Delaware Speedway
| Canada's Home Town Track, Canada's Finest Short Track | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | 1640 Gideon Drive Delaware, Ontario, Canada N0L 1E0 |
| Capacity | 6,000 (Estimated) |
| Owner | DeMelo & Spivak Families |
| Operator | Staff Operated |
| Opened | 1952 |
| Former names | Brodie's Delaware Speedway Delaware International Speedway |
| Major events |
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series EMCO 200 (2009–2013) ISMA Supermodifieds (2006-Present) OSCAAR Outlaw Late Models OSCAAR Modifieds Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup APC United Late Model Series Vintage Modifieds Great Canadian 200 Enduro Nationals |
| Egg Oval | |
| Surface | Paved |
| Length | 0.8 km (0.5 mi) |
| Banking | Turns - 5-7 degrees (Estimated) |
Delaware Speedway is a half-mile paved race track that is one of the oldest continuously operating tracks in Canada. It is located a few minutes west of London, Ontario northeast of Delaware, Ontario. It hosts stock car racing every Friday night during the summer. The track opened in 1952 as a quarter-mile dirt track and was later expanded to the 1/2 paved oval of today.
The track hosts seven different divisions as part of its home classes (Late Model, Modified, Street Stock, Truck, Enduro, Junior Late Model) as well as one entry-level class, the Bone Stock Chaos Cars. They also host the King of the Hill spectators races.
Late Models are purpose-built race cars. They are the fastest weekly class at the speedway and drivers in the series make occasional trips to other speedways in the province for large special events. The signature event for the Late Models is "The Great Canadian Race" held annually.
This class is made up of mid-1970s through mid-1980s North American vehicles. The cars are sometimes described as "The Late Model of Yesterday" in reference to their similar look to the old Late Model class. The cars have been modified with safety and performance in mind but still retain a stock frame, body and many chassis components. The division was known as the "Street Stock" class until its name was changed to "Super Stock" several races into the 2007 season. The change occurred as a result of gradual improvements to the quality of the cars in recent years and the signing of a new sponsor to the division. The speedway announced that more modern muscle car body packages will be introduced for the 2011 season including Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro, and Ford Mustang.
Considered an entry level class that is a proving ground for future street stock, modified or late model drivers. The trucks use automatic transmissions to be easier to drive. The trucks were the largest division at the speedway in the 2005–2006 seasons before being regularly overtaken by the Super Stock class. By 2010, the Super Stocks and Trucks had comparable vehicle counts a trend which continued through the 2011 season.
The endurance division runs on a separate day from the regular divisions with an emphasis on staying out and making as many laps as possible. The division sees upwards of 80 drivers competing at the same time on the track. The minimum length for an enduro race during its prime was 250 laps. Several times a year the top drivers face off in a Friday 25-lap format "All-Star Race" or "Challenge" event.
At its height in the mid-1990s the enduro class boasted races of almost 200 cars competing in a single race. Today's enduro car has evolved from the original in significant safety strides but experienced a decline in vehicle count to between 60-80 cars. Many drivers and fans have offered different explanations for the decline, but many see the decrease in cars a result of lower availability of affordable rear-wheel drive V-8 cars which were used cars that were available in the early 1990s. Speedway officials hinted during the 2008 season that steps were going to be taken to correct imbalances in the class. The result was the "Next-Generation" program which introduced a separate payout for drivers running cars with six or less cylinders, the introduction of 30-lap heat races and a 150-lap main event. The program did not see significant changes in vehicle count as a result of the "Next-Generation" program or format changes, but counts remained stable. In the 2011 season officials have signaled their intention to revisit the "Next-Generation" program and make adjustments to the class aimed at improving the class. Minor format tweaks were introduced which allowed for a tighter restart format and improvements to rookie driver incentive programs.
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