By JIM CLARKE
BROCKVILLE, ONT – Canadian winters have long held a reputation for being long, cold sentence. Almost punishment for the fleeting summers everyone enjoys. An uncharacteristically mild holiday season – with temperatures more familiar with May 26th than December 26th – allowed track officials to schedule the first Boxing Day practice session in Brockville Speedway history and from there, the countdown to the 2016 season opener had begun.
“It was a rare opportunity that may never happen again,” said track owner and promoter Paul Kirkland. “Being able to have cars on the speedway the day after Christmas was a unique experience that also allowed us to evaluate our social media presence. We put the post out through our Facebook page and asked people to share the status. It didn’t take too long for the word to spread.”
Fans at The BOS enjoyed an action-packed 2015 season and the first year of the new Elimination Round format saw a quartet of drivers battle to the wire for the title in the 358 Modified and Sportsman divisions, before Danny O’Brien and Dylan Evoy were named track champions. Madison Mulder, Jamie Truelove and John Gifford also claimed the Rookie Sportsman, Mini Stock and Street Stock crowns respectively.
As a new campaign looms on the horizon, supporters of the popular 3/8th mile clay oval on Temperance Lake Road, north of Brockville will have the annual Fan Fest at Walmart, 1942 Parkdale Avenue – Saturday, April 16th – with live entertainment from Healy and Orr to look forward to, before the green flag waves for opening night – presented by 103.7 BOB-FM, Kayden Construction and Kitley Collision – Saturday, May 14th.
“We also have an open practice session scheduled for Saturday, May 7th to give fans a couple of opportunities to see the cars before they start earning points,” said Kirkland. “The teams put a lot of hard work into their equipment during the off-season and our drivers are as excited about getting things underway as the people who sit in the grandstands every week.”
In addition to their 5 weekly classes, Brockville Ontario Speedway’s action will also feature the Ogilvie’s Auto & Fleet Triple Crown Series for DIRTcar 358’s and Sportsman Modifieds, Outlaw Vintage and Patriot Sprint Tour on selected Saturday nights. The schedule will wrap-up with the 1000 Islands RV DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals, Friday and Saturday, October 14th and 15th. Full details can always be found by visiting www.brockvillespeedway.com.
Gates open at 5:00, with racing underway at 7:00 for most weekly events. Be sure to like the Brockville Ontario Speedway page at www.facebook.com and follow the track on Twitter for the latest news and information throughout the year.