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SCSCS
to Etch More Names in Ona Speedway Record Books at This Weekend’s
Putnam County Bank Throwback Classic
Statesville,
North Carolina (July 30, 2025) – Ona Speedway has documented
its share of history. Constructed
in 1962, West Virginia’s only remaining pavement short track
hosted the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Fred Lorenzon and “The
King” Richard Petty finding their way to victory lane.
The famous television personality Dick Clark even partly
owned the facility, located between Huntington and the state capital
Charleston, later that decade.
The venue, measured
at 0.438-mile and described as a slightly-banked oval, played a
pivotal role in the early years of the Super Cup Stock Car Series as
well. Five of its first six years included an annual visit to the
Mountain State. After a
dozen year hiatus and another nearly two months of waiting due to
rain back in June, the drivers and teams of 2025 are eager to take
to the surface, which was partly repaved only months ago.
The
list is slim of current racers that competed at Ona more than a
decade ago, but the ones that did will look to jog some of the
memories they had. Brent
Nelson had favorable results in his two starts there, climbing from
outside the top 10 to finish in the top five each time to achieve
Hard Charger honors. Since
then, the Petersburg, West Virginia driver has won on 25 occasions
and is the defending season champion yet is searching for his first
win of the year, potentially in familiar territory.
2014 series
champion JJ Pack is scheduled to make his first appearance of 2025
in a paint scheme that longtime stock car racing fans will
recognize. The Midland,
Virginia competitor has one previous start at Ona, performing
consistently inside the top five during the 2012 running before
eventually finishing in ninth.
Among
the drivers that have never seen the speedway, which has some
interesting scenery in the form of a privately-owned Airpark built
adjacent to it in the late 1980s, includes the current series points
leader. Coming off a
triumph in the last completed SCSCS main event, Mitch Gibson from
Weyers Cave, Virginia optimistically hopes to keep such a moment
going into this weekend.
A pair of
additional names are anxious to race with the series in their home
state for the first time. Yellow
Spring’s Larry Frame was 2024’s rookie of the year and will be
leaning on the expertise that the aforementioned Nelson has at Ona.
Parkersburg’s Eric Barber has attended as a spectator and
crew member in the past but will turn his first laps at what could
be considered his home track on what will be his birthday weekend.
Both drivers are looking to turn around their slower start to
2025.
Uniontown,
Pennsylvania’s Bill Ashton returns behind the wheel at a track
that, although sized slightly smaller and differently, bears some
resemblance configuration-wise to his home track of Jennerstown
Speedway where he secured a SCSCS victory in 2016.
At least a couple more surprises, ones that may or may not
have previous Ona experience, are expected within Saturday’s
field.
Plenty of
excitement is ahead at Ona Speedway for Putnam County Bank Throwback
Night. General admission
will be $15 with kids 12 and under admitted free when spectator
gates open at 5:00 p.m. Following
what could be a fast session of qualifying on some of the new
asphalt where the current series track record of 19.145 seconds
could be in jeopardy, racing will commence at 6:30 p.m. beginning
with “Juice Box” features for the kids and then the first of
twin 40-lap main events for the Super Cup Stock Car Series.
In addition to the
early afternoon sessions scheduled on race day, there is an optional
practice being offered on Friday from 5:00 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. at
$25 per car and $10 per person.
More information
can be found on the Super Cup Stock Car Series official web site supercupstockcarseries.com
with interactive updates throughout race days and in between
available on Facebook (search Super Cup Stock Car Series), Twitter
(@SCSCSRacing), Instagram (SCSCS_Racing), and https://www.youtube.com/SCSCSRacing.
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