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Sam's Towing & Recovery

(845) 791-4717

Route 17, Liberty, NY 12754

March 7, 2009 -  The latest rules were posted today.  Small changes were made to the ProStock, Modified, and 4 cylinder classes.  See the latest rules on the Rules Page.  If you have any questions you can fill out the simple Rules Question Form or call us.

We continue to make changes to our website.  We have added a classified section.  This is a free service.  If you want to list any items please email legendstockny@yahoo.com and we will list your item(s).

The Bethel Motor Speedway T-Shirts are in.  See them on the Store page.  We will have them available at  the Motorsports Expo in Syracuse and The Middletown Motor Sports Show.   Alternatively you can email us with your order.  

     

Bethel Motor Speedway Announces 2009 Schedule

Opening Day April 18

    Today Bethel Motor Speedway promoters Dave and Joanne Rocket announced the 2009 Schedule.   Opening Day will be April 18.  The Gates will open at 1pm for an extended practice with racing to begin at 7pm. 

    All of the exciting racing divisions are set to return.  A new racing division and several traveling series were added to the schedule.  A Dirt Sportsman division will be running each week.  This division is sure to become a fan favorite.  The Dirt Sportsman were added to the card of Bethel Motor Madness in October 2008 and put on an exciting show.  Fans can look forward to more of this excitement each week.  The All Star Truck Series, Vintage Dirt Modified, and ATQMRA Midgets will all race Bethel Motor Speedway this summer. 

    LegendStock will also be returning to Bethel Motor Speedway on August 15.  LegendStock is the most exciting and highest paying Legends Car race in the Northeast.  In 2008 Bethel Motor Speedway hosted the first LegendStock.  Drivers from all over the country showed up for this race.  These drivers put on an unbelievable show that was enjoyed by a capacity crowd.

    2009 is shaping up to be an exciting season for Bethel Motor Speedway.  The driver roster will have many new faces and all the fan favorites from 2008.   Dave and Joanne Rocket will also be Promoting Afton Motor Speedway in Afton, New York.   This is a dirt track that will host races on Friday Nights.        

Bethel Motor Speedway Announces 2009 Legends & Bandolero Schedule

New York Racing Action

By Tracy Chirico

LN Contributor

This past week, the 2009 schedule for Legends and Bandoleros at Bethel Motor Speedway was officially released. The schedule consists of 13 races, including LegendStock 2009 slated to be held on August 15th.

Bethel Motor Speedway itself is scheduled to open the last weekend in April. After opening the track - which had been closed for roughly a season and a half - for a shortened season beginning in August of 2008, 2009 will be the track’s official “Grand Re-Opening” season. Dave and Joanne Rocket will continue to act as promoters and oversee the operations at the track.

According to the new track owners, “The most important thing is that the track has been positioned for long term success. No uncertainty about promoters, no uncertainty about property development, no uncertainty about outrageous lease payments undermining the long term success of this facility.” 

For the 2009 season, the track expects to add practice sessions prior to Saturday night racing. Current plans call for practice to be held from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. on race days, at a cost of $10 per car.

The Legends and Bandolero schedule kicks off on May 23rd, and includes races on June 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th; July 18th; August 1st, 8th, and 15th; and September 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th.

One goal of the track management in 2009 is to build a youth program. In an effort to do this, it has been announced that the entry fee for Bandolero drivers racing at Bethel will be waived during the season.

“We believe that the development of a strong youth program will ultimately contribute to the future of short-track racing,” the new track owners said. “We are looking forward to getting such a program underway.”

McGraw Moving & Storage has signed on as a division sponsor. It has been announced that the Legends purse will be the same as the Street Stock purse.

The most prestigious and highest-paying race on the schedule is undoubtedly LegendStock 2009. When the track hosted LegendStock 2008, the response was very positive. In 2008, Michael Gervais Jr. was the overall winner, capturing the honors for the Pro division. Mike Alcaro was the Semi-Pro winner, while Tom Brockhouse took home the honors in the Masters division.

