access to many hand-sanitizing stations throughout the facility and will experience changes in the way food and beverages are served – all in the interests of their safety. Fans will also be encouraged to practice safe distancing in the grandstands, and race teams will be parked in the pits with a minimum of one parking space between haulers, in an effort to help minimize contact.

                “We will continue to monitor guidelines set by the State, our local municipalities, and the Federal government as they pertain to the pandemic regarding social gatherings for facilities such as ours,” said Erickson. “If any further recommendations are made or mandates are passed along, we will do what is needed to protect the people that come to our track from possible contact with this dangerous virus.”

                Erickson advised that a more extensive explanation of the track’s precautionary measures will be posted on the ABC Raceway FaceBook page. An updated 2020 season schedule will also be announced soon and will be posted on the Raceway’s FaceBook page and other social media sources as well as made available via newspapers and other mass media.

                The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland, WI.  More information is available on the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.