Some changes to the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship were released today – most notably the addition of a TT at the Castle Rock Fairgrounds in Washington and a half mile at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa.
And the originally scheduled TT at Daytona International Speedway on March 3 has been changed to a short track so the season will now open with back-to-back short tracks at the new facility inside the speedway. AMA Pro Racing says the reason for the change is time concerns regarding the construction of the facility that is currently on-going.
Castle Rock last hosted a National in 2007 with Sammy Halbert winning the race, but the race has a long history of hosting AMA Grand Nationals that dates back to 1965. The series will return to the famed TT on July 25.
Knoxville Raceway is known as the sprint car capital of the world, which has earned the track a solid reputation as the fastest half-mile dirt track in the nation. The last AMA race was held there in 1996 with nine-time AMA Grand National Champion Scott Parker taking the victory. This year the series will race in Knoxville on September 18.
“Since we released the first 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship schedule, we’ve received even more interest to be part of our growing series,” said Mike Kidd, Director of AMA Pro Flat Track. “The addition of Castle Rock helps our mid-season west coast swing and including Knoxville is certainly going to enhance the series.”
AMA Pro Racing is boasting of $850,000 in purse money for the 21 events (an average of $40,475 per round).
The series schedule is as follows:
March 3 – Daytona Beach, Florida (short track)
March 4 – Daytona Beach, Florida (short track)
May 1 – Prescott, Arizona (mile)
May 29 – Springfield, Illinois (TT)
May 30 – Springfield, Illinois (mile)
June 5 – Gas City, Indiana (short track)
June 19 – Lexington, Kentucky (mile)
June 26 – Lima, Ohio (half mile)
July 10 – Lake Odessa, Michigan (half mile)
July 25 – Castle Rock, Washington (TT)
July 31 – Calistoga, California (half mile)
August 7 – Hagerstown, Maryland (half mile)
August 14 – Grove City, Ohio (mile)
August 22 – Peoria, Illinois (TT)
August 28 – Indianapolis, Indiana (mile)
September 4 – Springfield, Illinois (short track)
September 5 – Springfield, Illinois (mile)
September 11 – Minneapolis, Minnesota (mile)
September 18 – Knoxville, Iowa (half mile)
October 9 – Prescott, Arizona (short track)
October 10 – Prescott, Arizona (mile)
