Evans Mills Raceway Park

Evans Mills Raceway Park

Location	Evans Mills, New York
Coordinates	44.0803°N 75.8072°W / 44.0803; -75.8072
Owner	Lee and Peggy Gill
Broke ground	1965
Opened	1967
Former names	Evans Mills Speedway; Evans Mills Motorsport Park; Evans Mills Raceway; Evans Mills International Speedway; Thunder Alley Speedpark
Website	evansmillsracewaypark.com
Oval
Surface	Asphalt
Length	.6 km (.375 miles)
Turns	4
Kartway
Surface	Asphalt
Length	.2 km (.125 miles)
Turns	4

Evans Mills Raceway Park is a 3/8 mile asphalt oval raceway located on U.S. Route 11 just outside of Evans Mills, New York.

History

Midway through 1965 hall of fame racer Bob Zeigler sold his stock car, purchased land, formed a corporation with his brother Dick and cousin Karl John, and began building a race track in Evans Mills, New York.[1][2]

The facility opened in 1967 as the Evans Mills Speedway with a dirt surface, but was paved to start the 1968 racing season.[3] The Zeiglers retired from racing in 1979, after which several different promotors were involved with the site. Lee and Peggy Gill purchased the former Evans Mills Speedway in December 2018 and rebranded it as the Evans Mills Raceway Park.[4]

Facilities

The raceway tower complex hosts 54 hospitality suites and the grandstand offers a seating capacity of over 3,000.[5] The complex also includes an oval go-kart track which incorporates the front stretch of the bigger oval.[6]

Including the original 1968 paving, the oval's surface has been changed five times. In 1981 the track was resurfaced with clay, and a 1995 asphalt re-pavement remained until 2003.[7][8][9] The oval was returned to asphalt in 2010.[10]

Events

The Evans Mills Raceway Park hosts auto racing on Saturday nights throughout the summer. There are five racing divisions —Modified, Pro Late Models, INEX Legends, Sport Compact, and 6-Cylinder Stinger.[5] The facility also annually hosts the Northern Lights drive-through holiday display from Thanksgiving weekend through New Year's Day.[11]

References

1. O'Donnell, John (May 23, 2002). "Former Watertown Speedway Champ enters Dirt Hall of Fame". Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via NNY360 Archives.
2. "Hall Of Fame Driver Bob Zeigler, 93". Speed Sport. February 25, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
3. "Evans Mills Speedway to be blacktopped". Watertown Daily Times. NY. April 25, 1968. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via NNY360 Archives.
4. Wolf, Marcus (September 29, 2019). "Evans Mills Speedway finishes strong, new owners rev up the raceway". Watertown Daily Times. NY. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
5. "Evans Mills Raceway Park". I Love New York. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
6. Botero, Julia (August 30, 2024). "Evans Mills Raceway hosts new kartway races on Wednesday nights". Canton NY: North Country Public Radio. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
7. "Evans Mills Speedway Reopens". Watertown Daily Times. NY. April 25, 1968. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via NNY360 Archives.
8. Weidner, Noel (April 17, 1997). "NNY Speedways: Friendly foes". Syracuse NY: The Post-Standard. p. C4. Retrieved October 18, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
9. Hill, John (November 5, 2003). "Evans Mills to get dirt face lift". Syracuse NY: The Post-Standard. p. D7. Retrieved October 18, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
10. Elkins, Doug (February 5, 2010). "Three Northeast dirt tracks converting to asphalt racing this season". Syracuse NY: The Post-Standard. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
11. "Upstate NY Raceway Lights Up Track for First Ever Holiday Event". Marcy NY: WFRG-FM. November 17, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2024.