XCEL 600 Modifieds Set To Return For Weekly Action At Five Mile Point

Story By: ANDREW HARPELL / FIVE MILE POINT SPEEDWAY – KIRKWOOD, NY – The staff at Five Mile Point Speedway is actively working on a big 68th consecutive year of racing at the quarter mile oval in Kirkwood, NY. The Xcel 600 Modifieds will once again be part of the weekly racing card at the popular oval in 2018.

Again, this year the speedway will look to open with a late March racing event. The annual Awards Dinner is slated for Saturday, March 3rd.

Five Mile Point Speedway owner Andrew Harpell has signed a sanction agreement with Xcel 600 Modified owner and designer Doug Borger to bring back weekly competition at Five Mile Point Speedway. The Xcel 600 Modifieds are a perfect fit on the racy quarter mile oval and a number of new teams are looking to join the existing Xcel 600 Modified program for the upcoming year. The division was last a weekly class at the speedway in 2014.

The quarter mile oval is coming off a resurgence season in 2017. Car counts in all the weekly divisions were on the rise this past season and the Xcel 600 Modified division will certainly provide area drivers an economical option if they aren’t budgeted for a Modified or Crate Sportsman program.

Harpell commented on the Xcel Modifieds, “I have always been a fan of small car racing as it not only fits the budget of a wider range of people but also provides a racing avenue for someone that doesn’t have a big race shop to maintain a team.” He added, “The Xcel Modifieds put on a fantastic show at Five Mile Point Speedway and respond much like the full blown Modifieds with a much more reasonable budget.” “We hope to assist with the development of a restricted motor Xcel Modified in the future as well on our inner loop to help develop younger racers. Doug has developed a terrific race car and tour program and we are thrilled to be part of it full time again.”

On Saturday, March 3rd Five Mile Point Speedway will honor the champions from this past season with the Annual Awards Dinner. The dinner will take place at the Claude Garrison Memorial, Inc. American Legion in Binghamton. The 2017 Track Champions were: Kevin Bates (weekly Modifieds), Nick Rochinski (Summer Slam Modifieds), Kyle Rohner (Crate Sportsman), Doug Polhamus (Street Stock), Eric Beach (Factory Stock), Dalton Maynard (Slingshot), Nick Kennedy (Lightning Cat Expert), Brian Salmini (Lightning Cat Novice), Ken Underwood (Fantastic Five Four Cylinders).