Story By: DINO OBERTO / EVERGREEN RACEWAY – BUTLER TOWNSHIP, PA – Evergreen Raceway is set to begin the 2023 season on Sunday afternoon, May 7 with an action-packed day of asphalt racing that will be headlined with the Tour Type Modifieds in a 50 lap/$2000-to-win feature.
Also on the agenda will be the 602 Crate Modifieds, Street Stocks, 4-Cylinder Stocks, Novice plus the East Coast TQ Midgets and JuiceBox Division.
Roger Coss of Lafayette, NJ is the defending Tour Type Modified champion and will be ready to begin defense of his title. There will, however, be a great field of competitors ready to make his day tough with the likes of ’22 point’s runner-up Austin Beers and third place finisher Daren Scherer.
Also planning to be on hand is all-time Evergreen feature winner Brian DeFebo, six-time Modified champion Matt Hirschman, journeymen and past champs Earl Paules and Bobby Jones, plus hot-shoes such as Austin Kochenash, Blake Barney and Brian Sones to name a few.
In other words get ready for a wide open field of Modified talent looking to capture the first checkered flag of the year.
The 602 Modifieds will begin their second season as a regular class. Rick Smith of Bangor is the defending champion.
Mike Pollack of Freeland won his first track championship with the Street Stocks last season and will not only be racing with that car come Sunday but will do double duty in the seat of his 602 Crate Modified.
Lake Ariel’s Mackenzie Adams, the 2022 4-Cylinder champ, will be racing but she is moving up to the 602 Crate Modifieds, leaving the door open for a new titlist to emerge. Her championship No. 68 will, though, be in the field with her dad, Scott Adams doing the driving chores.
The 4-Cylinder Stocks will be wrapping an active weekend as it will be the second of two days of racing for the class as part of the FOAR Score Four Cylinder Dash Series. Saturday night the Dash Series will be running at nearby Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton.
The Novice division – which are cars identical to the 4-Cylinder Stocks and intended for beginner drivers – will begin its seventh season. Rounding out the day are the touring East Coast TQ Midgets and during intermission will be the very popular JuiceBox division for the 10-years old and under set.
Pit gates will open at 10:00 am and main grandstands at noon. Pits are $40 per person and $15 adult admission at the front gate. Racing begins at 2:00 pm.
The raceway will hold an open practice on Saturday, May 6 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Pits are $25 per person and fans are free in the grandstands.
Weather permitting there will also be practice taking place during the upcoming week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. It is advised to watch for continued updates on the aforementioned practice days via the website and Facebook.
Evergreen has a Drift Clinic on Saturday, May 13 and the following Saturday, May 20, will be hosting the Rusty Wallace Driving School.
Regular Sunday afternoon racing resumes on May 21 with Late Models running in twin 25-lap features along with Street Stocks, Factory Stocks, Novice, Rotten and Forgotten plus the East Coast TQ Midgets and JuiceBox Division. It will also be Family Day/Autograph Day with a special $8 grandstand admission.