Temperance, MI (Thursday, November 19, 2021) - With the ongoing pandemic in full swing, racers and fans alike can understand why area tracks are “tip-toeing” with their 2021 schedules. Several tracks in the Great Lakes Region received approval for limited events in 2020, and some weren’t unable to hold events at all. Officials at Flat Rock and Toledo Speedways are trying to be as optimistic as possible, given the current state of restrictions in both states. With that in mind, both historic venues have released a partial 2021 schedule, with the hopes of providing a more complete schedule sometime in January.
Flat Rock Speedway will open their 2021 season on Saturday , May 1st, with their traditional Outlaw Super Late Models (OSLM), Street Stocks, and Figure 8’s. Other key dates announced include the Joy Fair Memorial 100 ( OSLM) on May 29th, the always popular School Bus Figure 8 on July 2nd. The Firecracker 150, which will feature all weekly divisions combining for 150 laps of feature events, is set for July 10th. The Stan Yee Memorial 150 ( OSLM) is slated for July 24th. It was also announced that the quarter-mile bullring will host 3 Friday night shows throughout the season, to accommodate for a couple of Saturday night programs at Toledo.
As for Toledo Speedway, opening night is currently scheduled for Saturday, May 22nd, when the ARCA Menards Series will invade the ultra-fast half-mile. Late Model Sportsman and Factory Stocks will also be in action to kick-off 2021. Additional dates announced include their School Bus Figure 8 Night on June 18th, the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Monster Truck Tour on July 1st (rain or shine), the ARCA 62nd Anniversary show featuring 5 classes of racing, including the OSLM on August 6th. The Glass City 200 is once again in its traditional slot on September 18th, and the USAC Silver Crown Series will cap off their season at Toledo on October 10th. The 2020 Silver Crown event was lost to mother nature last month. Toledo officials are looking at adding a date in April, but that decision will not be made until early in the new year.
Part of the schedule release also reads, “Please keep in mind that due to the ongoing crisis, the schedule and dates are tentative. While we have hope that things are going to change in the coming months, we are also being very realistic about the 2021 season. However, we will continue to prepare for the new season ahead of us.” With so many questions to be answered in the coming weeks and months ahead, both tracks are hoping to resume to some sort of normalcy, or maybe a new normal, for 2021. Keep up to date with future information regarding both tracks at www.flatrockspeedway.com and www.toledospeedway.com For more stories from around the region, be sure to log onto www.horsepowerhappenings.com. Listen to on-demand episodes of the Horsepower Happenings Podcast, with new episodes every Monday night at 9:00 pm.
Story - Rich Frantz, Horsepower Happenings
Photo - Level Pebble Racing
2021 Partial Schedule
May 1 - Flat Rock Opening Night
May 22 - Toledo ARCA Menards 200
May 29 - Flat Rock Joy Fair Memorial 100
June 18 - Toledo School Bus Figure 8
July 1 - Toledo Monster Trucks
July 2 - Flat Rock School Bus Figure 8
July 10 - Flat Rock Firecracker 150
July 24 - Flat Rock Stan Yee Memorial 150
August 6 - Toledo 62nd Anniversary Race
September 18 - Toledo Glass City 200
October 10 - USAC Silver Crown Series