Winston and Thunderbird offer local race fans weekly action

Winston and Thunderbird offer local race fans weekly action
By Shawn Liverance
Muskegon Chronicle
May 15, 2010, 8:31PM

Local auto racing fans know all about the local tracks in the area.
Every Friday and Saturday night from April through September they can be found following their favorite drivers at Winston Speedway or Thunderbird Raceway.
The two tracks provide some of the best dirt track racing in the state of Michigan.
If you are unfamiliar with the two tracks and have never experienced a night of racing, you might want to give it a try.

“Last year, we had a record crowd of 2,300 for a June event, Winston Speedway owner Tom Sprague said. “That shows what kind of program we put on every week.”
Both Winston and Thunderbird offer a variety of racing action each week.
The following is what you can expect from each track for the upcoming season.

Winston Speedway
This season marks the 30th year of racing at WInston Speedway in Rothbury. The 3/8 mile high banked oval track runs six classes of cars each Friday night.
Drivers can race in Late Model, Modifieds, Street Stocks, Bombers, 4-Cylinders and Warriors classes each week.
Tom and Lois Sprague took over the track in 2006 and have steadily made improvements to the track. For his efforts, Sprague was named the 2009 UMP Dirt Car Racing Promoter of the Year.
”It has been a goal of mine to make sure that the drivers enjoy coming here,” Sprague said.
Winston has increased its fields since Sprague has taken over ownership and that led to the award.

”We have had bigger numbers of cars and more interest in racing here,” Sprague said.
The racing action is in full swing at Winston and the track has plenty of big events planned for this season, according to Sprague.
On July 23, the Winged Outlaw Late Model series will visit the track, and on July 16 and Sept. 3, the Winged SOD sprint cars will make their only West Michigan stop this summer.
The top Late Model drivers from around the Midwest will visit the track on Aug. 20 for the Sunoco Late Model Series race. Also demolition derbies and offroad scrambles are featured one Saturday night a month throughout the summer.
Last year, several Winston drivers earned national recognition.

Bill May was honored as the national champion of UMP dirt car’s entry-level class.
Montague’s John McCaul captured the modified regional crown, while Brian Williams was the regional champion of the Sportsman class. Another Winston driver C.J. Rector was an entry-level regional champion.
“I want to continue on getting more cars and making this a place where guys want to run,” Sprague said.

Thunderbird Raceway
The 1/3-mile, high banked dirt oval on Riley Thompson Road is nearly in a class of its own when it comes to hosting racing each week.

“The track opened in 1958 and is one of only two dirt tracks in the state that continuously operated weekly racing since the 1950s,” Thunderbird track promoter Ross Ferguson said.
Many drivers have made a name for themselves at the track over the years, including former Nextel Cup driver Johnny Benson Jr., who won his first feature race at Thunderbird in the 1980s.
Last season, the track was purchased by Arroway Farms of Hartford and continued the same format of the previous owners.
Every Saturday night, the track offers racing in Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks, Bombers and 4-Cylinder classes, along with two ultra economical classes, the V-8 Thundersticks and the 4-Cylinder Warriors.
“We made a decision to bring in the high-powered late models this season,” Ferguson said.
Several special events are also planned for Thunderbird this season, including the Wingless Sprints and the MORA Mini Mods.
Almost every week the track offers community nights where the track allows residents in various zip codes to be admitted at half price.
“Many improvements have been made since 2009 to the rack track and many more are in the planning stages,” Ferguson said.