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An incredibly diverse schedule awaits “the Best Weekly Warriors in the Country” in the summer of 2022.
Officials with the Big 8 Late Model Series have announced a nine-race schedule for the upcoming race season, which crosses three states and visits eight different tracks, including bullrings, powerful half miles and one legendary oval.
The 18th season of Big 8 Late Model Series racing begins where it always has, but with a twist. Rockford Speedway’s 45th Annual Spring Classic will be contested ‘under the lights’ for the first time ever on Saturday April 23 at 5 PM. The opening round of 2022 is highlighted by an 88-lap Big 8 Series main event and features the Mid American Stock Car Series and 4-cylinder Bandits running in support.
The second race of the season takes place in the Hawkeye State, with “Clash at the Downs VIII” at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids Iowa on Friday June 3. The Hawkeye date has become a traditional early season stop along the Big 8 tour and has set the tone for many championship chases in recent years.
History will be made in the years’ third event, as the Big 8 Late Model Series makes its first-ever stop at Tomah-Sparta Speedway on Friday July 1. Late Model racing hasn’t happened much in recent vintage at the 3/8 mile which is promoted by former Big 8 Series starter Greg Oliver, but the Inaugural “Firecracker 58” is sure to be an unpredictable round of racing at a track full of grassroots racing history.
The month of July ends with trips to tracks which have become traditional stops along the Big 8 trail. Friday night July 22, the Big 8’s best head to Wausau Wisconsin for the opening night of the Larry Detjens Memorial Weekend at State Park Speedway. One week later, on Friday July 29, Big 8 racing returns to “Wisconsin’s Fastest Half Mile” for the “Salute to Legends” at Madison International Speedway as part of Racers Reunion Night.
For the second straight year and the fourth time ever, the Big 8 Late Model Series visits “America’s Legendary Oval,” with a trip to the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday August 28. Again in 2022, Big 8 Late Model racers compete in a 38-lap race that serves as the opening act for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, which headlines the day with their nationally televised 150 lap race.
The Big 8 Late Model Series season ends with a bang, as ‘three races in three weeks’ determine the 2022 Series champion. Saturday September 24, Big 8 racing returns to Dells Raceway Park for the Midwest Championship Showdown. The trip to DRP marks the first time in seven years the Big 8 Late Model Series takes its show on the road to the legendary 1/3 mile.
One week later, on Saturday and Sunday October 1 and 2, the Big 8 Late Model Series takes center stage as part of the 57th Annual National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway. Saturday’s show consists of Qualifying and Preliminary Races, with Sunday headlined by the 188 lap National Short Track Championship.
Six days later, on Saturday October 8, a Big 8 Late Model Series champion is crowned as part of the 53rd Oktoberfest Racing Weekend at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway. The Oktoberfest format includes a unique combination of Qualifying Features and B Mains to set up a 38 lap sprint to the championship that has included several dramatic finishes in recent years.
For more information on the Big 8 Late Model Series, please visit big8latemodels.com.
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