A night at Princeton Speedway

By Jason D Searcy

Princeton Speedway races on Friday nights at 7pm.  It is a unique 1/4 mile high banked "bull ring" style dirt track just 30 minutes North of the Twin Cities on Hwy 169.  It is a fairgrounds type facility with aluminum bleacher seating.  The track has been in operation since 1956.

The track surface is very good, no rocks, it stays tacky and does not lose moisture as quickly as some Minnesota tracks.  The corners are banked very nicely creating a fast top groove on the cushion, even the back stretch is banked.  Some nights the middle groove gets dry slick making the very low and flat bottom groove the fast way around.

Once per year Princeton Speedway gives away bikes to young race fans and parks all the race cars on the front stretch during intermission, they open their gates and do a driver meet and greet with all the fans.  It was very well received.  The crowd seems pretty laid back and relaxed.

The track runs 6 divisions of cars and averages between 60-80 cars per night, on special occasions they also race Sprint Cars.  Their regular divisions are IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, Super Stocks, Mod 4's, Street Stocks and IMCA Sport Compacts.

The cars line up in the pits and enter the track from behind corner four.

 

Here is some video of the IMCA Modifieds shot from the back stretch pits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D70A4pGU4y8

Here is a shot of the Mod 4's in action from the main grandstand area.

Dean Reller the announcer is professional and informed and they keep the program moving, it usually is done by 10pm or so.

Here is their website for more information about Princeton Speedway http://princetonspeedway.com/

New Year, New Things at Historic Princeton Speedway

By Dean Reller

The Snow is gone, racing season is almost here.  If that isn’t enough to get anyone’s motor running, I don’t know what will.  This year brings a new racing opportunity for me as I will be taking on the announcing duties at the Princeton Speedway on Fridays this summer.  Though announcing is something I’ve done in the past, this new opportunity comes as a part of many changes at the ¼ mile track located just off Highway 169 in Princeton.

The biggest change is the switch in sanctioning bodies from WISSOTA to IMCA.  Previously, IMCA has been a fixture in Iowa and southern Minnesota along with other parts of the country.  The addition of Princeton and North Central Speedway in Brainerd marks some new territory for the sanctioning body.  What’s that mean for race fans?  It’s nothing noticeably different for the casual race fan.  All the classes that ran previously will return albeit with some slightly different names and a few rule changes.  That being said, one thing that will probably be noticed is the competition level will be much more even.  The IMCA rules, specifically the tires, allow for more consistency in the cars and should produce a greater number of winners, rather than seeing just a few cars dominate week in and week out.

Another change at the Princeton Speedway is the new Promoter will be Mary Beth Cripe.  I’ve had the opportunity to work with Mary Beth in the past at I-94 in Sauk Centre and so I look forward to working with her again.  Also coming on board will be Buzz Cripe, a former Track Champion at the Princeton Speedway.  Buzz will be handling the flagging duties.  I like to refer to members of the racing community as family and Mary Beth and Buzz are two family members that are highly dedicated and very committed to putting on a great running show.  Race fans will enjoy their contributions to the track.

The Princeton Speedway has a long history and part of that involves Sprint Cars.  If Sprints are your thing, then this season will be really special as the IMCA Winged Sprints are scheduled for 4 events, plus the UMSS Sprints will visit twice this season as well.  The ¼ mile high banks produce some great Sprint Car racing and if past shows indicate, this year’s Sprint Car shows should be as exciting as ever.

As I anxiously await the start of the season, I realize it will be a big learning curve for me as I jump back into the announcer’s seat.  There are a lot of names I need to learn how to pronounce and I apologize in advance for the names that I will botch, especially in the first few weeks.  I look forward to working the pits beforehand and getting to know the drivers and to share their stories with everyone.  So, let’s get this season started, I’m ready to roll.