Racing notebook: Adams County Speedway to crown track champions in all six classes Sunday

QUINCY — In his position as co-promoter of the Adams County Speedway, Jim Lieurance is constantly thinking about the future and planning ahead.

But he’s currently trying to put the brakes on that mindset and simply enjoy the final weeks of the 2024 season.

“It’s been a good year, and I’m trying not to think about (2025) just yet,” Lieurance said. “Our car counts have been excellent and the attendance is way up over a year ago.”

The speedway crowns its six class champions Sunday night, ending the points racing portion of the schedule. The final three weeks of competition (Sept. 1, 8, 15) will provide fans a series of specials.

“Right now, we’re just concentrating on finishing the current year strong,” Lieurance said.

This year’s average weekly car count of 78.2 is the highest since the speedway re-opened in 2022 and should grow even more in 2025 with expected growth continuing in the crate late models and Crown Vics. 

There’s a chance the weekly average car count could grow considerably in 2025, depending largely on whether or not the sport mods rebound. Two years ago, the sport mods averaged 21.6 per week, but fell off in 2023 to 15.6. This year, the series has dropped further to 11.7. Comparatively, the other five series at the track have either held steady or risen.

“I don’t really know (what happened to the sport mods),” Lieurance said.

Looking ahead

In 2025, the crate late models, a series now in its sixth year at the track, has seen its weekly average climb to 16.6, almost double what it was in 2022. Counting the three super late model events (Hell Tour, MLRA and MARS series), the weekly norm is 19.4.

“I’m thinking the weekly crate average next year will be at around 20, it’s still a growing class,” Lieurance said. 

Lieurance said he expects to Crown Vics to remain on schedule, and likely blow right past an average of 20 per week.

“We might see 25 a week,” he said.

Lieurance said fans should expect a similar schedule when it comes to 2025 specials, saying the Hell Tour, MARS and MLRA tours will all return, plus their modified accompanying series.

Finishing strong

Many years the closing weeks of a dirt-track season see a fall-off in car counts due to drivers running short of funding for repairs, the start of school limiting some drivers and their families from traveling, etc., but Quincy seems to be capping its 2024 schedule in style.

The last four weeks of the current season have seen an average car count of 78.5. A year ago, the average count over those same four weeks was 66.8. In 2022, it was 64.3.

A guide to Sunday night

Here’s what to know heading into Sunday night’s final round of points racing, which will crown champs in all six classes:

Crate late models: In all likelihood, Jason Perry will clinch his second track championship Sunday night, bookending with his 2012 crown. Perry has a 15-point advantage over defending champ Tommy Elston.

Perry would become only the sixth driver in the Speedway’s long history to win two or more late model titles. He would join Mark Burgtorf (16), Steve Fraise (9), Denny Woodworth (8), Terry Gallaher (4) and Lonnie Bailey (2).

If Perry maintains that double-figure points difference, it will mark 12 straight seasons the late model division title has been decided by 10 or more points. The most recent “close” finish goes back to 2011 when Justin Reed and Bailey tied in points, with Reed awarded the crown on the strength of more features won.

Close points races in this division have not been the norm. Only four times since the 1975 inception of this series has the championship been decided by fewer than 10 point.

Modifieds: Austen Becerra has eight-point lead over Dave Wietholder entering the final round of points racing, and if he hangs on to that advantage it will mark three straight series championships for the Carthage hotshoe. Wietholder had won the previous four.

Interestingly, only five points races since 2000 have been decided by fewer than 10 points, the most recent being Wietholder’s four-point spread against Shawn Deering in 2017.

Sport mods: Tanner Klingele will enter the final round of points in the catbird’s seat. If Klingele can protect his three-point lead over Reed Wolfmeyer, he will capture his first track championship after four runner-up finishes since 2013. Wolfmeyer, who ended second in points a year ago, is also seeking his first crown.

Defending champ Logan Cumby is eight points behind Klingele.

Stock cars: This series will likely have its eighth different champ in as many seasons if points leader Jacob Rexing hangs on to his three-point margin over Robert Cottom.

Surprisingly, as competitive as this series normally is, rarely is the championship race decided by fewer than 20 points. Only twice since 2012 has the champ earned the big iron by fewer than 21 points.

4-Cylinders: Jaden DeLonjay, who has been the steadiest driver since late May, will enter Sunday night with his first track title already tucked away. His older brother, Jeffrey, had captured the 2022-23 titles.

Crown Vics: No fewer than four drivers have a shot this division’s inaugural title. Jacob Jones, Brian Kaylor, Dakota Damron and Alex Hatfield are all within five points of the lead in this slam-bang series.