St. Johns, PA (12/28/2016)- Following an uphill battle but yet successful 2016 racing season at Evergreen Raceway, track management has been going nonstop with plans and improvements for the 2017 season at the historic one third mile asphalt oval. Most improvements to the speedway grounds are currently underway and the torrid pace of upgrades and planning is also in continuation.
The season schedule that is released features events for the Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Four Cylinders, Enduros, INEX Legends and Bandoleros. New divisions were added as well, including a division for Junior Four Cylinder drivers, the Outlaw Stocks and Strictly Stock vehicles. The speedway has decided to limit their regular shows to a maximum of three or four divisions per race day, which will give those in attendance just the right amount of action that they’ll be hungry for.
As done in the past, the speedway will begin their season with Sunday afternoon shows before switching to Friday evenings during the anticipated hot summer months. The season will close out with regular shows switching back to Sunday and many special events are planned in between, including Drifting and classic and custom car shows.
The speedway announced in the past that a kart track is also on the burner for 2017. The kart track plans are still in process and as long as additional support is received, it should get underway in the spring. If things go according to the plan, race dates and divisions will also be announced in the spring.
The 2017 divisional rules are on the speedway website, as are the general rules and track forms, including pit spot reservations.
To help save the drivers and their teams some cash, the speedway has decided to drop the typical pit license for the upcoming season. This means that any driver that would like to compete at the track for their first, tenth or hundredth time won’t be surprised with a hefty entrance fee at the pit gate.
The most recent added divisions are the Junior Four Cylinders. Children between the ages of 12-15 are urged to compete to gain track experience in full size four cylinder cars. Drivers that are within the age range are allowed to move up into the regular division at any time, once they feel that they are comfortable to compete with the more skilled racers.
The Strictly Stock division is for 6 & 8 cylinder automobiles. The intent of the class is to bring back a more affordable form of racing, being truly stock for the year, make and model of car. The vehicles in the division will compete on DOT tires and the minimal set of rules, including safety, are listed on the speedway website.
The Outlaw Stock division was formulated following the 2016 season. The intent of this class is to include a wide variety of vehicles that follow a similar set of rules between both dirt and asphalt. These vehicles can range from stock clip Late Models to the former Evergreen Pro Stocks, to dirt Pro Stocks, Roadrunners and beyond. The Outlaw Stock events will be held in conjunction with a variety of the Enduro dates during the regular season.
There is an endless amount of work that has yet to be performed to ensure the safety and integrity for everyone moving forward. Many people have offered help and Evergreen is happy to accept any help on a date(s) that will be announced in the near future.
The 2017 racing season will kick off on Saturday, January 7 with the Snow Ball 100 Enduros. The event is the first leg of the track’s Wintertime Enduro “Triple Crown Series”. All of the Snow Ball 100 rules and pre-registered drivers are listed on the track website.
Evergreen Raceway is located minutes from Hazleton, PA, in between routes 93 and 309. For more information regarding Evergreen Raceway, including the entire season schedule, directions and divisional payouts, please visit
www.evergreenracewaypark.com and don’t forget to like their Facebook page as well.
Evergreen Raceway is proud to be associated with Harry’s U Pull It, Penn’s Peak Radio, CK Auto Service & Race Fab, Himmer Graphics, Valve Tech Sales, Penn’s Peak, Printers Edge, Tito Juice & RockAuto.com.
