Central Alberta Raceways (CAR) Drag Strip had a busy season this year.
Roy Keessar, president of CAR, said that overall it was a good year, with car numbers up this year from last year.
"I think our spectator numbers were up as well," he said, adding that they already have the schedule done up for next year. "They're working with Area 53 Raceway in Forestburg, so we're not overlapping any races with them.
"We did have races where the weekends were the same and then the guys were trying to pick where they were going. This way we alternate so you have the opportunity to race every weekend."
"Street Legals set some new records for us this year for attendance, so it started off good and ended on a very positive note," added John Bleys, head executive of the drag.
Another successful part of the season was the junior program, which Keessar said was very big this year.
"It was fantastic. The amount of juniors we had come out at some of our events was really good, and that's the future of our sport, so it's good to see them come out and support the track, but get into racing."
One of the exciting highlights of the season was Rimbey Implements coming onboard as a track and lane sponsor.
"They will equip us with a new tractor every year to use. They've really stepped up to the plate and helped out tremendously. That's a huge bonus to the drag strip," said Keessar.
Bleys added that the new partnership is huge for the racetrack.
"Those guys have been absolutely crazy good with us. It was definitely a huge bonus for us," said Bleys. "We're very excited to work with Rimbey Implements moving forward, and we're looking forward to a long and prosperous co-existence with those guys."
The CMDRA event also had a good turnout with the bikes.
"That was a busy weekend because we were also running the bracket races. I think we were at 110 for car count that weekend with the bikes," said Keessar.
Unfortunately Miles of Mayhem, a week-long event held at various tracks, was rained out this year and not able to hold the race in Rimbey.
Also taking place at the raceways were two memorials. One of those was the Marc Laczo Memorial Race. Laczo, who passed away last year, was a director for years on the drag strip with Steve Kenzle, and was close with a lot of people.
They also held the AL Williams Memorial Bracket Race, which was a three-day event last month. That will be changed to a memorial weekend for all of the racers and people who have been involved at CAR that have passed away.
They also had what they called the Lockhart Invitational Season Finale.
"That's kind of where everything originated, with drag racing out at Lockhart years ago, so we just wanted to incorporate that into the long weekend. We'll continue that next year," said Keessar.
Looking ahead to next year, Bleys said they already have a tentative schedule laid out.
Coming up is the CAR banquet on Oct. 19 at the Peter Lougheed Community Centre. It will be a catered meal, with tickets costing $30.
