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Riverhead, NY Apr. 11tyh
By Bob Finan
After yet another long winter of inactivity, Riverhead Raceway will roar back to life Saturday April 20th with the first of two preseason practice days signaling the start of the 74th year of racing on the quarter mile bullring. Another “spring training” test & tune will be presented Saturday April 27th with spectators admitted to the grandstands free of charge both days. It all leads up to the 2024 opening weekend with NASCAR Pack the Track night Saturday evening May 4th and the May Meltdown Enduro lid lifter Sunday afternoon May 5th.
Fans are encouraged to come out and enjoy one of or both practice days to check out the updated and new racing equipment teams will go to post with in 2024. Rotating practice hits the track at 11:00 am for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and INEX teams. The NASCAR Modifieds, Late Models, Eagle Auto Crate Modifieds, Figure Eights, Blunderbusts, Super Pro Trucks, INEX Legend Race Cars, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks and INEX Bandolero will quickly find out if they’re off-season work pays early dividends early in 2024, or if they have more work to do.
Once the NASCAR and INEX practice is complete at 4:00 pm, the track opens for the three popular Enduro divisions, Trucks, 8-Cylinder and 4/6-Cylinder Gut & Go teams will enjoy a late afternoon of practice until 5:00 pm to sort out their equipment for the May Meltdown opener.
Track GM John Ellwood did caution race teams two orders of business must be fully complete before hitting the track for practice. “No team are permitted to practice without having registered a car number with the track office online, we no longer accept car number registration in person” John warned. That edict will remain in place for the entire race season. Additionally, no race vehicles are permitted to practice before passing safety technical inspection, “Randy Murray, Chief of Inspection and his team were here the first two Saturdays of April, if you could not make those safety tech inspection days you still are mandated to pass that process before hitting the track” John concluded.
Pit windows open at 8:30 am both April 20th and April 27th, followed by pit gate opening at 9:00 am. The inspection area will perform safety tech inspection shortly after the opening of the gates. Spectator gates open at 11:00 am.
Once all the testing is complete all attention turns to opening weekend. Seven divisions will take part in the NASCAR Pack the Track opener Saturday May 4th headlined by the NASCAR Modified 50-lap feature event. Late Models, Eagle Auto Crate Modifieds, Figure Eights, Blunderbusts, Super Pro Trucks and INEX Legend Race Cars will usher in the new race season. Qualifying is set for 4:45 pm with opening ceremonies set for 6:00 pm.
Less than 12 hours later on Sunday, the May Meltdown completes the twin bill weekend. The Street Stocks and Mini Stocks waste no time getting down to business as they’ll compete in Miller Lite Triple Crown Series 30-lap feature events at the opener. The ever-growing INEX Bandolero Bandit & Outlaw racers join in on the Sunday fun day, as do the Truck, 8-Cylinder and 4/6-Cylinder Gut & Go Enduros. Qualifying via 10-lap heat races for Street Stocks & Mini Stocks go green at 12:30 pm with opening ceremonies set for 1:00 pm.
To register a car number for the 2024 season please visit http://www.riverheadraceway.com and follow to the competitor link to registration. The second and final safety technical inspection day is this Saturday April 13th from 10:15 am & 2:00 pm, pit gates open at 10:00 am. Absolutely NO engines can be fired during safety tech inspection, no exceptions.
The complete 2024 race schedule can be viewed at http://www.riverheadraceway.com, follow the event link. emails reach the track at office@riverheadraceway, the phone number is 631-842-RACE.
