Orange County Fair Speedway

Press release:

MIDDLETON -- On Saturday, June 6^th, the Orange County Fair Speedway is back on track with their season opener, a 43-lap race, run in honor of one of their most decorated competitors, 64-year old driver, Nascar Daytona winner, Jimmy Horton, also known as “The Sensational One,” who has spent much of his career on dirt behind the wheel of the No. 43 dirt modified.

The Northeast’s toughest competitors are expected to come looking for a special $4,300 to win prize, too!

Though OCFS has lost 10 early season races due to the COVID-19 shutdown, it is not uncommon for the track to suffer the loss of several events in the rainy spring months of the early season. Now that he northeast is entering the summer months, prime racing season is upon us and OCFS is fortunate to be opening their gates, albeit in a limited capacity.

Initially, competitors will be welcomed back with just two divisions a night. Opening Night will feature the United Rentals Big Block Division in a 43-lap race and a $4,300 to win boosted purse with the Sportsman division supporting.

Competitors will be expected to follow rigorous social distancing protocols and take all measures recommended by the CDC for reducing the spread of COVID-19. For a full breakdown on protocols and measures taken, OCFS has added sections to their “Competitor Info” menu on their website. OCFS staff and management is also prepared with PPE and social distancing guidelines and will be enforcing measures on the grounds among themselves, competitors and teams.

At this time, OCFS cannot welcome fans back to their grandstands unfortunately; however the historic speedway boasts a unique feature, a Drive-In Section. With drive-in theaters being given the greenlight to open back up with limited capacity in NYS, OCFS can open theirs to fans when racing resumes at the over 100-year-old speedway.

To maintain social distancing, OCFS’s Drive-In capacity will be reduced, making a spot at the races a hot commodity. To best accommodate their customers, OCFS will pre-sell Drive-In parking spots by phone. Fans can call the speedway office at (845) 342-2573, and reference a Drive-In seat map, found under the “Fan Info” menu option of the OCFS website, to buy their drive-in spot.

Even in the Drive-In social distancing rules must still be maintained as we continue to slow the spread of COVID-19. Usual Drive-in activities like cooking/grilling and children bicycling in between racing action will be prohibited until further notice. Fans will be permitted to bring already prepared food that must stay contained in their vehicle and/or designated parking area.

When the drive-in section inevitably fills up with eager race fans, many will be left without a seat. For those fans and others outside the area or at higher risk of illness, OCFS will be presenting live streaming of the event. Broadcast-quality, multi-camera production will be available for fans to stream on the OCFS website for a fee of $24.99 starting at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 6^th.

Leading up to the event and on June 6^th, the D-Day Invasion Anniversary, OCFS will also be collecting donations for Hudson Valley Honor Flight, a charity the speedway has worked with for the last two seasons to raise money to send aging U.S. military veterans in our area to Washington, D.C., where they can visit the many memorials in their honor and receive recognition for their service.

The speedway will utilize Facebook to collect donations for the charity, where fans will also get to watch an exclusive free preview of the June 6^thlivestream. Check out OCFS’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OCFSRacing/

Visit the speedway website for the latest track news, results, videos, fan and competitor information and more: www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net.

June 6^th Schedule of Events

• 3 – 5:15 p.m. / Pit Gate opens / All Divisions Handicap Starting Spots 
• 5:15 – 5:45 p.m. / Facebook Drivers Meeting 
• 5:45 – 6 p.m. / Sportsman to staging area 
• 6 – 6:20 p.m. / Hot Laps Sportsman 
• 6 -- 6:30 p.m. / Small Block Modifieds practice session 
• 6:20 – 6:40 p.m. / Hot Laps Modifieds 
• 6:40 – 6:45 p.m. / Pre-Race Ceremonies / National Anthem 
• 6:45 -7:45 p.m. / Sportsman Heats – 6 Heats, 8 Laps each 
• 7:45 – 8:20 p.m. / Modified Heats – 4 Heats, 8 Laps each 
• 8:20 – 8:40 p.m. / Sportsman Last Chance Qualifier(s) – 8 Laps 
• 8:40 – 8:50 p.m. / Modified Last Chance Qualifier – 8 Laps 
• 8:55 – 9:20 p.m. / Sportsman Feature Event – 20 Laps 
• SPORTSMAN VICTORY LANE PHOTO. DRIVER REMAINS IN CAR, NO CREW 
• 9:25 – 9:55 p.m. / Modified Feature – 30 Laps 
• MODIFIED VICTORY LANE PHOTO, DRIVER REMAINS IN CAR, NO CREW

Press release:

MIDDLETOWN -- Following his momentous first ever NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) win at Eldora Speedway, Stewart Friesen will continue on the trail of his scheduled Northeast dirt racing events in the Halmar no. 44 Big Block Modified. One planned stop for the NGOTS number 3 in points driver is Orange County Fair Speedway's Centennial Race Weekend, the unprecedented 100-year-anniversary event that pays $100,000 to win.

