The offseason for the local racing scene in Upstate New York is nearly complete. That means that it’s already time to look forward to the 2024 season at Lebanon Valley Speedway.
New this year is the inaugural Lebanon Valley Speedway Car Show at Colonie Center.
Organized by Lance & Jill Sharpe, you can check out a number of race cars in different classes that will be competing on the high banks this year. Race cars will be on display on the first floor of the mall March 8-10 from open to close. Drivers from the teams will be there for you to meet, get autographs and just chat with ahead of the season.
Colonie Center is located at the corner of Central Avenue (New York State Route 5) and Wolf Road. From the south, take Interstate 90 to Exit 1N (Interstate 87 North), then take Interstate 87 to Exit 2E (Route 5 East and Wolf Road). Go straight through the traffic light and the mall will be on your right. From the north, get off Interstate 87 at Exit 2E for Route 5 East towards Albany.
Due to the tight distance between the on-ramp and Wolf Road, it is not recommended to try to make the left turn at the traffic light onto Wolf Road. Instead, make lane changes in order to position yourself to make a left at the next traffic light, which allows you direct access to the mall near the former Sears location (now Floor & Decor).
The desire is to make the Lebanon Valley Speedway Car Show at Colonie Center into an annual event. A fun weekend will go a long way to help that come true.
Before we can officially start the 2024 season, the 2023 season must be properly celebrated. The two banquets to celebrate the 2023 season will be held on March 22 and 23 at the Lebanon Valley Clubhouse starting at 7 p.m. ET. The first night will cover the Sportsman, Limited Sportsman, Pro Stock, Street Stock and 4-Cylinder classes, while the second night will cover the Modified and Small Block Modified classes.
The 2024 season itself will start with a Warmup Day on April 20th from 3 – 8 p.m. All teams are welcome to test and tune their cars.
Opening night is scheduled for April 27th. Sayer’s Auto and L&M Motors will sponsor the 72nd Annual Grand Opening with $3000 to win on tap for the Modifieds. They’ll be joined by the Sportsman class, Pro Stock and the new Super Street Stock class.
May 4 sees OD Auto Sales sponsor a night of racing that will see the Modifieds racing for $3500 to win. The Limited Sportsman and 4-Cylinder classes will also debut here. In addition to the track’s classes, the Mohawk Valley Vintage Modified Series will also be on hand.
The 358 Modified class will debut on May 11th with a special $2000 to win feature sponsored by Contractor Sales and Wohrle’s Foods.
There are plenty of special nights on tap for 2024. June 1 will be Topless Night for the Modifieds. Much like the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series does every year at Batesville Motor Speedway in Arkansas, the Big Blocks will be taking their roofs for a night of racing with big money on the line. It has been many years since such an event has been held at Lebanon Valley and the visuals promise to be a little unusual.
June will also have two major memorial events. June 8 will be the 12th Annual JC Flach Memorial in honor of the late Modified racer. June 15 will be the Bill Darcy Modified Memorial, a $5000 to win feature.
Lebanon Valley Speedway owner Howard Commander is celebrating his 80th birthday this summer. In celebration, the track is hosting a birthday celebration on July 13. The Modifieds will be racing for $8000 to win on the high banks.
The Eve of Destruction will be back on June 25 (a Tuesday night), where shenanigans are stunts are the name of the game. The Monsters vs. Megas will return on Aug. 2-3 for two nights of action. Finally, the season wraps up with the annual Mr. DIRT Track U.S.A. on Aug. 31 and the Cathy Plotz Memorial Sept. 7.
More to come in the coming months in what should be an excellent season of racing. Have fun everyone.
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