Motorsports returns to Sullivan County

By TED WADDELL
Posted 6/24/20

KAUNEONGA LAKE, NY — After a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, auto racing returned at full throttle to Bethel Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 20.

Practice sessions were held on June 13 …

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Motorsports returns to Sullivan County

Posted

KAUNEONGA LAKE, NY — After a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, auto racing returned at full throttle to Bethel Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 20.

Practice sessions were held on June 13 and 18 as drivers and pit crews fine-tuned their cars for the 2020 racing season at the local NASCAR-sponsored oval quarter-mile asphalt track.

According to general manager George Van Arsdall Jr., improvements to the track include rebuilding the front stretch wall and adding LED solar lighting to the parking lot; there’s also plans to add a new safety catch-fence around the track in the near future.

“We are requesting that all patrons wear a face mask and practice social distancing,” he said. “We pride ourselves in the family environment that we provide to or patrons, and we continue to enjoy working with our local community.”

The race track is located near the site of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Arts Festival. Ground was broken in 1959 and the motorsports speedway opened a year later.

Bethel Motor Speedway operates mainly on Saturday nights with a few special shows on some Saturday and Sunday afternoons scheduled during the race year.

In upcoming issues, the River Reporter will feature interviews with several of the drivers, both young and fairly new to the sport and those with a bit more time in the driver’s seat.

Bethel Motor Speedway is located at 361 Horseshoe Lake Rd. For more information, call the track office 845/319-7908 or visit them on Facebook.

For more photos of the June 13 practice laps, visit www.riverreporter.com/sports.

Bethel Motor Speedway, NASCAR

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