Racing to return at Laird Raceway (update)

Racing is scheduled to return at Laird International Raceway on Aug. 6.

The night will represent Laird’s mid-season championship, which was originally scheduled for July 23.

Track owner Donnie Varcoe was tight-lipped at the time of the announcement that racing was postponed until further notice.

In an interview on Wednesday, Varcoe referenced the reason.

“I was raised that if you didn’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything,” in reference to why he was not quoted following the resent cancelations. “I didn’t have anything good to say and that’s why I didn’t say anything. We needed to stop, collect our thoughts and understand all of the people that love this sport and still want to be involved. There was no big deal. It was like a rainout. Basically it was a red flag.”

Varcoe declined to get into specifics as to why the need arose for the time away, adding that

“I’m going to get into the reasons leading up to this,” Varcoe said. “Nobody needs to know. All it is was we took a summer vacation and we’re ready (to start again).”

“We are going to be first class or no class,” Varcoe said. “That’s the way we’ve ran it since its inception and I will not lose the focus of why I have it or how I run it. I will not lower myself to be like the other racetracks in the area.”

Rumours surfaced shortly after the decision not to run the July 23 race program, rumours that Varcoe denied.

“We’ve got a good thing going and I don’t think it’s over with,” Varcoe said. “We’re not finished. The people have shown that they want to keep doing it. I needed time to collect my thoughts and maybe see if anyone is even interested in the sport.”

“I have a good team that helps me put this show on,” Varcoe also said, adding that there are more than 30 people who are involved in the race night operations on top of the drivers and pit crews, among other people, who are involved on a weekly basis.

Varcoe also added that the track has what he called a good relationship with Laird Township.

“We’re in good standing with the township,” Varcoe said. “We can ask the township for anything and they bend over backwards for Laird Raceway.”

Following the announcement that racing had been postponed at the track, current and former Laird racers held a drivers meeting with a number of ideas discussed, including some safety issues that some drivers had.

Varcoe acknowledged the meeting, saying that the concerns would be addressed.