NORWAY — Unbelievably, Norway Speedway has just completed its 57th year of stock car racing at the Dickinson County Fairgrounds.

I believe we run second in Upper Michigan only to the Kiwanis Club’s Pine Mountain Ski Tournaments that have been going on for over 70 years.

With all that has happened to our world economically, I’m very proud to say that we are still running weekly events all summer long when many other speedways have opted out to run bi-weekly or a partial schedule. Sadly, we have also lost as many as seven or eight tracks in our region due to numerous reasons.

We are still going strong and while Mother Nature seems to be our biggest obstacle as we had five rainouts this summer, we are already planning for the biggest and best ever season in 2025. This past summer, as I had mentioned, was a difficult one with the weather that disrupted and took us out of our rhythm.

But we still managed and when we did get to race, the entertainment value was over the top with exciting and competitive racings in all of the divisions.

Our car counts grew in every division but one and we averaged 18 Coca-Cola Late Models a week, which is well above the norm for the population in our area. We crowned three new champions, including Gary Thom of Aurora, Wis. He won his first track championship in the 141 Auto Sportsman Division. Norway’s Joey Pontbriand won his first Coca-Cola Late Model track championship and Eli Whittkopf of Kingsford won his first Whelen Fab 4 Division track championship.

Military veteran Ryan Wender, of Upper Pine Creek, Wis., won his third Auto Value Super Stock championship. For the second year in a row, speedway tech director Dave Hubbard took motors out of both Pontbriand’s and Wender’s championship cars and had them dynoed for legality at an independent engine builder in northeastern Wisconsin. This exercise is crucial in maintaining the integrity and efficiency of our rules.

The season preparation for 2025 has already begun with the Dickinson County Racing Association’s October Election of Officers meeting. Gary Thom of Aurora, Wis., was elected to a two-year term as the Speedway’s secretary. Thom was already a part of the board of directors as the member-at-large and was also appointed as the safety coordinator of the Speedway.

Thom replaced Norway Speedway’s Hall of Fame member Joseph Testolin. Testolin has served on the board of directors for many years and has been a part of the speedway as a scorer for over 45 years. Although he is no longer a board member, he will continue his contributions to the Speedway as an ambassador working with sponsors and the fan experience.

Also elected to the board of directors is Dennis Peterson, who will hold the member-at large position. Peterson is a former firefighter and the head of the safety crew at Norway Speedway. This is the first time ever that a safety crew member has been a part of the board of directors and should be a valuable asset in the Speedway’s safety mission.

While I’m not quite at Joe Testolin’s status, the Speedway membership has elected me to be the president again for another two years. It’s not because I do this over the top amazing job, it’s basically because I’m retired, and I have the time to do it. Either way, it’s a great honor to hold this position and I will once again put forth my very best effort to make sure our Speedway continues on.

While the board of directors is an important part in governing and managing the Speedway, it’s a group effort from so many different entities that cannot be listed. But the Speedway would like to thank the family of Ellwood Anderson & Era Chevrolet for providing us every week with a state of the art tow truck and pace car. We would like to thank Integrity Care EMS ambulance service. Thank you to the Dickinson County Fair Board.

This is an exciting time for the Speedway as there are always new drivers coming in, current drivers moving up and many special events being put together for 2025.