By Jacob Hord
WAYNE COUNTY SPEEDWAY
Location: 1083 North Carr Rd, Orrville, OH, 44667. Phone: 330-465-2365. Size: 3/8th-mile oval. Owner/Operators: Jason and Kristin Flory.
Big Events: April 11: Season Opener, OVSCA Sprints. April 25: Rick Susong Memorial with the Ollies Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions ($5,000 to-win). May 16: World of Outlaw Late Models with OVSCA Sprints. June 15: Ollies Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Sprint Speedweek Duffy Smith Memorial ($5,000 to-win). June 27: FAST Series. September 6: Ollies Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions Pete Jacobs Memorial ($13,000 to-win).
Title Chase: Last year, it was the Dean Jacobs show at the track in his family built car. Jacobs won his second track title in 2019 with four victories and eight top-five finishes, including twice with the All Stars, in fourteen starts. Jacobs and Jerry McClure Racing teamed up part-way through the season and went on a tear. Another name in the fight will be 2016 track champion Danny Mumaw. With Bonzai Bruns as crew chief, plenty of experience, and being hungry to get a second track title, Mumaw should make it a fierce battle in 2020. A dark horse contender may be the Tony Popa owned 38K car. Popa has tapped Chris Myers to get behind the wheel for 2020 after having a few different drivers since the surprising retirement of Brad Haudenschild in 2018. Popa and Haudenschild teamed up for back-to-back track titles in 2014 and 2015, and Myers picked up a late-season victory at Wayne County in 2019.
Storylines to Follow:
Family Tradition: Pete Jacobs built Wayne County Speedway in 1965, and his family has raced there ever since. Trey Jacobs was the latest family member to find himself in victory lane in 2019. Trey had four top-five finishes, including that first 410 win, as he continued to improve. Expect to see more of Trey near the front in 2020, when he goes to the old family stomping grounds.
Level Playing Field: Nine different drivers found themselves in victory lane last year, with Dean Jacobs, Buddy Kofoid, and Danny Mumaw as the only drivers to get multiple wins. Even the All Stars had a tough time winning, as locals won two out of the three shows. There’s just something about Wayne County that allows for any given car to shine on any given night.
Pete Jacobs Memorial: There’s no doubt that this is the most prestigious race to win at Wayne County Speedway, and the $13k payday isn’t too bad, either. Tim Shaffer won the last installment in 2018 after rain forced the cancellation of the 2019 event. The Pete Jacobs Memorial continues to grow each year and will cap off another three-day All Star Labor Day weekend in Ohio.
The Outlaws are Coming: The World of Outlaws Late Model series makes another visit on May 16, in what could be one of the most underrated shows of 2020, as the OVSCA Series is on hand, as well. Outlaw regulars like Brandon Sheppard, Scott Bloomquist, and Chris Madden will take on Ohio’s best in Doug Drown, Ryan Markham, Tyler Carpenter, and many more. If a fan wants to see two of the best headlining classes in one night, this is the show for them.
On the Mend: Late in the 2019 season, Andrew Palker was severely burned when his brake rotor disintegrated and went through his tail tank, lighting the car on fire. Multiple surgeries and skin grafts later, the former track champion is working toward being back in a sprint car. While it may be a little while, yet, Palker will be eager to get back in and drive the car harder than anyone else on track.
Willing to Risk It: When Mother Nature wreaked havoc on Ohio Speedweek last year, Wayne County stepped up to the plate and offered to put on a race on less than a day’s notice. That’s the kind of people Jason and Kristin Flory are; they just want to race. It seems like they’re working on the track 365 days a year and are always thinking of ways to enhance the racing and the experience for fans. It will be interesting to see what they have up their sleeve for 2020, and if the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series notices.