(Words and Photos by Joe Grippo)
Well, if you had told me a few years ago that I’d be standing on the starting line at my home track on New Year’s weekend watching a bunch of really fast street racers blasting down an unprepped Maple Grove Raceway, I would have told you to ease up on the hard stuff. Yet there I was in the waning days of 2022, checking out some the baddest cars in the northeast getting it on, at the Grove, on a Friday, at the end of December.
The Koretsky family purchased Maple Grove Raceway at the beginning of 2022, and they have made some substantial changes and improvements since then, one which is trying some new and very different events than the track would have ever attempted in the past. This New Year’s Eve No-Prep was the latest example. Originally scheduled for Saturday the 31st, impending weather forced the date change to Friday the 30th, but the hardy racers and spectators didn’t bat an eye, used up that last vacation day and turned out in droves. An abnormally gorgeous 50-degree day didn’t hurt, (it was single digits mere days before).
Four classes were contested at New Year’s at the Grove: Small Tire (28×10.5, no W’s), Big Tire/All-Wheel Drive, Late Model/Street and Mini-Bike. Yes, No-Prep Mini-Bikes are apparently a thing. The rules were simple: 1/8th mile, no clocks, flashlight start, and video crews for jump and close finish calls. The track was scrapped the previous Wednesday and racers were allowed to pour their own burnout concoctions. Around 50 cars were on the property, and after the drivers meeting, they drew chips for pairings and the madness began. Right off the trailer, no time runs. There were a few unfortunate incidents, nothing too hairy, but hey, no-prep right?
Check out the photos and video for a taste of the New Year’s at the Grove action.
Video:
https://youtu.be/wKIo7Lpui-Q
https://www.maplegroveraceway.com/
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