Several sponsors have already committed themselves to LegendStock 2009, including McGraw Moving & Storage, United Financial Bank of Florida, Universal Pool Maintenance and Services, and Power Battery Company. The advertised purse is currently $3,000., with $1,500. going to the winner and $50. being awarded to any car that takes the green for the A Main. If more sponsors are acquired, the purse will grow. More details will be made available as the race date nears.

For full information on Bethel Motor Speedway, visit www.bethelmotorapeedway.com, or go to www.legendstock2009.com for further information about the LegendStock 2009 event.

Sports

Racing comes back to Bethel Motor Speedway on Aug. 2

By Ken Mcmillan

Times Herald-Record

July 18, 2008 6:00 AM

The race car engines will roar back to life at Bethel Motor Speedway on Aug. 2.

Joanne Rocket, who promotes the track with her husband, Dave, said it would have been too soon to start up operations this weekend or next, following a two-year layoff.

"We're anxious to get it open and get going again, but we want to do it right," Joanne Rocket said.

The asphalt track was still in good shape, but the lighting needed to be upgraded and there was a lot of site work that had to be done, including mowing, painting and making the bathrooms functional.

"It's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that they (the public) don't see," Joanne Rocket said.

The season will run nine weeks, from Aug. 2-Sept. 27, and there will be a points championship.

The phones have been ringing non-stop, Joanne Rocket said, and the track's Web site, bethelmotorspeedway.com, has received a few thousand visits, but she said she won't know what the car counts will look like until the drivers show up.

In 2004, the last season on the Rockets' seven-year previous watch, there were 18 cars in the modified division, 23 in pro stocks, 24 in street stocks, 15 in four-cylinder senior and 20 in four-cylinder junior — many of those drivers either gave up the sport or shifted to other tracks, such as Accord Speedway or Orange County Fair Speedway.

The 2004 champs were Jeff Richardson of Goshen (IMCA modified), Tom DeMarmels of Grahamsville (pro stock), Gary Van Orden of Hawley, Pa., (street stock), Mike Houghtaling of White Sulphur Springs (four cylinder), Dan Curry of Harris (four cylinder junior) and Paul Dodorico of Miller Place (legends).

The track will feature a $5 gate admission and low-cost concessions. "We're trying to make it affordable for a family," Joanne Rocket said.

The INEX Legends will run on Aug. 16. The Northeast Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Club will compete on Aug. 23 and Sept. 20. The Rockets are awaiting word from the North East Enduro Tour Series (NEETS).

Since when?

A number of lengthy winless streaks have come to an end in recent weeks at OCFS.

Joe Conklin's sportsman triumph on July 5 was his first since Sept. 19, 1998 — only Eddie Redner has a longer drought, dating back to July 29, 1995.

Richie Coons won his first sportsman race in three years on June 7. Chris Shultz's victory in big blocks on June 21 was his first since July 9, 2005. Jerry Higbie Jr. snapped a 26-month drought in small blocks with his win on June 7.

kmcmillan@th-record.com

6/6/08

Sullivan asphalt track to resume operations in july

The asphalt race track in Bethel will resume racing operations as early as next month under the name Bethel Motor Speedway. Former race car owner and driver A member of the Graf family is the new owner, and former promoters Dave and Joanne Rocket will run operations, as they did previously for seven years (1998-2004).

Joanne said the facility will need some cleaning up, and she is hopeful of starting up in the third week of July, but only if the facility is clean and ready to go.

An information meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on June 15 at Hilton Garden Inn in Newburgh.

A temporary website has been set up at bethelmotorspeedway.com.

The track has operated under the names Kauneonga Speedway, Catskill Mountain Speedway and White Lake Speedway in recent seasons. The 2006 season, under former promoter Michelle Gannon, came to a halt before the mid-point, and a spotty schedule was resumed later in the season. The track was dormant in 2007.

 

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