RPW Exclusive: Busy Schedule, Improved Lighting Await Accord Speedway Racers & Fans In ’24

Column By: MIKE TRAVERSE / RPW – ACCORD, NY – Anyone who is familiar with Accord Speedway knows that 2023 was a rough season for the track.

After reconfiguring the track after the 2022 season, surface issues plagued them for several weeks and Mother Nature did her part to disrupt any momentum that the track was looking to gain.

But the Palmer family, led by Gary Palmer, and his team are a resilient group. The Palmer’s have operated the track since the year 2000 and they have been through the ups and downs of operating a racing facility.

With several late season successful shows, the track regained some momentum and they are moving forth with a very busy 2024 schedule along with some facility improvements.

After a practice session on Friday, April 26th (rain date Saturday, April 27th) Opening Night will be on May 3rd. Racing is scheduled every Friday night through September 13th with some special events and fan favorite races on the schedule.

The regular season weekly schedule this year will feature the Modifieds, Sportsman, Sportsmen, Pure Stocks, and Slingshots. On a rotating schedule will be Accord Speedway Modifieds, NEWS Sprints and 4 Cylinders.

Accord Speedway management is excited to Eager Beaver Stump Grinding as the sponsor for the Modified division. Give them a call for your stump grinding needs.

One of Accord’s signature events once again occurs early in the season on May 14th as the Short Track Super Series will be holding the Battle of the Bullring event. This is one of the most anticipated events for Accord’s and out of town fans as many of the top talents in the northeast take on the challenge of racing the 1/4 mile.

Matt Sheppard added Accord to his long list of tracks he’s won at in the 2023 Battle. Modifieds, Sportsman and Pure Stocks are on the schedule for that night. Rain date, if needed, is Wednesday, May 15th.

In honor of longtime Accord racer Barry Davis, the Battle will pay $9090.90 to the winner, one of the largest winning purses in Accord history. The 2023 version saw

Friday, June 28th will feature Accord’s 4th of July Fireworks show. The show is second to none in the Lower Hudson Valley and it’s a great night at the track.

The Phil Goetschius Memorial Race will be on Friday, July 19th. Phil was a long time racer at Accord who passed away in 2022.

After being rained out in 2023, The King of the Catskills/Ron Van Etten Memorial returns and moves to a Tuesday date this year, July 30th. The rain date is Wednesday, July 31st.

The regular season winds up on Friday, September 13th as the point season ends as Accord honors First Responders and another fabulous Fireworks show.

The racing season wraps up with 2 Saturday events in November. The Joe G. Great Crate Race has developed into a great event for the Sportsman and is scheduled for November 2nd.

The final dirt racing event in the northeast occurs on November 30th with the annual post Thanksgiving event, The Gobbler. This has developed into a great event over the years as it’s a great way for fans and racers to wrap up the season. Anthony Perrego has been quite dominant in this race over the years. Rain date has been set for Saturday, December 7th.

There are several other events scheduled for Accord Speedway in 2023. There are 3 Saturday AMA Motorcycle events scheduled. These occur on May 25th, August 24th and September 21st.

The Atlantic Coast Old Timers club (ACOT) has an event scheduled for Saturday, June 8th. It’s always a great gathering when ACOT comes to a track.

There will be improved lighting in turns 3 and 4 this year with the addition of several light poles with new L.E.D. lighting.

The backstretch wall will have a much improved look as the iconic ACCORD SPEEDWAY lettering returns to the wall along with some freshly made advertising.

Accord Speedway videographer, Geoff Baer, has been a driving force with the backstretch wall work. You can check out his work with his excellent drone footage on the Accord Speedway Facebook page. Well done Geoff!!

Accord management recently received approval from the local town board to have 12 non racing events at the facility this year. This is great news for them. If you can possibly support these events, please do so.

Please keep track of any schedule updates on the Accord Facebook page. The dates for the rotating divisions should be posted there soon.

It’s all set up for Accord to have a great bounce back season in 2024. As the only regularly scheduled weekly dirt track in the Lower Hudson Valley for 2024, it is well worth a trip to the southern edge of the Catskill Mountains to check out the action. Wishing the Palmer family all the best for a great 2024!!