Story By: BRETT DEYO / UTICA-ROME SPEEDWAY – VERNON, NY – To be continued. The ‘Alex Friesen Remembered’ Season Opener at Utica-Rome Speedway will resume this Friday, April 28 at the Home of Heroes after a persistent rain halted the event.
A huge crowd was on hand for the April 21 program, with 115 race cars in the pit area for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series event.
The program will pick up where it stopped on Friday: running the first of three Fastline Performance Limited Sportsman heat races. The Fonda Fair Four Cylinder heats, 3 Bastards Brewing Modified consolations, Worthington Industries Crate 602 Sportsman consolations and five feature events – including the 30-lap, $6,800-to-win Modified event – are left to run.
Wristbands for both the grandstand and the pit area will be accepted this Friday.
The 50/50 was $936 to the winner and sales will continue this week.
Senior Services Inc. All-Star Slingshots and Junior Slingshots will join the schedule on Friday.
Grandstand admission for new attendees is $15 (Adults), $13 (Seniors) and Kids 11 and under are FREE.
New attendee pit admission is $40 (Non-Members), $35 (NASCAR or Utica-Rome Members), $10 Kids (ages 6-12) and $2 for Children ages 5 and under.
A field of 36 3 Bastards Brewing Modifieds competed in four 8-lap heat races. Larry Wight, Bobby Hackel, JaMike Sowle and Matt Sheppard picked up the victories.
Worthington Industries Crate 602 Sportsman heat race winners were Tyler Corcoran, Jean Francois Tessier, Allan Hodge and Ed Lukas. Thirty-one Crate 602 Sportsman signed in for competition.
Next Generation GraphiX Pro Stock heat winners were Andy Graves and Bret Belden.
The first Fastline Performance Limited Sportsman heat race was on the track when significant rain moved over the speedway. Despite the best efforts by the track crew, rain moved in again after 10 p.m. and ended the evening.
Notes Regarding This Friday:
Below, all pertinent information regarding the rescheduling of the program:
- The event will pick up where it stopped last Friday: midway through Fastline Performance Limited Sportsman Heat No. 1
- Remaining qualifying events: Limited Sportsman heats, Fonda Fair Four Cylinder heats, 3 Bastards Brewing Modified consolations, Worthington Industries Crate 602 Sportsman consolation
- All feature events from last Friday are left to be run headlined by the $6,800-to-win ‘Honoring Alex’ Modified main
- ALL rain checks from last Friday, April 21 will be accepted at the grandstand and pit gates. Bring your wristbands.
- Slingshots, both All-Stars and Juniors, will run a full program of heat races and features on the inner oval (they were originally scheduled for Friday)
- New cars: if you were not in attendance last Friday, Modifieds and Crate 602 Sportsman can tag the consolations, Pro Stocks may join the feature, Limited Sportsman and Four Cylinders tag a heat race
- New attendees pay the following for the grandstand since most of the qualifying has been completed: $15 (Adults), $13 (Seniors ages 65 and over), Kids 11 and under FREE
- New pit attendees pay the following: $40 (Non-Members), $35 (Utica-Rome or NASCAR Members), $10 Kids (ages 6-12), $2 Children (ages 5 and under)
- IF you cannot attend the make-up this Friday, wristbands may be used at face value for another event this season
Gates open at 5 p.m., with hot laps at 6:45 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m.