Utica-Rome Speedway Gearing Up For A Big Season Of DIRTcar Racing During 2020 Season

Story By: JOE GRABIANOWSKI / DIRTCAR – VERNON, NY – The legendary Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, NY features three DIRTcar sanctioned Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship divisions every Sunday night as well as highly anticipated special events including the Super DIRTcar Series, Empire Super Sprints, Monster Trucks, and even a music festival.

Some of the greatest drivers to ever strap into a race car in the Northeast have contested the Central New York half-mile clay oval. Before it was dirt, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Richie Evans was an icon at the track. Today, seven-time Super DIRTcar Series champion Matt Sheppard, 2019 Utica-Rome Speedway track champion Erick Rudolph, and many more vie for supremacy in series races as well as Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship action.

Race fans can count on a premium level of competition every Sunday night in Vernon, NY with three DIRTcar sanctioned divisions in action. Last year, Erick Rudolph fended off Billy Dunn and Pat Ward to take his first Utica-Rome Speedway track championship in the exciting DIRTcar 358 Modified class.

In 2019, the dynamic DIRTcar Sportsman Modified driver Matt Janczuk took the track championship over front-runners Kyle Inman and Alan Fink. In the DIRTcar Pro Stocks, Nick Stone had a close track championship win over Josh Coonradt. Mike Welch finished third.

The Utica-Rome season comes into 2020 with a roar on Sunday, April 19 with a $2,500-to-win DIRTcar Big Block Modified Spring Break special. All three of Utica-Rome’s DIRTcar Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship divisions will be in action as well including a $1,500-to-win DIRTcar 358 Modified race.

All the above drivers put on an incredible show every year at NAPA Super DIRT Week and fans can experience that thrill every Sunday night at Utica-Rome.

Highlighting Utica-Rome Speedway’s dynamic 2020 schedule are the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds and Empire Super Sprints. On Sunday, September 6, the stars and cars of the Super DIRTcar Series roll into Utica-Rome for a $7,500-to-win 100-lap Feature. The points race will be hot in this late-season battle.

In what has become a Fall classic, the speedway opens up the racing action for NAPA Super DIRT Week XLIX on Tuesday, October 6 when the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series and the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series take on the half-mile speedway. This will be the second stop at Utica-Rome for the 358 Series as the second Series race of the year takes the green on Sunday, May 10 in celebration of Mother’s Day. Each event will boast a nice, hefty $4,000 winner’s share.

The DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series also makes three stops in Vernon, NY in 2020. First is the Father’s Day special on June 21 where a Central Region event pays $1,000 to win. The newly formed Eastern Region races on Sunday, August 2 for the Jan Corcoran Memorial. Then the Series joins the 358s during NAPA Super DIRT Week XLIX on Tuesday, October 6 as a part of the fall Championship Series which also pays $1,000 to win.

The Empire Super Sprints are in town three times on three holiday weekends. The first falls on Sunday, May 24. Then, Utica-Rome caps off Central NY Speedweek on Sunday, July 5. The final visit is Sunday, September 6.

There’s more to do at Utica-Rome Speedway than just world-class racing. FrogFest Featuring country singer Dylan Jakobsen on Saturday, May 30.

Nearby the track, visitors can check out the famous Turning Stone and Vernon Downs Casinos. If you want to slow down from the pace of the race track, stop in at the Bull Farm Antiques and Market. For some great tunes and food, schedule your lunch or dinner at the Nothin’ Fancy Country Rock Saloon.