Cayuga Speedway
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| Location | Cayuga, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°56′06″N 79°58′00″W / 42.935061°N 79.966565°W |
| Capacity | more than 7,000 |
| Broke ground | 1966 |
| Opened | 1966 |
| Closed | 2010 (suspended operations indefinitely) |
| Major events |
None (on hiatus) Former Events: NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Coke Zero 200 Crown Jewel 200 (2007–2008) ARCA RE/MAX Series Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 (2008) ASA Late Model Series Canada 200 (2007) CASCAR Super Series (1989-2006) USAR Hooters Pro Cup (2001-2003) ASA National Tour Molson 300 (1979-1993) NASCAR North Tour NASCAR North 250 (1983-1985) |
| Pavement oval track | |
| Length | .625 mi (1.00 km) |
| Banking |
12 degrees in corners 5 degrees on straightaways |
The Cayuga Speedway, also known as the Cayuga 2000 Speedway, is a racing track located near Cayuga in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada.
Famous stock car drivers like Bobby Allison, Benny Parsons, Don Biederman, Dick Trickle and Bob Senneker all managed to participate in racing events here at Cayuga Speedway on a professional level.[1]
History
Racing
It was opened in 1966 as a dirt track, but was paved the following year when the vehicles started to become too dangerous fast for the dirt tracks. It was considered to be one of Canada's premier racing facilities. It is a ⅝-mile oval similar in size to Martinsville Speedway. The track has held a variety of different racing groups including CASCAR, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, the American-Canadian Tour, NASCAR Busch North, Hooters Pro-Cup, USAC, ISMA Supermodifieds, DIRT Modifieds and the ARCA RE/MAX Series (which is considered to be one of the developmental milestones to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series). Set on 300 acres (1.2 km2) of land, Cayuga offers campgrounds with electricity, concession booths, and free parking.
On June 8, 2006, a group of developers from Toronto purchased the ⅝ mile track from its original owners and made improvements for the 2007 season, hoping to attract NASCAR Nationwide Series (formerly called the Busch Series) to have a race at Cayuga Speedway. Instead, the race went to Montreal (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve) due to its larger population and recognition in the international community.[2] Cooper Construction of Oakville was announced as the vendor to re-build the track. Cayuga International Speedway Park hosted the first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race in series history on May 26, 2007.
The final NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race to be held here was the 2008 Coke Zero 200.
Music
Concerts are held occasionally at Cayuga Speedway; usually conforming with either the country or the heavy metal genre.
The Lachie Music Fest; a Canadian festival honoring performing arts and indie music will be held at Cayuga Speedway from June 27 to June 29, providing that someone cleans up the grandstands and the track area in general from its general state of disrepair.[3]
Present condition
As of 2010, the track sits dormant due to economic concerns. The last race held was in July 2009 featuring the ISMA Supermodifieds; which was won by Mark Sammut of London, Ontario. This event would earn Sammut his first ISMA win. Along with the ISMA Supermodified racing action were the Canadian Vintage Modifieds; which was won by Phil Shaw of Orangeville, Ontario.
In March 2014, photos surfaced on the Lost Speedway's Facebook page showing the speedway in a state of severe disrepair.[4] As of mid May 2014, there is word that the track has been sold. A person named Ken Hill is said to be the owner. Plans are supposed to be coming for concerts and camping and racing is a possibility. With the Canadian Motor Speedway coming to Fort Erie in 2016, this seems like a risky venture. Pictures surfaced on Facebook as of Sept 9th 2014 showing sand blasting being done to the walls taking off old paint, leading to believe there will be racing again. More pictures have surface showing the complete infield being torn apart. Once they redue the infield the old asphalt will be removed and the track will be repaved.
References
- ↑ Cayuga Speedway information at StockCarRacing.net
- ↑ The Simcoe Reformer - June 8, 2006
- ↑ Lachie Music Fest 2014 information at Lachie
- ↑ Cayuga International Speedway (Ontario, CA) - Roger Slack Photos at Facebook
External links
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