Spencer Speedway

[94Reasons]

So with Spencer Speedways schedule cut in 1/2 the question remains where will be everybody racing on Friday nights now ?

[112SMW]

It's time for Perry to go back to Friday nights.

[rsk1139]

Only 7 nights of racing scheduled for 2018.

[leadfoot4]

So with Spencer Speedways schedule cut in 1/2 the question remains where will be everybody racing on Friday nights now ?

Maybe on the Lake Ontario State Parkway, between the "turnarounds" near Greenleaf Road and Dewey Avenue....


On a serious note, given the closings/cutbacks at MANY tracks across the country, I'd hate to think that there's a conspiracy afoot......we all are aware of how the EPA is trying to curtail motor racing, by using their "BS" regulation about taking "pollution controlled street cars" and turning them into non-controlled, race cars. Well, maybe their using their position to "strong-arm" insurance companies into raising track insurance rates, possibly influencing localities into instituting more restrictive "noise pollution" regulations, dust creation regulations, etc, etc, in a misguided effort to crush auto racing. Not that I'm a suspicious person, mind you............

[uticamike]

Foot I don't think it's anything that nefarious (yet) the EPA is in force in Lancaster ,NY and that place is seeing a resurgence after too many years of
floundering under you know who's "leadership".  Spencer is and has been in the doldrums for way too long. A small field of cars means a small field
of customers. No buzz at the place at all and when a complaint to the owner about the crappy concessions you get an answer like" we'll I don't run it
it's leased out". What does that tell you?  The drags failed there what does that tell you? I'm sure there is way more than we know but I'm not surprised,
I thought Chemung was on the rebound but maybe the drama down there weekly is catching up to the place.  NASCAR?  I think the bloom fell off that rose some time ago.

[leadfoot4]

"UM", you say that "the drags at Spencer failed".........do you mean that program has been shut down too? (I was never that big a fan of drag racing, so I haven't followed it too closely) I remember "back in the day", the Spencer brothers always griped to us oval trackers, that we cost them money, while the drag races made them money...

[uticamike]

Again Foot I don't know jack squat but they have roundy round and straight line racing at Lanny and it's working.

Look at Evergreen in PA a few years ago. I thought it was dead for sure but new ownership has tried very hard to turn

that place around. They're not perfect but they have a dedicated core down there that works hard at making it a go.

It could happen here in NY too I believe but it takes an infusion of cash and willingness to work hard at it.  Racing doesn't have to

suck.

[oneill71mod]

The loyal and dedicated drivers at Spencer’s need to band together and BOYCOTT John White and his poorly run and outdated race track... put a hurting on him and his income and force him to make better decisions or sell.. the land won’t perk so don’t worry about it being sold for development.

[BOZO6106]

Well said Sean.

[Beersy26]

Sean,  John White doesn't need any help from anyone to destroy his race tracks, he has done a stellar job all on his own.  The one thing I will never understand is why every driver in the greater New York State area is not already racing at Lancaster! Tim is the only track operator in NY that acts like he cares about the drivers and fans. He actually seems to listen and act on what people want. He has made many improvements to the track, the concessions and the overall operation. To the best of this old mans memory he is the only owner that has ever greeted me at the front gate, shook my hand, and thanked me for coming!  If we all want racing to continue in NYS I would suggest drivers and fans make Lancaster National their HOME track.

[BOZO6106]

I agree that Lancaster and Tim are doing a fine job and cares about the fans and drivers and racing overall but not all of us live next door to the place.I live in Fulton and have been a loyal fan for over 30 years and I do travel but not every week.I had an awesome asphalt track in my backyard 3 miles from my house where I used to watch Evans,Troyer,Bodine,Cook.Kent etc.and guess what.now its  a Dirt track beacause the owner saw $$$$ in dirt.

[leadfoot4]

I agree that Lancaster and Tim are doing a fine job and cares about the fans and drivers and racing overall but not all of us live next door to the place. I live in Fulton and have been a loyal fan for over 30 years and I do travel but not every week. I had an awesome asphalt track in my backyard 3 miles from my house where I used to watch Evans, Troyer, Bodine, Cook, Kent, etc. and guess what. Now its  a Dirt track because the owner saw $$$$ in dirt.   

You bring up a good point. However, for what it's worth, I don't understand why dirt tracking got more popular, a few years back, and asphalt is dying. Are the dirt cars cheaper to build, therefore they draw more cars, therefore the races are more interesting to watch? If it's not that, I really wonder what it is, as dirt never held that big an interest for me.

[herm]

At least one race every year in August was promoted at Spencer.

[raceannouncer]

As far as drag racing at Spencer, I believe it stopped after the 2016 season.  One thing is certain--there was NO drag racing last year (2017) at the track.  At one time, there was a futile attempt by several long-term loyal drivers to keep it operating but, for whatever reason, at present, the Spencer Speedway drag program is non-existent.  My understanding from other track officials I've met over the years is that sanctioning from NHRA would also disappear since not enough racing events were held to maintain the agreement...To have NHRA OR IHRA sanction the track would require undergoing the somewhat difficult route of track inspection, insurance requirements and anything else which may be required.  Despite having a major presence in WNY drag racing history through the years (Rochester-area racers especially) preferred to be able to race somewhere closer rather than travelling to Empire, Niagara(gone but remembered fondly by fans and drivers alike), Lancaster or E.S.T.A. in Cicero NY (Just outside Syracuse). Spencer's drag track has an untraditional short length of 1/10 mile--but it was a place to legally race instead of participating in illegal street racing.

http://www.spencerspeedway.org/drags/

[herm]

With the three regular classes that run at Spencers pretty much depleted, it looks to me that the 2018 schedule is based off of what the 2017 Super Stock schedule was.