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By DINO OBERTO
(Tioga Center, NY 2-13-25) A burst of new life is coming to Shangri-La II Motor Speedway, the half-mile oval located in Tioga Center, NY.
The concrete surfaced track has sat idle since 2015, but after negotiations that took place between current operators of Skyview Drags, which is a 1/8-mile drag strip adjacent to the oval track, and Evergreen Raceway owner/promoter Jason Makarewicz, a deal was struck to reopen the speedway for later this year.
Initial meetings between Dave Gennett, James Robinson and George Coleman from Skyview Drags, managers of the property, along with Makarewicz began around November, and by mid-January of this year, the two parties reached a mutual agreement to revive the oval track.
Makarewicz has laid out a tentative five-race schedule for Shangri-La II beginning with Saturday, May 17 as Opening Day.
“The group from Skyview made the effort to contact me about running the oval track and I’m humbled that I was considered. They have done a great job with the drag strip, and we’re thrilled to bring the oval back to life and have racing return to this amazing facility,” said Makarewicz.
“When you look at some of the videos of Shangri-La II, they had some terrific races during its run and we’re looking forward to bringing that back to this racing rich region of southern New York.”
Shangri-La II Motor Speedway opened in 2009. It was built by New York businessman George Swansbrough Sr., as a replacement for the original Shangri-La Speedway, also known as Tioga Motorsports Park, which closed in 2005. That track’s history dates back to 1946.
Shangri-La II Motor Speedway hosted numerous divisions including the RoC Modifieds, Sportsman Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks, Legends and more.
Only 4.5 miles from the original Shangri-La Speedway, the track ran weekly until mid-July 2015 when low car counts led to its closure.
There was, however, a final show on October 24, 2015, promoted by the Sharpsteen family. They drew a respectable 70 cars among four classes that day, unfortunately, no further racing has taken place at the oval since then.
Makarewicz will now promote the track for this year and oversee operations. Since 2016, he has managed Evergreen Raceway in St. Johns, Pa., a 1/3-mile asphalt oval.
Following the May 17 opener, scheduled races will take place in June, July, September and October.
“The way this all came together I felt it was best to just go with a handful of shows and we can then gauge off those events to see where we stand afterwards,” said Makarewicz.
“When we were in the negotiating stages most tracks already had their 2025 schedules together, so we had to be very observant on how we lined up the dates and which classes to run. Five races for right now are a safe bet to go with plus we have incorporated some rain dates if needed to help guarantee we get them in.”
Makarewicz noted he will be running Tour Type Modifieds, Sportsman Modifieds, Late Models, Super Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks and Hobby Stocks as the main classes. He has not ruled out looking at various touring divisions as a possible fill either.
Chemung Speedrome, a 3/8-mile paved oval, is located just 20 miles from Shangri-La II. For years the two tracks rivaled each other, however, Makarewicz recently met with Chemung promoter Ray Hodge and the pair spoke in length on how they can work in unison.
They agreed to avoid scheduling conflicts and discussed a possible Super Stock series between the two tracks and Evergreen for this year. Talks will continue with promising outcomes for racers and fans.
“It was great talking things over with Ray (Hodge) on how the two tracks can work together,” Makarewicz said.
“He wants to see Shangri-La II make a comeback and is very willing to hash out details with us on making it all work. I really appreciated his efforts to get together.”
Prior to the May 17 opener the track will hold open practice days on Saturday, April 5 and 19 and again on Friday, May 16. The practices will be open to any cars with a roll cage. If necessary, Sunday, May 18, will be used as the Opening Day rain date.
Opening Day will consist of Sportsman Modifieds, Super Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks and Hobby Stocks. Those respective classes will mirror that of Chemung’s divisional rules.
At Evergreen Raceway, Makarewicz also maintains the Circle Track Driving Experience which gives fans an opportunity to either drive or ride-along in a Late Model stock car. Also available are Modified stock cars that can be driven. He intends to make all that available at Shangri-La II.
“We began the Circle Track Driving Experience last year and it’s been a big hit for us, and I feel it will be much of the same at Shangri-La,” offered Makarewicz.
“I am certain fans will jump at the chance to get strapped into a real race car and make laps around that big half-mile. We will have the dates figured out for all that very soon.”
State safety inspectors have been to the property and gave the go-ahead on their end for Makarewicz to proceed with his ongoing perpetrations to get the track ready for racing.
“We have a bit of work ahead of us but we’re ready for that challenge and excited to bring back racing at Shangri-La II,” he said.
“Despite sitting idle for so long the track and spectator areas seem to be in decent shape. I want to make it clear that anything needing repair, including the track, we’ll pay full attention towards in order to assure everyone has a great time from the fans to the drivers.”
Another top attraction held at Evergreen is Drifting and additionally, Makarewicz plans to hold an event at Shangri-La II sometime in August. Furthermore, a Facebook page and website will be launched within the coming weeks.
The tentative schedule of events is as follows:
Schedule subject to change
April 5 & 19 – Open practice
May 16 – Open practice
May 17 Opening Day – Sportsman Modifieds, Super Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks, Hobby Stocks
May 18 Opening Day rain date
June 20 – Open practice all classes
June 21 – Sportsman Modifieds, Super Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks, Hobby Stocks
June 22 – Rain date for June 21
July 26 – Open practice
July 27 – Tour Type Modifieds, Super Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks, Hobby Stocks
September 19 – Open practice
September 20 – Sportsman Modifieds, Super Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks, Hobby Stocks
September 21 – Rain date for September 20
October 17 – Open practice
October 18 – Sportsman Modifieds, Late Models, Super Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks, Hobby Stocks
October 19 – Rain date for October 18
