061508speedwayAM7.JPG
Weedsport Speedway is undergoing major renovations this winter.
(Angela Madonia)
If you drive by the Cayuga County Fairgrounds in Weedsport, it may look like not much has been going on since the property was last used during Super DIRT Week for a DIRTcar 358 modified event last October.
But under new owner Al Heinke, a lot has been going on according to Weedsport Speedway manager and racer Jimmy Phelps, who is overseeing a complete makeover of the property that could have a huge impact on the future of racing in Central New York.
"As much as it looks like there's not a lot going on," Phelps said. "There's a lot going on. It's real exciting and I'm just fortunate to be a part of it."
With a lot of snow still on the ground, some work will have to wait but they have been busy working on the insides of the buildings and removing something that has blocked the view of race fans at the track since its inception … the stage in the infield.
"We've got a group in there right now that are starting to disassemble the stage," Phelps said. "I know that's going to be disappointing for some and for some they'll probably be excited that they'll be able to see the back stretch for once. We made a decision to take it down and I think it's going to be good. … By the time the first race cars go around the track there won't be a stage there."
Also the pit area will be moved from behind the grandstands in turn one to behind turn four where the maintenance area is now. The entrance to the track for the race haulers will be moved to Towpath Road which is located a few thousand feet to the west. That will make entry and exit for fans easier.
The Heikne-Baldwin race shop, which fields cars for Phelps and new driver Matt Sheppard, is already on the premises after moving from Rochester to Weedsport during the offseason. Australian Peter Britten and New Jersey's Rich Scagliotta are also moving their shop from Rochester to Weedsport and hope to be up and running by the start of the local racing season.
The newly named Weedsport Speedway last hosted weekly racing in 2011 when Eric Kingsley was the promoter and has been used once a year for racing since then. Although there are many teams who are hoping the track would host more events right away, Phelps said it will take some time before that happens.
"The schedule for 2014 is going to be very limited again due to the fact that we have some pretty decent sized things we want to try to accomplish in the spring," Phelps said. "We do have the big-block Super DIRTcar Series race is going to be the Thursday night of Watkins Glen week. … We have our Super Dirt Week 358 special and we have a big open sportsman race, a non-sanctioned sportsman race, that's going to be a real exciting event for the sportsman guys and it is going to pay them a pretty good chunk of money."
Heinke and Phelps also have a long-term goal for the facility that does not just try to bring it back to where it was before but takes it to another level.
"We're looking to try to develop a motorsports complex type of situation and I know that was the vision right off the bat when Mr. Heinke bought the property," Phelps said. "Let's try to make this thing work for more than a few races, let's see how we can develop this into something long term that could be a good situation for racers and a good situation for fans who want to come and maybe visit the facility for tours and what have you."
They also have a clear vision of where they'd like to be in five years.
"I guess what I would like to see," Phelps said. "What we're hoping can happen is that we have eight, nine, ten, I don't want to say they are all going to be huge events, but they are all going to be events that people put on their calendars...To try to have a venue that's nice enough and fresh enough and provides desirable enough racing where you can bring in the World of Outlaws, you can bring in the bigger touring divisions and put enough people in to where you can justify bringing those guys in."
So even though the snow has yet to melt, big things are happening in Weedsport and these things continue to make Central New York the best kept secret in the racing world.