It’s Spring: Another New Season at Germantown Raceway; Indoor Plans at old Steel Grip Site Still On

ABOVE: Mike Pollitt poses with one of the RC cars at Germantown Raceway.

At one time, Mike Pollitt raced Hornets and Pure Stocks at Vermilion County Speedway.  When his driving days ended, he created the remote-control Germantown Raceway, at Collett and May Streets just north of the Fairchild overpass.  His RC track is a 3/8th mile dirt track, with 1/10th scale cars.  Pollitt says they have a couple traditional season opening events coming up.  On Easter Sunday, April 9th, they’ll be having their Easter Egg Hunt at 1PM, followed by RC racing on the track at 2 PM.

AUDIO: The big race is 250 laps.  We call this the Bunny Hopper 250.  It’s our opening event, and usually it’s our biggest race of the year.  We do have quite a few people that come from out of town; out of state.

Then there’s some big RC racing at Germantown Raceway set for two Saturdays from now as well.

AUDIO: We have cars that’s donated from Slot & Wing Hobbies in Champaign.  So we already have free kid racing here.  We’re going to have a free kid day April 15th at 2 PM.  So kids, all they have to do is show up.  We have the cars; we’ll line them up, and get them racing.

Meanwhile, Pollitt points out that yes, it was in the news lately that Frank Wright is hoping to get traditional racing at the Vermilion County Fairgrounds going again, along with great stuff on the side for kids like a new RC track.  Pollitt says, that would be great; but his plans to expand continue as well.  He fully intends to have an indoor 3/8th mile track as part of the planned Three Kings of Peace Mentoring Center at the old Steel Grip factory site.  And Pollitt says, he knows what the youngsters want in an indoor track.

AUDIO: Our plans are to build an indoor dirt track there at the Three Kings of Peace Mentoring Center.  We’re working on the roof right now.  We do have some help from the state and federal.  We do have a carpet track over there right now but we didn’t run it this winter.  Carpet is just not that interesting for the racers around here.  They want dirt.

Pollitt says he hopes to have an indoor dirt track open by this coming winter.  The old Steel Grip factory site is at Garfield Place and Commerce Street, right near the soon to be rebuilt Garfield Pool.

News story here.