When the green flag goes in the air on Saturday night at 7:00pm at Motor Mile Speedway it will be the dawning of a new era at the Fairlawn, VA speed plant.
Racing action on the 4/10 mile track was shuttered following the 2017 season due to low car counts and low fan attendance. The staff at Motor Mile Speedway pivoted into an event center continuing to host their annual Monster Truck show as well as other events including a stop for the Tour of Destruction, Big Rig racing, and the Blue Ridge Bike Fest.
Following a year off from stock car racing Motor Mile Speedway management called for a meeting with potential racers to see if there was enough interest to bring racing back for 2019. Following the first meeting, additional organizational meetings were held and racing was announced to return for 2019.
During those meetings, drivers were able to share their vision for things that could be done to enhance the desire of more racers coming to compete at Motor Mile Speedway. Many of those suggestions were put into place for the upcoming season. Among those are pit pass prices, purse, bonus money, and cheaper tire costs.
Pit passes will be cheaper at Motor Mile Speedway than any other track in the region at a rate of $15 with a NASCAR license and just $20 without a NASCAR license. Bonus money called “passing bucks” will be given to the top two finishers in the race and will be awarded for all cars passed during each race. $20 per position gained for Late Model Stock Cars, $10 for Limiteds, Mod 4 and Super Street and $5 for U-Cars.
With all divisions redrawing for positions in the top ten, the pole awards have been elevated to encourage drivers to compete for the fastest time. $200 pole award for the Late Models, $100 for Limiteds, $50 for Mod 4 and Super Street and $25 for the U-Cars. Additionally, the pole will pay five points toward the championship for 2019 in each division.
A first-time winner bonus has been added in each division. Each time a new winner goes to victory lane, they will win bonus money but won’t be eligible again for the bonus. $500 first time winner for Late Model Stock Cars, $250 for Limiteds, $200 for Mod 4 and Super Street and $100 for the U-Cars.
Additionally, the track heard the cries of fans who wanted to bring in a cooler and have relaxed their no cooler policy from previous seasons and will allow a small cooler in the grandstands. Track management will also have many procedures in place to make the racing product on the track better for the fans. One of those is a redraw of the top qualifiers for every division.
All divisions will redraw the top ten qualifiers for starting positions for the race. Additionally, if a driver wins two races in a row he can start no better than sixth and any driver who wins three races in a row will be forced to start last. This will make it harder to win multiple races and allow for different drivers to lead laps and have a chance to win.
All of these changes for the drivers and fans could lead to the biggest season of racing at Motor Mile Speedway in years, maybe in the history of the track. With more than 15 cars expected in every division that will compete at Motor Mile Speedway, this Saturday’s opener should be one you don’t want to miss.
