Racing returns to Chateau Speedway

The 2023 racing season began last Friday at Chateau Speedway in Lansing, albeit three and a half months late due to an ownership dispute.
Four heat races into the opening show, a brief shower interrupted the night. Crew and drivers spent a half hour getting the surface back into shape, only to have another brief shower end any hopes of getting in any more racing. Brady Krohnberg of Walters and Gavin Bartel of Kasson had heat wins in the Power 96 USRA Hobby Stocks washed away, while Hunter Kennedy of St. Ansgar, Iowa, and Michael Johnson of Rose Creek saw heat wins in the Double-M Transport USRA B Mod’s go down the drain as well.
The opening of the track was scheduled for the first weekend of May but was put on hold as ownership of the facility was part of a marriage dissolution proceeding. Papers were signed at the end of July giving Mark Wytaske sole-ownership. Wytaske then started a hectic two weeks to put the facility back in race shape. Several items that would have been attended to before the season started had to be addressed before the gates could be swung open for fans and drivers alike.
With all of that in the rearview mirror, the attention is now straight ahead for everyone. A good field of cars and a solid fan base roared their welcome back to racing on the banks of the Cedar River, where cars have been making noise since 1956. Some had suggested just scrapping the next six weeks or so, but Wytaske felt it was important to let everyone know that the track was back, so drivers especially could be confident in having cars built and ready for next spring.
The hope is running these races will put to rest a summer of rumors about the future of the track and prevent a winter full of the same gossip.
With just a few weeks left in the summer season, Mark made the decision to go unsanctioned the final weeks of the year but still base the rules for the classes on what would be his normal sanctioning: USRA A Mod, B Mod, Stock Car and Hobby Stock, WISSOTA MW Mod, and Chateau’s Hornet rules. There will be allowances for any IMCA or WISSOTA Cars that might fit into those classes as well, with cross-sanctioning being allowed.
Those six classes will basically run the remainder of the season except for Sept. 8 when the Mini Mods will take the place of the Hornets for a night. As of now, races are scheduled to run Friday nights through Sept. 15, but Wytaske is leaving that open-ended depending on the weather.
An Enduro with SMP Promotions will run as well at the facility, but that date has not been finalized yet. Among all the changes was also The Chateau Speedway web page. The new web address is now chateauspeedway.net, and fortunately, all the old content from the previous page was saved and transferred. Facebook remains the same at Chateau Speedway.
The next racing action is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 18, at Chateau Speedway. The first green flag to kick off the slate is scheduled to fly at 7:15 p.m.