Column By: MIKE TRAVERSE / RPW – ACCORD, NY – It’s kind of nice to enter a racing facility at the end of November and you hear Christmas music on the public address system.
It’s all part of a very festive atmosphere that greets attendees of the final dirt race of the northeast season, The Gobbler at Accord Speedway.
Since 2013, the Gobbler has been an event that has become a most anticipated event. Not just for racers to get into competition one final time for the season.
It’s also a chance for friends, both in and out of the pits, to get together one more time before what always seems like the endless off season begins.
This year, on Saturday, November 25th, it will be the 9th running of The Gobbler. The first few events were promoted by Brett Deyo with the Palmer Family taking over the last few races.
This event is being presented by O’Connor & Partners, PLLC Personal Injury Attorneys.
Over the years, the race has attracted good fields of cars for all divisions and some of the top racers in the northeast have grabbed Gobbler wins.
In 2022, Anthony Perrego, who won the first ever Gobbler in 2013, became a 3 time winner in the event. Andy Bachetti has won twice with Jackie Brown Jr., Danny Johnson and Jeff Strunk picking up single Gobbler wins.
The 50-lap Modified event will pay $5,000 to the winner.
Also on the event schedule will be the Sportsman ($1,500 to win), Pure Stocks ($1,000 to win) along with All Star and Junior Slingshots with their regular purse (top 3 paid).
Kevin Berryman, Accord Speedway’s creative track photographer, has once again created a unique trophy for the winners. Trays complete with a plate, knife, fork and spoon have been put together. Great job KB.
Some extra awards for the event have been posted. The All Star and Junior Slingshots will share a $200 bonus from Davis Sound. Thank you Wes Davis.
And the Facebook page, The Hard Clay After Hours will have a Hard Charger Award worth at least $100, possibly going higher before the event. Thank you to the HCAH for your participation.
Pricing for The Gobbler is as follows: Adult General Admission $25, Kids 11 and under $5, Indoor Seating $30 and Pit Admission $40.
For anyone interested, you can purchase your tickets in advance, but time is running out to do that. The presale ends at midnight Thursday.
Link: Click Here To Purchase
The Roundout Valley Food Pantry will be at the event to collect items for their Holiday Food and Toy Drive. They will be looking for non-perishable food items and new, unwrapped toys. Please support the collection if you can.
It’s all set up to have a great sendoff to the 2023 racing season on Saturday. The forecast as of this writing looks favorable. Get out and support your local track!!