Joey Payeur
Cold, wet weather already has given enough of a headache to the Borderland Racing Association this spring.
But a dwindling volunteer base may freeze the 2015 stock car racing season altogether.
The season-opener, initially scheduled for this Saturday (May 23) at the Emo Speedway, has been put off for at least one week—and more likely two—due to poor weather that has hindered getting the track ready for action.
“We’ve got the new clay on but we haven’t had a chance to properly pack it down,” noted association president Ken Perry Sr.
“We’ve been out there two of the last three weekends, and been able to do an hour or so here and there, but we haven’t been able to get it all done yet,” he added.
A pre-season practice session was cancelled this past Saturday. And even with better weather forecast for the rest of this week, Perry was cautious in predicting when the track would be green-flag worthy.
“I would say May 30 is a stretch although if everything works out, it could happen,” he remarked.
“But it’s probably going to be the weekend after that.”
Track preparations will continue for the time being, although the delay is hardly ideal for the drivers and racing fans.
“The water under the track is frozen so we can’t even get water to the canteen right now,” noted Perry.
“[But] all equipment, like the trucks, tow trucks, and ambulance, are ready.
“The track was coming along good in late April and the first bit of May, and then we hit the bad weather,” he added.
“The go-kart track was supposedly getting close to being ready but after this past weekend, that’s probably under water, too.”
Whenever the track is ready, though, there won’t be any races unless people are willing to step forward to fill some key positions.
“Right now, we have nobody for the canteen, nobody to work the front gate, nobody to work the back gate, and nobody to sell 50/50 tickets,” Perry said.
“That’s all our money stuff there,” he stressed. “We can’t run without those people.
“The season will be in jeopardy even if the track is nice.”
While the racing season traditionally starts on or just after the Victoria Day weekend, Perry said a later start isn’t unprecedented.
“We usually lose the first couple of the weeks of the season to getting rained out,” he noted.
“Three years ago, we had to wait three weeks before we could get going.
“So it’s not unheard of to start that late,” Perry said. “This is just different circumstances.”
Anyone interested in volunteering for this season can call Perry at 274-2339 or 275-9612.
