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WHAT DOES THE NASCAR SANCTIONING IN 2023 MEAN FOR THE DRIVERS AT THE BD MOTORSPORTS PROMOTED TRACKS

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Recently announced by BD Motorsports Media LLC, a trio of historic dirt tracks in the Northeast will join the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (NAAPWS) for the upcoming 2023 season. Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway and New York’s Utica-Rome and Fonda Speedways, which are operated by promoter Brett Deyo, are the latest facilities to become NASCAR sanctioned.

Benefits are insurance for NASCAR license holders and additional point money.

“I’ve been looking at the option (to sanction with NASCAR) for the past couple of years,� said Deyo in a recent release. “For Fonda and Utica-Rome, we have the same core racers that run both nights, Friday night at Utica-Rome and Saturday night at Fonda. It gives them an opportunity to run for a state championship, the regional championship, and the national championship.�

“From the Georgetown perspective, there is more growth here,� Deyo continued. “We have a more ambitious schedule than we’ve run (recently). We’ve been a part-time track since 2016. We’re still not weekly at Georgetown, but we are racing more than we have in the past.�

Georgetown Speedway, located in Georgetown, Delaware, was constructed in 1949 by businessman Melvin L. Joseph. The track will host races on Thursday and Friday nights this year in addition to special events.

Utica-Rome Speedway, located in Vernon, New York, was built in 1961 by Joe Lesik as a quarter-mile asphalt oval before being transformed into a dirt track in 1979. Known as the “Home of Heroes�, Utica-Rome will host weekly racing on Fridays throughout the upcoming season.

Fonda Speedway, located in Fonda, New York, opened in 1953 and continues to operate today as a half-mile dirt oval. Dubbed “The Track of Champions�, Fonda played host to four NASCAR Cup Series races in the 1950s and 1960s. Those events, known as the Fonda 200, were won by Junior Johnson in 1955, David Pearson in 1966, and Richard Petty in 1967 & 1968.

For the 2023 season at the Fonda Speedway, the Amsterdam Truck Center Modified, Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman and Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stock divisions will be sanctioned by NASCAR as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (NAAPWS).

The Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds at Fonda will be listed as Division I and competitors will be eligible for National, Regional, State/Provincial and Track Championships, Rookie of the Year Honors, and ranking nationally in the Top-100 drivers. �������� ������� only will be required to obtain a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Feature Division license.

Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman at Fonda will be listed as Division II and will be eligible for National, Regional, and Track championships and ranking nationally in the Top-100 drivers. ð??‚ð??«ð??šð??­ð??ž ð?Ÿ”ð?ŸŽð?Ÿ? ð??’ð??©ð??¨ð??«ð??­ð??¬ð??¦ð??šð??§ ð??ƒð??«ð??¢ð??¯ð??žð??«ð??¬ only will be required to obtain a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Charger Division license.

Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks at Fonda will be listed as Division III and will be eligible for National, Regional, and Track championships and ranking nationally in the Top-100 drivers. ��� ����� ������� only will be required to obtain a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Charger Division license.

All other divisions competing at Fonda will not be required to purchase a NASCAR license.

Licenses are available now at the following link: https://license.nascar.com/

A single NASCAR license can be utilized for both the Fonda Speedway and the Utica-Rome Speedway.

NASCAR Owner and Crew Member licenses are available online for those wishing to purchase a license.

NASCAR license holders will receive additional insurance benefits and $5 off pit admission at every Fonda Speedway event.

Fonda Speedway licenses remain available and offer $5 off pit admission at every Fonda Speedway event.

NASCAR license holders will not be required to hold a Fonda Speedway license to receive point fund money.

ABOUT THE SERIES

For more than 40 years, racing at short tracks throughout the country have provided the foundation for NASCAR. The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (NAAPWS) is NASCAR’s National Championship program for short-track racing. Each year, nearly 10,000 people compete at NASCAR-sanctioned short-tracks throughout the U.S. and Canada. The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series crowns champions at a track, state, and provincial, regional, and national level.

The NAAPWS includes nearly 50 different and unique tracks that provide the stage for local hometown drivers to gain popularity among the community. These tracks spread across 25 states and 4 provinces, with drivers able to gain competition points at any of the NASCAR-sanctioned tracks within them. The inclusion of both asphalt and dirt tracks allows for a variety of cars to be raced weekly.

SERIES BREAKDOWN

The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series program is comprised of multiple divisions of competing classes, enabling competitors to move up the ladder as they progress for the opportunity to compete for the title.

DIVISION I (Modifieds) - As the feature division of the series, drivers compete for National, Regional, State/Provincial, and Track Championships, Rookie of the Year honors, and ranking nationally in the Top 100 drivers.

DIVISION II (Crate 602 Sportsman) and DIVISION III (Pro Stocks) - Drivers in these divisions compete for National, Regional, and Track Championships, and ranking nationally in the Top 100 drivers.

POINT FUNDS

DIVISION I CHAMPION: $25,000

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: $35,000 Payout

LOCAL TRACK CHAMPIONS: $15,000 Payout/Track (across all divisions)

CHAMPIONSHIP LEVELS

NATIONAL (DIVISION I ONLY) Champion determined by a driver’s best 18 finishes; Champion awarded National Championship Trophy

REGIONAL Champion determined by a driver’s best 14 finishes; Champions awarded trophy with payout to top-10 in each region (West, Midwest, Southeast, Northeast)

STATE/PROVINCIAL Champions determined by a driver’s best 14 finishes within State/Province; For Division I competitors only; Champions awarded champion driver’s suit and trophy

TRACK Champions determined by track’s point system; Champions in DIVISION I are awarded commemorative helmet and includes $15,000 track payout

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

NATIONAL Determined by a driver’s best 18 finishes from any NASCAR-sanctioned track in North America, receiving a $2,000 reward. All first time Division I license holders are automatically eligible for the national rookie award.

REGIONAL Determined by a driver’s best 14 finishes, there is a top-10 payout for each of the four regions, totaling $4,500.

STATE Determined by a driver’s best 14 finishes within the state, province, region or nation. Recipients receive a trophy.

The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series sanctions weekly short tracks across the United States and Canada. Layne Riggs is the defending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I National Champion.

For Deyo, giving competitors at his three tracks the chance to earn more money and the chance to race for state, regional and national championships made joining the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series a much easier decision.

“It opens up a whole other earning potential for our racers and that really got me excited because we’re always trying to give them the most opportunities to make money as we can,� said Deyo. “I felt like the NASCAR program gives them that opportunity without having to do anything different than they were already doing.

“It’s a great opportunity. We pride ourselves on paying well at our tracks. Anytime you can give them an opportunity to race for more money, it’s a good thing. Not to mention the exposure that comes with it, the honor of being a NASCAR champion. Especially during the 75th season of NASCAR, there is just a lot of hype that goes along with it.�

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