Friesen's no. 52 Chevy Silverado has actually been sporting OCFS on the hood to promote the event that may shape up to be dirt track racing's biggest ever. 

When Friesen rolls into Middletown NY for the big $100K show, he'll be hauling in more than just his no. 44 modified, as Orange Motorsports & Entertainment (OME) has just revealed that Friesen and Eldora runner up, NGOTS driver Sheldon Creed, will run at Middletown's Legendary "House of Power" in a special 10-Lap exhibition.

Their trucks and haulers will be on display starting Friday, Aug. 16th, to all Centennial Race Weekend attendees, then on Saturday the 17th (before the big $100K race) Sheldon Creed will get his rematch with Stewart Friesen, 10-laps to make it happen. This will be the first time ever that NASCAR Truck Series trucks have been at Middletown.

Sheldon Creed is 21 years old and comes from El Cajon, Calif. He's an X-Games Gold-Medalist and two-time Stadium Super Trucks Series champion.  Creed is known for his diversity to drive anything with four wheels, competing in the Stadium Super Trucks (SST) Series where he has accumulated six wins in only 12 starts.

In 2017 Creed competed in the Trans-Am Series, ARCA, K&N, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, totaling 28 different races with eight different teams. Sheldon won the 2018 ARCA Racing Series Championship and competes full time in 2019 with GMS Racing in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. 

Friesen’s opportunities in the NASCAR Truck Series have come largely from his ability to develop a complete driver’s skillset while racing 800-horsepower Big-Block Modifieds in the Northeast, where for the last few years he has been absolutely dominant. Can Creed’s adaptability outpace Friesen’s dirt modified experience when the two face off competitively in the 160-Lap, $100,000 to win big finale at the Centennial Race Weekend that follows their NGOTS exhibition? That’s right, Sheldon Creed will strap into a Dirt Modified for a real shot at redemption against Friesen (and MANY more talented drivers), on the DIRT!

In addition to this unprecedented, NASCAR approved exhibition, Orange Motorsports & Entertainment (OME) has jam packed the three-day Centennial Race Weekend with fun activities, attractions, live music and historical tributes.

With a newly resurfaced track, upgraded facilities and more new seating recently added, OCFS is poised to become the Northeast's premiere racetrack.  While the Centennial Race Weekend will be a tribute to the Speedway's rich history, it will also set the precedent for what is to come in this grassroots raceway's future.

Press release:

MIDDLETOWN -- Michael Waltrip, two-time Daytona 500 champion and MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES driver will appear at the Orange County Fair Speedway (OCFS) on Saturday, Aug. 17^th, the final day of the 100-year-old speedway’s special “Centennial Race Weekend.”

The former driver and team owner serves as an analyst for FOX NASCAR’s coverage of the MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES, NASCAR XFINITY SERIES and the NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES (NGOTS), the series in which occasional OCFS competitors Stewart Friesen and Tyler Dippel race.

Waltrip won’t be the only NASCAR presence felt at the Centennial Race Weekend, as Stewart Friesen and Sheldon Creed are set to face off in a special exhibition in their NGOTS trucks at OCFS, in a first-ever experience. With an all-new clay racing surface, drivers and fans alike are excited to see what kind of speeds a NASCAR truck does at “The House of Power” with one of the sport’s greatest legends there to see it all go down.

In 2007, Waltrip ushered Toyota into the MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES as team owner for Michael Waltrip Racing and driver of the No. 55 Toyota, leading the manufacturer’s efforts in its first year of Cup competition. Waltrip opened the doors of his one-of-a-kind race shop and fan experience in a former movie theater in Cornelius, N.C., and welcomed Rob Kauffman as co-owner in the fall of 2007.

In 2012, MWR earned its first two berths in the Chase for the NASCAR Cup with Clint Bowyer, who finished second, and Martin Truex Jr. In 2010, Waltrip segued to a part-time driving schedule and scored two top-five finishes in only four starts in 2013. MWR campaigned fulltime in the Cup Series through the conclusion of the 2015 season.

The Owensboro, Ky., native spent 33 years as a driver in the MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES. He won the 2001 and 2003 DAYTONA 500, making him one of 10 multi-time winners. Waltrip owns four Cup wins and four pole positions, alongside 11 career NASCAR XFINITY SERIES wins and one NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES victory – at the 2011 Daytona race in a last-lap pass.

He made his Cup Series driving debut in the 1985 COCA-COLA 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he also won the 1996 NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE, as well as the 1991 and 1992 Winston Open and 1995 Winston Select.