Wet Weather Wipes Out ABC Opener
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI, May 18 – A cold, rainy forecast combined with saturated parking areas and soft track conditions forced the hand of the ABC Raceway’s Board of Directors, which made an early Friday decision to cancel the track’s season opener on Saturday, May 18.
A Spring full of precipitation and cold weather has put efforts to prepare the northern Wisconsin stock car racing facility behind schedule for its planned mid-May 2019 season start.
“We decided to make this decision as early as possible,” Raceway president Eric Erickson stated after the meeting. “Our staff was prepared to put forth the extra effort to get the opener in had the forecast improved by noon Friday, but it only looked worse, so we agreed to work toward next weekend.”
The season opener will now be held on Saturday, May 25, when the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce will present Armed Forces Night. All military personnel, retired and active, will receive free admission to the race program with their valid military identification.
The WISSOTA Hornets will join the program for the first time as a regular weekly division, along with the track’s WISSOTA Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Pure Stocks, and the ABC Six-Cylinders.
The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps will start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the season should drop at 7 pm. Admission for adults is $11 in the grandstands, and children ages 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. The pit gate admission price is $25.
“Race Night” will air on WBSZ, 93.3 FM with up-to-date track news and weather updates every 15-20 minutes from 4:30-6 pm. Coverage will also stream live on www.wbszfm.com and on the free Heartland Communications Group radio app.
The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.
