Speeding bidding to roll Saturday

Once again Saturday night, Lancaster Motor Speedway will try to get its weather-plagued season rolling.Two weeks ago, the track set an open practice to give the competitors a chance to shake down their new rides before the opener, but Mother Nature halted the action. Last weekend, the stars of the super late models of the Carolina Clash touring series were set to invade the half-mile dirt track, but severe weather braked that event as well.The forecast this week looks better and the 2008 LMS season should finally be under way.n Though no races have been held in the past four months, the track has been a hive of activity during the winter. One of the major improvements is a new, larger tear-down area for drivers. The old lot was small and cramped and could only hold a couple of cars, while the new area will easily hold several cars. This should help move the show along quicker in the event of multiple protests.Perhaps the biggest improvement will be barely noticeable to the fans, but should be very visible to the drivers. The track has been resurfaced. According to owner Doug McManus, it’s been several years since the speedway had received new clay and it was due.“We hauled in over 150 loads of brand new clay over the winter. Most of it went in the turns to help re-grade the corners,” McManus said. “Now both ends are even and have the same degree of banking. Overall, the track will be tackier and hold moisture better and should make for even more exciting racing.”n The off-season wasn’t just about working on the track, it was also about overhauling some of the classes.Last year, super stock saw peaks and valleys in the competition. One week it was a dogfight amongst 3-4 drivers, and others it was a cakewalk for eventual track champion Robert Mullis. The same could also be said of another division with rules very close to super stock, the street stock.While this class produced some close racing, it was still dominated by one driver, Frankie McGuire. In an effort to give the fans a better show, those two classes were combined and dubbed super street. Minor rule changes in both classes evened the playing field, and now spectators will get to see what happens when McGuire and Mullis challenge the likes of father-son combination Ed and Ben Watkins, local ace Timbo Mangum and his rival Brandy Baker, as well as Lester Robinson, Richard Smith and a host of others.n Due to the combining of two classes, LMS was short a division. That’s when the idea of a “young guns” class hit McManus.“We wanted a good entry-level class for youngsters. We came up with a car with a GM crate motor and a small carb,” said McManus. “With this set up, a kid can change a few components, and race in any of three divisions. It will give them a way of moving up, while not spending a fortune to do it, as their career progresses.”The young gun class is also open to kids ages 12-16 and women.n This class has already stirred much interest from second-generation drivers such as Andrew Blackwood, Cayce McGuire, Josh Langley and even third generation Austin Baker. It should be fun watching the next wave of stars cut their teeth on the high banks.Not everything needs to be new though. The old tried-and-true pure street class will surely raise the pulse this year as well.Who can forget the season’s thrilling finish last year as Joe Johnson Jr., Jerry Sexton and Steve Hinson battled to the wire for the title?Add to the mix Kenneth Deese, Matthew Cauthen, James Marion, Michael Outlaw and the return of Frankie McGuire along with many others, and this will be any driver’s race.n On top of all this, LMS still has City Chevrolet’s FASTRAK crate late models, super stock four, sportsman and late models.But according to McManus, they aren’t stopping there.“This year, we are looking to hold about four Carolina Clash events, one or two Southern All-Stars races, and a couple of big FASTRAK shows,” McManus said.In addition, the track is working to bring back the winged sprints, as well as a couple of surprises.“With all the changes and improvements we’ve made the past few months, I think this season should be one of our most exciting yet,” McManus said.The track’s 54th season kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday with all seven classes in full swing.