Auto Racing News - 23 January 2025

Tulsa, Oklahoma has been busy since Monday with the 39th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals. North East drivers competing include 2025 Fonda Speedway modified track champion Alex Yankowski and Mat Williamson.

Empire Super Sprint drivers Billy VanInwegen, Joe Kata, Dan Bennett, Scott Kreutter, and Glen Styres.

 Coming up on Saturday, January 25 the ADK Jeepers in conjunction with the Hummingbird Hills Winery will present their 2nd. annual Winery Winter Carnival. Located at 1442 Burtonville Road in Fultonville, there will be Wheeling, games, wine, and great company. The day kicks off at 11:00 am. There will be a $10 trail riding fee and registration/ waivers are required the day of the event if you have not attended a winery event before. 

 Another event to mark on your calendar is the 4th. annual Joslin Racing chicken barbeque & wine tasting fundraiser at the Hummingbird Hills Winery. This year's event will take place on Saturday, April 5. 

The Bartlett's chicken dinner will sell for $15 and pre-orders are recommended. You can contact Ivan Joslin, Kyle Joslin, or Charlie Bartlett to place your pre-order. The event will last from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm and will include numerous basket raffles and the wine tasting. Ivan will compete in the pro-stock division again in 2025, but this season the familiar Joslin Racing number 49 will have a new Playfab chassis in their stable.

 The C.R.S.A. 305-winged sprint car series released their 2025 schedule Sunday morning. Their 20th. season will start on March 8 & 9 at the Northeast MotorSports Exposition at the Syracuse Fairgrounds. 

The schedule currently has 25 events at 12 different speedways. Locally we will see them in the area on these dates May 31 Fonda Speedway, June 13 Utica-Rome Speedway, August 15 Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

The Eastern Motorsport Press Association held their 52nd annual convention last weekend in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Among those entered into the EMPA Hall of Fame were Jimmy Horton III-dirt, Alan Johnson-dirt, Steve Park-asphalt , Don “The Snake” Prudhomme-drag racing, Sammy Swindell-sprint car, and Bones Bourcier-journalist.

 The Vermont Motorsports Exposition will be held in White River Junction, Vermont at the Connecticut Valley Auto Auction on Friday, March 28 & Saturday, March 29, 2025.

 Highlighting the modified division in 2025 at both Fonda Speedway and Utica-Rome Speedway is a new incentive program presented by Palmer’s Service Center of Howes Cave. The Palmer’s Service Center-Power Position will begin on opening night and will be offered during the first ten modified races of the 2025 season at both tracks. The modified feature winner will draw a number between 2-10. The driver picked from that pool will receive a $100 gift certificate for Online Performance courtesy of Palmer's Service Center. This is another great contribution from Alton and Carole Palmer to help out the racing community. Efforts such as this go a long way in helping others to continue to put on the racing events that you so much enjoy. It's great to see the Palmer's step up again and again, but there are numerous opportunities for any of you to find a way to get involved in some form of support. Think it over and you can come up with an idea of your own or join in a number of the memorial events at your favorite track that are selling lap or finishing position sponsorship. 

 Tim Hartman Jr. is offering race car chassis set up and consulting through the DKM Fabrication Shop in Hagaman. Hartman is the all-time win leader in the sportsman division at both Albany-Saratoga Speedway and Lebanon Valley Speedway. The program is available no matter what make chassis or year of your race car. Call 518-879-9568 to schedule your session and improve your on track results.