ESTEVAN - The Estevan Motor Speedway has established a tentative schedule for 2022, and much like the past two years, it boasts several doubleheaders.
For the second straight year, the season will open with an Enduro race on May 7. The first regular programs of the season will be May 13 and 14.
There will also be points races on June 3, 4 and 17, July 1, 2, 22 and 23, and Aug. 12, 13, 26 and 27.
The Aug. 12 and 13 programs will feature late models, while the Aug. 26 and 27 races will be track championship nights.
Each of the points nights will include IMCA modifieds, stock cars, sport mods and hobby stocks, along with the slingshot developmental program.
President Brad Pierson said they went with mostly doubleheaders because of the ongoing restrictions for crossing the Canada-U.S. border, and the doubleheaders have succeeded in attracting Canadian drivers to the track.
A fall race is pencilled in for Sept. 10, and the year-end endure will be Sept. 17. The fall race would give the track one more program for the season, because people aren’t ready to have the season end in August.
“It could be a weekend that just brings a lot of cars in,” said Pierson.
Estevan is not scheduled to be part of the Dakota Classic Modified Tour for the third consecutive year. Pierson said the modified tour organizers want to come back to Estevan, but it would be too difficult for everyone if the current border restrictions are still in place.
“Basically it’s protecting them more than us,” said Pierson. “There is the ability, if something changes with our border restriction, to be back on the schedule.”
It’s the speedway’s favourite event of the year, and a big draw for fans, so it’s disappointing if the tour doesn’t return this year.
The late models will likely be their biggest attraction of the year. Last year’s kids’ night was a hit as well, and they want to do more with it this year to attract more families.
The speedway once again faced challenges with the schedule. They didn’t want to have a program during the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, slated for May 20-29. And they don’t want to have an event competing with the Estevan Exhibition Association’s Energy City Ex, or the graduation night at the Estevan Comprehensive School.
“We have a couple more nights on the schedule this year,” said Pierson.
The track had to reschedule a couple race nights last year, but they didn’t cancel any programs due to weather.
The speedway is also looking to bring in the IMCA sport compact class for a weekend. There is interest in getting them on the schedule, but they would need enough cars to be committed. And they are working hard to try to land a monster truck show for early August, as they have a few dates in August that would work.
“It’s huge money to bring them in, but I think we can make it work financially and still have some upside for the speedway,” said Pierson.
A monster truck show would be big, but it would also be well done, he said, and it could bring people from all over.
