A restart to the racing season was needed last spring when rain and cool weather forced the postponement of the racing opener.

The Rugby Racing Association hopes this week’s opener at the Geographical Center Speedway (GCS) will get the green light, weather-wise.

The 22nd season will start, weather permitting, this Friday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Rugby at the speedway located at the Pierce County Fairgrounds.

Changes this year

Racing fans will notice some changes to the racing lineup, most notably the replacement of the IMCA Modifieds with Wissota Modifieds. There are similarities, and yet differences, in the two series. The cars look nearly identical, but Wissotas run a slightly smaller motor and different types of tires.

The change was made to hopefully increase car counts. The past few years IMCA Mods were only seeing, on average, between six and 10 cars a program.

Officials hope the Wissota Mods will bring in more cars and create more competitive racing.

The IMCA Stock class will return, as well as the entry-level Bombers. The IMCA Hobbies, however, won’t be featured. Again, low car counts in that class forced racing officials to discontinue the series in Rugby.

Schedule

The season will feature six races, four races on Friday evenings; one on Saturday and one on Thursday.The GCS will again be one of the stops on the IMCA Stock Tour on July 11. Championship night will be on July 24. If necessary, a makeup date is planned for Aug. 7.