By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Some of the Rockford Speedway’s long-standing events, including the annual Spring Classic and National Short Track Championships, will go on this season at new locations.
David Deery, who ran the Speedway with his sister, Susan, during its final seasons, has worked with race promoters in Morris and the Wisconsin Dells to keep several classic Rockford Speedway events alive in new locations.
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The changes kick off April 20 with the annual Spring Classic moved to Grundy County Speedway in Morris. The annual National Short Track Championship will now be held Sept. 13-15 at Dells Raceway Park. Other events, including the Bahama Bracket Nationals, are also moving to Grundy County.
“I didn’t want to let that just go into the history books,” said David Deery, who will work with Susan again this year to organize some of the events. “With all these events, they have a history, they have a following, let’s continue them on. It just has to be in a different facility.”
The Rockford Speedway held its 76th and final season last year, and its now preparing to auction off what’s left at the racetrack as the site is further prepared for future commercial development.
“I just couldn’t sit there and let it disappear,” Deery said. “The facility of Rockford is gone, yeah, I get that part. But there’s so much other history.”
‘Keep the traditions alive’
The Grundy County Speedway is paving its infield for a new figure-eight track that will allow for some of the spectacle-style events once held in Rockford, including the figure-eight trailer race and the Night of Thrills with figure-eight school bus races. The Goblin 250 Enduro will also move to Grundy County this fall.
“We’re just trying to keep the traditions alive,” said Steve Bechtel, race promoter at the Grundy County Speedway. “We’re just excited to work with David and Susan Deery to give their drivers a place to come, their fans a place to come.”
Bechtel said he has attended nearly every Bahama Bracket Nationals at the Rockford Speedway, missing only one in more than 30 years of the race.
“It was my favorite event to go to and watch,” he said. “So when we heard Rockford was closing I wanted to see if that could somehow live on.”
Jerry Auby, owner and promoter of Dells Raceway Park, said he’s been coming to the Rockford Speedway since 1983 when he was a high school student.
“Going back from the first time I went there 40 years ago to host it today is a dream,” Auby said. “I just want to keep the traditions alive.”
He said a lot of race regulars from the Rockford Speedway have also competed in the Dells over the years. He hopes to build on the success of the National Short Track Championships, a race that has catapulted drivers into NASCAR over the years.
“I’m trying to restore the pride and the heritage that’s all been involved that Hugh Deery started 59 years ago,” Auby said. “I just hope I can live up to the Deery family’s expectations and make everyone proud that traditions have continued, even though they’re north in Wisconsin.”
Schedules
The 47th annual Spring Classic takes place Saturday, April 20 at Grundy County Speedway, 8890 N. Illinois route 47, in Morris. See the complete schedule of events for 2024 at grundyspeedway.com.
The National Short Track Championships will take place Sept. 13-15 at Dells Raceway Park, N. 1070 Smith Road, Wisconsin Dells. See the complete schedule for 2024 at dellsracewaypark.com/schedule.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas