Southern Ohio Speedway Opening Night Preview

WHEELERSBURG, OH-Cold, wet weather has claimed the first two attempts at Opening Night, but track officials are hoping the third time will be the charm this Friday, April 15th On the racing card for Opening Night will be AMRA Late Models, AMRA Modifieds, Fastrak Crate Late Models, Sport Mods, and Enduros.

Fan Involvement
Saturday night will be the start of the tracks plans to keep the fans involved in the racing program. Several neat things are planned that will help engage the crowd and make for a great atmosphere. The track will also begin on Saturday giving away FREE trading cards of the 2015 track champions.

Champions Presentation
Prior to the start of hot laps, we will have a champions presentation by the flagstand to honor last years track champions Stephen Breeding-Late Model, Jeremy Rayburn-Modified, and Emily Jordan-Sport Mod.

AMRA Late Model Preview
For the first time in the nearly 50 year history of the Southern Ohio Speedway, the tracks Late Model division will be sanctioned by the AMRA. The AMRA sanctioning will create a great opportunity for the Late Model drivers to race for a national points fund from the AMRA. The sanctioning is expected to bring in some new Late Model teams that haven’t usually competed at the track in the past. 14 AMRA Late Models were signed in on April 2nd before the rains hit with more on the way.

Opening Night has historically always been a really exciting race in the Late Model division. Previous Late Model Opening Night winners include Eddie Carrier Jr. (2011, 2012), Danial Kattine (2013), Jackie Boggs (2014), and Dustin Linville (2015). It will be another great show in the AMRA Late Model division on Friday!

AMRA Modified Preview
This season will mark the first time since 2003 that a Modified event at SOS was sanctioned by the AMRA. AMRA Modified drivers will be competing for a huge AMRA national points fund in 2016 that will pay $5,000 to win the winner. Just like with the Late Models, the sanctioning is expected to bring in some Modified teams that haven’t usually competed at the track. 12 AMRA Modifieds were signed in on April 2nd before the rains came with more cars coming.

Four time track champion Jeremy Rayburn has more Opening Night wins than any other driver with three. All three times Rayburn turned an Opening Night win into a championship winning season. Rayburn will be shooting for a fifth straight Modified track championship this season and his first AMRA Modified national championship. Will the Opening Night winner on Friday turn that into a championship winning season?

Fastrak Crate Late Model Preview
History will be made on Friday as for the first time in track history a Crate Late Model race will be held at the speedway. Crate Late Model racing has exploded in growth across the country and has now made it’s way to our region. The winner of the Fastrak Crate Late Model feature on Friday will go down in the history books as the first ever Crate winner in the region. It will be fun getting to watch just how much this class grows from Opening Night on Friday to the Season Championships in August.

Sport Mod Preview
The Sport Mod division, a class that debuted in this region at SOS in 2011, has produced some of the most exciting racing in the tracks modern era. Last season, the track championship went down to a close battle between 2012 champion Eric Dennison and 2014 champion Emily Jordan. Jordan went on to win the track championship last season, becoming the first two time track champion in class history. Four times in track history the winner on Opening Night went on to win the Sport Mod track championship (George Caldwell in 2011, Danny Hamilton in 2013, and Emily Jordan in 2014 and 2015).

Enduro Preview
The always wild and exciting Enduro division will be a weekly fixture at SOS this season. In the last Enduro event of 2015, Justin McNutt outlasted 43 cars to win the Fall Havoc Enduro. Enduro racing creates a great way to race very inexpensively. Over 20 Enduros were signed in before the rains hit on April 2nd

Times and Admission Prices
Gates will open at 4:00 pm on Friday with hot laps scheduled for 7:15 pm. General admission is $12 (ages 17 and up), $5 (ages 13-16), $2 (ages 7-12), and FREE (ages 6 and under). Pit passes are $30 (ages 13 and up), $20 (ages 7-12), and FREE (ages 6 and under). General admission tickets and wristbands (pit passes) from the April 2nd rainout will be good for this Friday or at any other race this season.

For more information visit www.southernohiospeedway.com.