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ABC Raceway opts to push back season opener after soggy soils and wet forecast last week

By Nick Gima

ASHLAND, WI (May 17) – The Board of Directors of the Ashland-Bayfield County Racing Association met on Friday and, after consideration of the conditions of the grounds, made the difficult decision to cancel its 2024 racing season opener scheduled for Saturday, May 18.

Late-spring rains have made the facility almost inaccessible until late last week, when work crews put forth their first serious efforts to work the track, clean up and make repairs, and otherwise prep the grounds for the upcoming season. But the unfavorable forecast squelched any further efforts going into what should have been the opening weekend of a big upcoming season.

The opener program is now slated for Saturday, May 25 at the historic 3/8 mile red-clay oval just a few miles south of Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay.

The change also prompted the Raceway Board to shuffle the schedule just a bit, moving the popular Kids’ Meet the Drivers Night from May 25 to June 22, in conjunction with the track’s “Racing for a Reason” Community Night.

Combining the chance for fans of all ages to meet their favorite drivers on trackside with free grandstand admission should make for a great family-oriented, fun-filled night in June.

The 60th season under the direction of the Ashland-Bayfield County Racing Association will include racing in eight different divisions overall, including the five weekly offerings during most of its regular-season programs - WISSOTA-sanctioned Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Pure Stocks, plus the track’s own Six-Cylinders.