| Putnam County Speedway Back In Action | Putnam County Speedway Opens the Gates April 21st for 2007 Season
-By Tera Gunter
Putnam County Speedway will re-open April 21st for the 2007 race season. Under new management this year, exciting things are in store for racers and fans alike. Located on Highway 17, eight miles south of East Palatka, the speedway is a clean, well-manicured facility featuring playgrounds for the kids and a fast, 3/8 mile clay oval that racers fondly call a “racer’s track”.
With a one year lease and an option for five years, the speedway will be run by St. Augustine area racer and businessman, Hal Cochran. A 35 year old father of three boys, Cochran’s roots run deep in St. John’s County where his family has run a seafood business since 1960.
A bonus is that Cochran is one of Putnam’s regular racers. “We’ve got a lot of plans this year and this will be a clean, family oriented facility where adults and kids alike can enjoy a good Saturday night at the races” Cochran said. “We look forward to seeing all of our racers and fans back. We had a driver’s meeting Friday night at the track and we had an excellent turnout of probably between 150-175 people. My goal is to make things better and keep this facility open for a long time to come.”
With a season scheduled to run through November 10th, the speedway features six divisions with Open-Wheeled Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Box Stocks. All six divisions will be racing April 21st. Sprint cars will be making an appearance later in the season.
Cochran also plans to bring back the ever popular Mod Boggin’ once a month on Sunday afternoons beginning April 29th. Featuring “Run What You Brung” trucks, Cochran also plans to add 4-wheeler racing to the mud bogging schedule. “I’m still working on the plans for the 4-wheeler racing but we will be adding 4-wheeler racing to the mud bogging schedule later in the season” Cochran adds.
In anticipation of the upcoming season opener, many racers turned out for a Test and Tune day on April 15th. Racers were glad to see the well loved facility re-opened. Marc Kinley, who pilots the #17 Long’s Garage Ford street stock was no exception. With a sentiment echoed by many of the racers, who have been racing other area tracks while anxiously waiting for Putnam to re-open, “I’m glad to be back”, Kinley stated.
When questioned about why racer’s call it a “Racer’s Track”, Kinley was happy to explain. “With a track configured the way Putnam County Speedway is, it is about the driver’s skills. On other tracks, sometimes all you can do is just hold on.”
Grandstands open Saturday night at 5pm and the pit entrance opens at 4pm. Hot laps are scheduled for 6:30pm, and green flag racing will begin at 7pm. Grandstand entrance will be $9 for adults and $7 for seniors.
Kids over 46” and under 12 years old will get in the grandstands for $3, and kids under 46” will get in free. Pit entrance will be $25 for adults and $15 for kids under 14 years old. For more information, contact the speedway at 386-649-5372, or visit the speedway’s website at www.putnamcountyspeedway.com.
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