By COLBY SCHIROKA<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Advance Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PALMYRA \u2013 For the first time in nearly a decade, the asphalt track at Palmyra Speedway at Hilltop will roar back to life on Sunday, June 21, as owner John Bailey hopes to turn Father\u2019s Day weekend into both a reunion and a fresh beginning for the local go-kart racing track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event \u2013 which Bailey is calling a \u201ctest and tune\u201d gathering \u2013 will reopen the longtime asphalt course that has largely sat unused since the speedway shifted its focus to dirt track racing nearly 10 years ago. Gates will open at noon, with racing scheduled to begin around 2 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The re-opening means much more than racing laps for owners John and Renee Bailey, as they hope it is an exciting reunion event for old-timers who used to race all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat I want to try and create is getting some older guys down there with their antique go-karts and create a friendly atmosphere,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cTalking about the old days and having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bailey and his wife, Renee, have spent years building Palmyra Speedway into a family-centered spot for go-kart enthusiast. While the asphalt track faded into the background over the years, the dirt track quickly became the centerpiece of the property after Bailey introduced it in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dirt oval now hosts races every Friday night throughout the summer and regularly draws between 50 and 60 racing families. Bailey said the environment has become known as a family-friendly atmosphere featuring grandstands, campfire areas and play spaces for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each offseason, Bailey looks for another way to improve the property. Last year, he expanded the dirt track outward to give racers more room from a possible spin-out and allow for better safety for spectators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year\u2019s project became reviving the asphalt track after two karting clubs reached out earlier this spring asking if the facility was still operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bailey received calls from two organizations: The West Michigan Karting Club and the East Lansing Karting Club. Both organizations contacted Bailey to ask if the old Palmyra asphalt track was still there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Yeah, but the place needs a lot of work,\u2019\u201d Bailey said. \u201cAnd they told me if I got the place back in order, they\u2019d be interested.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That conversation sparked the idea of bringing the asphalt course back to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the last several weeks, Bailey has spent long hours clearing overgrowth, digging out track edges, and preparing the one-fifth-mile circuit for its first event in years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis whole thing is an experiment,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cIf we get enough people out there and enough racers show up, then maybe this becomes something we keep doing. Either way, I\u2019m hoping the 21st is a great re-opening for the asphalt track.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bailey said the long-term goal is to host one asphalt event each month on Sunday afternoons while continuing the dirt track\u2019s weekly Friday night schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The June 21 reopening will not feature prize payouts like the dirt-track Friday night races, but racers and fans will still get a full afternoon at the speedway. Participants must bring their own go-karts to race, while spectators must bring lawn chairs to watch the race. John and Renee\u2019s daughter also operates a food truck on the property that has a lengthy menu and has become a local favorite for the racing fans. Admission will be $5 for spectators, $15 for the racer entry fee, and $15 for the pit pass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bailey hopes longtime racers who once competed at the track decades ago will return alongside younger generations experiencing the revamped speedway for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m hoping it\u2019ll be a bunch of older guys and hopefully they bring their grandsons and granddaughters,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cAs long as it doesn\u2019t rain, I think it\u2019ll be a really fun day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reopening also carries personal significance for Bailey, who has owned an auto repair business across the street from the speedway for 40 years, raced on the track in his younger days, assisted other racers in repairing and upgrading vehicles, and pursued ownership of the property long before eventually taking over operations in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, after nearly 10 years without regular asphalt events, Bailey hopes Father\u2019s Day weekend can reignite interest in a piece of local racing history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether longtime racers return for the memories or new families stop by to experience their first race, Bailey hopes June 21 marks the start of a new chapter for Palmyra Speedway at Hilltop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By COLBY SCHIROKA Advance Reporter PALMYRA \u2013 For the first time in nearly a decade, the asphalt track at Palmyra Speedway at Hilltop will roar back to life on Sunday, June 21, as owner John Bailey hopes to turn Father\u2019s Day weekend into both a reunion and a fresh beginning for the local go-kart racing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-palmyra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212,"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210\/revisions\/212"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissfieldadvance.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}