Fans get first crack to see 2024 Adams County Speedway cars this weekend at Quincy Town Center

QUINCY — The way Jim Lieurance is viewing Saturday and Sunday is the same as many dirt-track racing fans across the region.

“For me, the season starts this weekend, this is the kickoff,” said Lieurance, who with wife Tammy are beginning their third year of operating Adams County Speedway. “I think we’re all excited.”

The Lieurances and track staff will welcome more than 40 late models, modifieds, sport mods, street stocks, 4-cylinders, Crown Vics and karts to the two-day show at the Quincy Town Center, formerly the Quincy Mall.

Fans will be able to get up close and personal with the both the race cars and drivers in one of the dirt track season’s annual rites of spring. The show will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. 

Lieurance said there will be food vendors at the show, plus fundraising efforts for both Fishing for Freedom and Great River Honor Flight.

“The actual start of the season will here before you know it,” Jim Lieurance said. “To me, this show always kicks off the season.”

Opening night at the track will be April 28.

Lieurance said it’s been an exciting offseason, which is reflected in the schedule already having been extended. Lieurance said full details about the schedule will be upcoming, but an increase in expected car counts, advertising — and the addition of a new class at the track — will see some weeks added the speedway docket.

“We formed an advisory committee after last season, and have received some great input,” Lieurance said. “We’ll be welcoming quite a few new advertisers, and fans will see some big physical changes at the track, too. We’ve already decided to lengthen the season from its original mid-September ending.”

On the track, fans will see a new class racing beginning in late May — the Crown Vics, which in recent years have been a rapidly growing division across the country.

“They’re a lot of fun to watch,” Lieurance said of the class that has been described as a cross between late models and stock cars. “The Crown Vics are growing like crazy, and we feel we have 20 of them as the class develops.”

The Crown Vics will have a standing start, according to Lieurance. The class is scheduled to debut May 28. Lieurance said he is expecting owners to have around 10 Crown Vics ready at that time, and double that number by the end of the season.

Once the Crown Vics become a part of the weekly schedule, Lieurance said the Sunday night car count will likely be 100-plus.

“That includes what we’re confident will be continued growth in the crate late models,” Lieurance said. “I think we’ll also be seeing around 20 of those each week, plus the usual solid counts in the mods and street mods, stocks and 4-cylinders.”

Defending track champs are Tommy Elston in the crate lates, Austen Becerra in mods, Logan Cumby in street mods, Jake Powers in stocks and Jeffrey DeLonjay in 4-Cylinders. 

Becerra and DeLonjay will each be gunning for a third straight track championship. Elston was the first driver other than Denny Woodworth to win a late model crown since 2015.

Among the dates for the track’s major shows this year are May 5 (MLRA), May 26 (Chad McCoy Memorial), June 19 (DIRTCar Summer Nationals), June 23 (Midseason Championship), July 21 (MARS), Aug. 25 (Season Championship) and Sept. 1 (King of Crates final).