Auto Racing News - 13 February 2026

The Electric City Riders will hold motorcycle racing at Maple on the Lake on Warner's Lake in East Berne on Sunday, February 15. Gates open at 8:00 am, sign-up is from 8:30 am until 10:00 am, the riders' meeting is at 10:30 am, with practice and racing to follow. Adult admission is $10 and children under 12 are free. It is $40 per class to compete, and AMA membership is required for AMA-sanctioned events.

The Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club will return to Peck's Lake on Sunday for car racing. An opportunity to take part in a non-competitive environment will be offered in a 20/20 format. For $20, drivers can spend 20 minutes on the track and receive a one-day membership. This will be limited to 20 cars so as to not overcrowd the track. All drivers and passengers must sign a waiver and wear a Snell 2010 or newer approved helmet. Cars must be equipped with snow tires; all-season or summer-rated tires are not allowed. Registration is open at www.icerace.motorsportreg.com. The 20/20 is tentatively scheduled for 12:53 pm.

As soon as I hit the send button last week, I realized that I did not provide all the information about the Utica-Rome Speedway Empire Street Stock Series. Utica-Rome Speedway will host the Empire Street Stock Series in mid-July. The regional racing series for the street stock division is primarily located in the Central New York area, competing at tracks such as Weedsport Speedway, Ransomville Speedway, Land of Legends Raceway in Canandaigua, Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, and Genesee Speedway in Batavia. This event is scheduled for Sunday, July 19.

Utica-Rome Speedway is seeking race teams and drivers that would be interested in displaying or attending an upcoming hockey game on Friday, March 20, at 7:00 pm. The Utica Comets will take on the Providence Bruins at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica in a special Race Night inside the arena. Cars will be displayed outside before the game and drivers will sign autographs during intermission. This is a great chance to show off your ride, represent your team, and help introduce racing to a whole new group of fans. If you are interested, please contact the speedway. Discounted tickets are available at www.uticacomets.com/racing.

Utica-Rome Speedway has also launched a Referral Reward program. If you refer a business that wants to get in front of fans for 2026, a fan can receive $100 cash if the referral signs any package—no limits. Available to marketing partners are banners, billboards, VIP Suite nights in the tower, and custom marketing packages. Contact Tim Bowman at 315-225-0888 or tebow2478@gmail.com, Utica-Rome Speedway Marketing Director.

Community Fundraisers

There are still a few lanes open for bowling teams that would like to take part in the 10th edition of the Happy Harry Shaffer/Shaffer Racing Team Bowling party/tournament/fundraiser. This will take place on Sunday, March 15, at Kelly's Imperial Bowling Center on Wallins Corners Road in Amsterdam. If you don't have a full team, you can still sign up and they will put a team together. Contact Shelly Shaffer at 518-366-2628.

The fifth annual Veterans Time to Thrive Car Show Fundraiser & Concert will take place from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday, July 25, on Amsterdam’s Southside at 1 Bridge Street.

The Northeast Dirt Modified and Crate 602 Sportsman divisions were racing last week in Florida at the All-Tech Raceway near Lake City as Dirt Track Digest T.V. presented the inaugural Showdown in the Sunshine State. On Thursday, the first night of racing in the $5,000-to-win 40-lap Modified division feature, "Lightning" Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y., earned the win over Mat Williamson and Matt Sheppard. Stewart Friesen of Sprakers drove from his twelfth-place starting spot to finish seventh in his first race back since his accident last July. 2024-25 Fonda Speedway Modified track champion Alex Yankowski finished 8th, Peter Britten finished 10th, and Chris Curtis finished 17th. In the $2,000-to-win 25-lap Sportsman division feature, Canadian Jessica Power claimed the win with a last-lap pass of Derrick McGrew Jr. of Ballston Spa, with Karl Comfort and Brian Calabrese of Johnstown completing the top four, and Chad Gregory finishing 21st.

Friday night saw Larry Wight use the high side to reach victory lane for the second night in a row after starting last (24th) in the 40-lap Modified feature lineup. Matt Sheppard and Stewart Friesen completed the podium. Alex Yankowski finished 5th, Peter Britten finished 7th, and Chris Curtis finished 12th. In the 25-lap Crate 602 Sportsman division feature, Richard Murtaugh III earned the win followed by Brian Calabrese and Logen Lockhart. Derrick McGrew Jr. finished tenth and Chad Gregory 16th.

On Saturday night in the finale, Wight made it a sweep and claimed the third 40-lap Modified feature. Tanner VanDoren and Matt Sheppard filled the podium. Alex Yankowski finished 8th, Peter Britten 9th, Stewart Friesen 10th, Chris Curtis 15th, and Jack Lehner 16th. Notably, Wight used the same four tires for qualifying and features with zero tire wear on the new track surface. In the 25-lap $2,000-to-win Sportsman division feature, Avery Decker scored the win over Brian Calabrese, Richard Murtaugh III, and Derrick McGrew Jr. Chad Gregory finished 10th. Anthony Perrego suffered a knee injury in an on-track accident on opening night and was done for the week.

Behrent’s Performance Warehouse is sponsoring a One-to-Go Championship throughout the season for a number of different racing series. Points are accumulated on the white flag lap of all Modified heat races and features. For this past week at All-Tech, the final standings were Larry Wight, Tanner VanDoren, and Matt Sheppard. Plans are already underway for the 2027 DTD races at All-Tech Raceway.

Whether or not you are a fan of Matt Sheppard, you will not see the familiar blue and black 9s on the track. Sheppard has changed the colors on the 9s for 2026; with sponsorship from the International Hot Rod Association, the 9s is now a white car with red and blue graphics. This week will see the DIRTcar Series at Volusia Speedway Park February 11-14. Felix Roy will be at the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia with his American racing team based out of Elmo's Speed & Supply.

The NASCAR Cup Series was to begin its 2026 season with "The Clash" last Sunday; however, that was postponed twice. It was held on Wednesday at the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after a historic winter storm blew in. Ryan Preece won the event after battling sleet and a wet track in near-freezing conditions. William Byron and Ryan Blaney completed the podium.