The Wissota Late Models regular race feature at the Estevan Motor Speedway will not be continued this season after a disappointing two-year run, which makes room for a new slingshot class that is hoped will attract younger racers to the track.
Aaron Turnbull, the Estevan Motor Speedway 2015 Wissota Late Model points champion, said he could see the demise of the late model class coming and agrees with the decision to end it. He said there just wasn’t enough support for the regular feature from drivers in this area.
“They can’t keep it going when there are only six or seven cars every night,” said Turnbull, who purchased his late model before the 2015 season. “It’s a great class and it’s great to have it as a special once a year and hopefully that would draw a few more cars rather than it being a weekly class.
“I still enjoy the late models and I’ll still run mine at the specials that they have, but really it isn’t a whole lot of fun when you’re running against five cars and there is usually only a certain percentage that are actually competitive. So it’s definitely the best route they took.”
Keith Cassidy, who was declared president of the Estevan Motor Speedway for the 2016 season earlier this winter, said the new slingshot class will probably run first on the speedway’s regular race nights followed by the hobby stocks, stock cars and modifieds, but that is yet to be determined. He said the slingshot program is shorter in duration than the other features and is intended to attract a younger demographic of drivers to the track. Slingshot race cars are a smaller version of modified cars.
“Fourteen is sort of the cut-off age to get into hobby stock,” said Cassidy, noting slingshots cater to kids as young as seven years old. “We’ve got some kids out there who would like to get out onto the race track and we didn’t have a class to accommodate that, so we’re going to give it a shot on a five-race trial here.”
“Anytime you can get young people and new crowds involved in the speedway it should overall help the track in general and get more people started in racing, especially at a young age,” said Turnbull. “It’s a great class to get some experience and seat time in.”
The Estevan Motor Speedway season unofficially begins with a Test N Tune event open to all classes on May 7, which Cassidy noted is an opportunity for drivers to get on the track and shake their cars down. The official season opener happens one week later with a regular race night featuring the four classes.
In addition to the regular program, there will also be a hobby stock special on June 11, a sprint car special on June 24, a Dakota Classic Modified Tour stop on July 11, a Northern Thunder Late Models tour doubleheader on July 23 and 24, a Calcutta event on Aug. 6 and an Enduro feature on Sept. 18. The regular program closes on Aug. 26 with its championship night.
Cassidy said the key this season will be to build on their volunteer base and continue to put out good race days for the fans and participants. He said they’re dealing with a different economic situation compared to the past few years just like everyone else, so they want to put on a good show to give value for those entertainment dollars.
“Racing is a lot of fun and the more people we can get out there in the stands and the more people we can get involved in the sport, (then) I think obviously the better for the speedway and the community.”
