Mitch Calvert
It’s been nearly 55 years since the opening of the Emo Speedway, and the Borderland Racing Association is going to celebrate the special occasion in style.
Circle July 25 on your calendars as that’s the date set for the anniversary celebrations. But the wait to see racing is over as this Saturday (May 16) marks the opening weekend on the local circuit.
Hot laps are set to start at 7 p.m., with the opening night also to feature a kids’ frisbee toss.
The hope for this season is simple: better weather.
“Last year had a good start [ran the first four weeks], but the month of June was rained out almost completely and it was a lot of hit or miss in July,” association president Anthony Leek lamented.
“August was a bit better, especially for [the Emo Fair], but the finale in September was also rained out,” he noted.
“In total, we ran 11-and-a-half nights out of a planned 16—the lowest amount of races in one season in at least five years.”
Leek said all hands have been on deck preparing the facility and track for the new season.
“We’ve spent many hours now working on the track because of the new clay that was put on the track last fall,” he noted.
“We have had tremendous support and help to make sure it’s as smooth and as fast as possible,” he added.
“We have also been working diligently in making the facility look fresh and clean, and adding some life with new paint and fixing some things that were in a bit of disrepair.”
Leek said the work is geared towards making the whole racing experience a memorable one for fans.
“We want to show the fans just how wonderful this track is,” he stressed. “We want to have everyone be proud of the long history this place has had and just how much influence socially, economically, and culturally on the area [it has had].”
The usual contenders will be back, including last year’s Midwest Modifieds champ Kendal Gamsby, Modifieds points winner Greg Ferris, and Street Stocks winner Tylar Wilson, but there also will be plenty of new drivers for fans to watch, as well.
“There are going to be plenty of new faces in terms of drivers this year,” Leek said. “There could be upwards of five or so new rookies in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified class.
“It should make for an exciting rookie-of-the-year chase.”
The last time that sort of freshman class hit the scene was in 2007, when Matt Mutz claimed top rookie honours among six new drivers.
“Linz Bourre will be taking over the #4 Street Stock this season while her father, Rick, runs as a rookie in the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds,” Leek noted.
“This year, there will be three women racing full-time in that class,” he added.
Another rookie on the scene will be Tyler Wickstrom of International Falls.
“It is great to hear that there are going to be many new faces in the sport of racing this year,” Leek enthused.
Go-kart races also will run periodically throughout the summer on Friday nights beginning in June.
Be sure to visit www.borderlandracing.com for more information on the scheduled race dates.
