Racing season to begin May 2 at Corbin Speedway

After months of preparation, the road of racing engines is scheduled to return to the historic Corbin Speedway on Cumberland Falls Hwy. on April 4.

Repair work at Corbin Speedway is ongoing and officials plan to open the track to practice in April with Racing to begin on May 2,

The duo of Joey Pittman and Jason Rayborn have been working since January to clean up and repair the one-half mile asphalt track that has sat dormant since 2017.

Pittman said previously that needed work included the replacement of all of the grandstands, and repairs to the restrooms.

“We are getting ready to put the new lumber down on the grandstands,” Pittman said.

On the New Corbin Speedway Facebook page, the upcoming race schedule was recently posted.

A total of 28 dates are on the schedule between April and the end of October, with practice set to begin on April 4, and racing set for May 2.

“We will try our best to stay off other tracks closest to us bigger shows,” Pittman said.

In addition, there will be no racing on July 18 which is the weekend of the Whitley County Fair.

While the racing is scheduled for Saturdays, officials noted the track will host open practice on Friday nights.

The last date on the schedule is Oct 25. Pittman said that may not be the end of the season.

“As long as the weather is halfway decent, we will run in November. We will just have to start earlier in the day,” Pittman said.

“We want to run as long as we can, just like the racers,” he said.

Pittman said qualifying will begin at 6 p.m. the racing to conclude on or before midnight.

At a meeting held in December to finalize the rules for each of the six car classes, Pittman said he was expecting 20 to 25 people.

“We had close to a 100 show up,” Pittman said adding that he continues to hear from people from as far as Tennessee and even Ohio who are interested in racing at the track.

“It has surprised me the support we have had,” Pittman said.

“With the number of people are saying they are coming, if half of those cars show up, it is going to be a great season,” Pittman said.

The six classes include: late model, sportsman, street stock, modified four cylinder, stock four cylinder, and min cup.

Rules for each class may be found on the Facebook page.

“We plan on paying prize money from the start,” Pittman said.

Admission prices are still being finalized, particularly the gate fee to get into the pits.

However, grandstand admissions will be $10 for adults ages 13 and above, $5 for children ages 6 to 12, and children ages 5 and under receiving free admission.

Corbin Speedway was once part of the NASCAR circuit. In 1954, Lee Petty raced on the then dirt track.

Pittman and Rayborn are leasing the track from the ownership group that purchased the speedway in a Master Commissioner auction in 2015.

As of Tuesday, 1,828 people have liked the Facebook page.

More information is available by calling (606) 706–3516.