»RELATED: Restoring the roar at Kil-Kare
“A lot of the old feelings came back,” Robinson said.
And so did a crowd of about 450 spectators to watch some Sunday afternoon racing at the track that first started racing in 1951. Spectators cheered as the late models took the track for qualifying. Gem City Auto Racing, the sanctioning organization, anticipated more than the 12 late models in the Kil-Kare pits. But on a warm and sunny afternoon, the mood was optimistic just having cars back on the track.
“I’ve had a lot of people come up to me today and tell me how glad they are racing is back,” said Tom Oakley, one of the main promoters behind Gem City Auto Racing. “Now we just have to make it all work. Hopefully when we count at the end of the day it breaks even tonight. Until then I’ll dip into my pocket.”
In addition to the 12 late models, there were also 12 modifieds, six sport stocks and nine compacts.
For comparison, Shady Bowl Speedway also opened its racing season on Saturday night. The Champaign County track scored six late models, five modifieds, eight street stocks, eight compacts and three pure stocks in its five divisions.
Oakley isn’t concerned about the car count. He said about 30 racers are still getting their cars ready for the 2017 season.
“The crowds are good. The car counts, I’ve got so many drivers tell me they’re coming but they’re not ready yet,” he said. “Based on the number of tires and pit pads we sold, I expected at least 20 late models.”
During a break in Sunday’s racing action, Robinson said he’s planning on running the GCAR’s 11-race schedule. He spent the past two seasons running at Columbus Motor Speedway, which closed after the 2016 season, and Shady Bowl.
“It feels real good to be back. This track has a lot more character than Columbus did, at least to me,” Robinson said. “This is a tough track. I’ve talked to some of the guys and they said you really have to wheel it here compared to Columbus. They say it’s as close to a road course as an oval can get.”
The field at Sunday’s event was a split between Kil-Kare regulars and those from Columbus Motor Speedway or out of the area. Four of the late model drivers were Kil-Kare regulars. Area drivers filled six of the 12 spots in the modified field. Four of the six sport stock drivers were local. Using the compact rules from Columbus Motor Speedway led to that division being dominated by that track with drivers filling all nine spots.
Oakley said he was expecting upwards of 30 compacts. He said GCAR plans to open up the rules to accommodate more compact drivers.
The return of oval racing to Kil-Kare wasn’t without its glitches. Computers used in the Jerry Wahl scoring tower – ones that likely have been sitting idle for two years – were uncooperative early and took some time to respond, which delayed the start of the action. The public address system also briefly went down.
The switch from racing Friday night to Sunday at Kil-Kare didn’t bother Robinson.
“I like racing Sunday but I do miss racing at night, too. The track is hotter. It’s a little warmer in the car. It’s a different set-up,” he said. “I think it’s good racing for sure. There will be some good competition.”
The Gem City Auto Racing series returns to action on April 23.
“There sure used to be a lot of people around here that loved to race,” Oakley said. “We need to get them back out here.”
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