DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- The NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series welcomes back two tracks and adds a new member in 2006. Altamont Motorsports Park, in Tracy, Calif., Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Speedway and Southern National Raceway Park, in Kenly, N.C., join the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series this season. Drivers at these facilities will join thousands of competitors at 60 tracks throughout North America in competition for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series championship and a share of the series’ $1.7 million point fund.
“We couldn’t be more pleased than to welcome these tracks to the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series program,” said NASCAR Director of Regional Racing Development Don Hawk. “Each track adds its own distinct characteristics to the Weekly Series, and adds teams and drivers who will only serve to strengthen this series from coast to coast.”
Mansfield, a half-mile oval, has hosted the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series annually since 2003 and also runs a weekly schedule featuring Late Models, Modifieds and other classes. The track was founded in 1959 as a 3/8-mile dirt track, expanded to a half-mile in 1972 and paved in 1999. Since 2002, under new management, the track has undergone nearly $17 million in renovations, making it one of the most modern short tracks in operation today. Recent renovations have included new safety fencing, concrete walls, ticket offices, deluxe grandstands and luxury suites, along with new restrooms and concession stands.
Altamont Motorsports Park was formerly a NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series facility, home to 2001 NASCAR regional champion Aaron Days, and returns to the series after a three-year absence. Riverside Motorsports Park, LLC now operates the half-mile racing facility and has appointed Kenny Shepherd, a successful small business owner in Merced, Calif. and also a veteran driver in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series, as President and General Manager. Altamont hosts several classes of racing, including Modifieds and Late Models.
Southern National Raceway Park, also under new management, returns to the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series after a two-year absence. The 4/10-mile asphalt oval is considered one of the top tracks in the Carolinas, a one-time home to current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers Scott Riggs and Denny Hamlin. Another star driver to emerge from Southern National is Jamey Caudill, a 2002 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series regional champion and 2003 winner of the prestigious Bailey’s 300 Late Model Stock Car race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
2006 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Divisions:
(New tracks listed in bold)
Division I
1. Ace Speedway, Altamahaw, N.C.
2. Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
3. Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.
4. Caraway Speedway, Asheboro, N.C.
5. Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, Wash.
6. Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Greenville, S.C.
7. Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
8. Langley Speedway, Hampton, Va.
9. Lanier National Speedway, Braselton, Ga.
10. Linn County Speedway, Pleasanton, Kan.
11. Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Speedway
12. Motor Mile Speedway, Radford, Va.
13. Rockford (Ill.) Speedway
14. Rocky Mountain Raceway, West Valley City, Utah
15. South Boston (Va.) Speedway
16. Southern National Raceway Park, Kenly, N.C.
Division II
1. Adams County Speedway, Corning, Iowa
2. Altamont Motorsports Park, Tracy, Calif.
3. Autodrome St. Eustache, St. Eustache, Quebec, Canada
4. Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park
5. Edmonton International Raceway, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada
6. Grandview Speedway, Bechtelsville, Pa.
7. I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park, Greenwood, Neb. (Sun. night)
8. Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H.
9. Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway
10. Oglethorpe Speedway Park, Savannah, Ga.
11. San Antonio (Tex.) Speedway
12. Shasta Raceway Park, Anderson, Calif.
13. Spencer Speedway, Williamson, N.Y.
14. Stockton 99 Speedway, Stockton, Calif.
15. Wall Township (N.J.) Speedway
Division III
1. Colorado National Speedway, Erie, Colo.
2. Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway
3. Dubuque (Iowa) Fairgrounds Speedway
4. Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway
5. Holland (N.Y.) International Speedway
6. I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park, Greenwood, Neb. (Sat. night)
7. Kalamazoo (Mich.) Speedway
8. Kil-Kare Speedway, Xenia, Ohio
9. LaCrosse (Wis.) Fairgrounds Speedway
10. Lake Erie Speedway, North East, Pa.
11. Magic Valley Speedway, Twin Falls, Idaho
12. Old Dominion Speedway, Manassas, Va.
13. Peoria (Ill.) Speedway
14. Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway
15. The Bullring Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Division IV
1. Elko (Minn.) Speedway
2. Farley (Iowa) Speedway
3. Grant Co. Speedway, Lancaster, Wis.
4. Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway
5. Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway
6. Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H.
7. Motordrome Speedway, Smithton, Pa.
8. Music City Motorplex, Nashville, Tenn.
9. Raceway Park, Shakopee, Minn.
10. Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford Springs, Conn.
11. Star Speedway, Epping, N.H.
12. Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway
13. Tucson (Ariz.) Raceway Park
14. Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H.
15. Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl
