Waynesfield, OH (Thursday, April 13, 2023) - The 2023 season is about to kick off for the Great Lakes Family of Sprint Cars. On Saturday, April 15th the National Racing Alliance (NRA) Sprint Cars alongside the Great Lakes Traditional Sprints (GLTS) head to Waynesfield Raceway Park (WRP) for the first race of the new season and a new chapter of racing for the Great Lakes Family of Sprint Cars.
Acquired at the end of the 2021 season, the NRA became part of the Great Lakes Family of Sprint Cars for the 2022 calendar year. However, the management team, format, and schedule stayed the same in 2022. Joining the Great Lakes Super Sprints Presented by Engine Pro and ARP (GLSS), the Great Lakes Traditional Sprints, and the Great Lakes Lightning Sprints, the NRA officially takes a seat at the Great Lakes Family of Sprint Cars table, with Barry Marlow at the head.
WRP kicks off a season-long NRA schedule that remains largely the same as it has in years past, now only more consciously taking into consideration the GLSS North schedule. Saturday marks the first of four appearances at WRP for the 2023 season. Last season, NRA struggled to contest a race at WRP under the NRA banner, leaving driver’s notebooks scarce heading into the season opener.
Last season, Cloverdale, Ohio’s, Jared Horstman won four of the nearly dozen races contested under the NRA sanction. Chase Dunham of Leipsic, Ohio was the only other driver to win multiple NRA races in 2022 with both wins coming at Limaland Motorsports Park.
The GLTS will also open the 2023 campaign on Saturday with their first of four appearances as well. Last season, Pleasant Hill, Ohio’s, Matt Westfall topped the pilon at the end of 30 laps in the Hewitt Classic. Westfall came from the fifth spot to grab the win over Isaac Chapple, eventual series champion Keith Sheffer, Jr, Kody Swanson, and Steve Irwin. The July contest was the only show at WRP for GLTS in 2022.
The 2022 season saw seven different drivers go to Victory Lane with the GLTS. Multitime champion Steve Irwin led the way with three total victories, besting Westfall, Sheffer, and Daggett who all had two a piece. Parker Fredrickson, Max Frank, and Mike Galadja also collected wins last season.
Saturday’s Let’s Go 30 features a $3,000 payday to the winner of the GLTS portion of the show. In addition to the NRA Sprints, DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will also be on the schedule. General Admission Gates open at 3:00 PM with racing at 6:00 PM. For more information, find Great Lakes Traditional Sprints or National Racing Alliance - NRA Sprints on Facebook.
Story - Zach Hiser
Photo - Cambell Photo