By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
Mother Nature has forced schools to alter schedules, flight delays and shortages of bread and milk at grocery stores.
Racing season has caught the wrath, too.
The opening weekend of dirt-track racing in the Golden Triangle has been nixed, as the Winter Classic at Columbus Speedway has been postponed indefinitely due to heavy rains in the weekend forecast.
Track manager Joe Ables said the earliest possible make-up date is March 6-7, but that date hinges upon next week’s races at Magnolia Speedway being completed; March 6-7 is the scheduled make-up weekend for Magnolia, should races be postponed due to weather.
Columbus was set to host a Limited Late Model special with a $1,200-to-win purse, while mini-stocks and 602 Late Models were to feature $300-to-win, one-day races.
The Winter Classic will be one of three Limited Late Model specials at the track this season. Columbus will also feature three street stock races, two Kajun Mini Stock Association races, and one 602 Late Model show this season.
The biggest draw will again be the Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series Super Late Model races, which feature $2,500-to-win shows. This season, Columbus will host an additional state series race — four total — up one from last year.
The newest addition at the track, though, is the Maxxissippi Kart Series, which will run two races at the track this year. The first will be a day race on Oct. 18.
Ables said the karts will race along the inner half of the track.
“They’ve run at Whynot (Meridian) and some indoor shows in Philadelphia,” Ables said. “The say the big karts are supposed to be as quick as the late models. That’ll be awesome to see.
Magnolia beefs up 2015 slate
Magnolia Motor Speedway kicks off its 2015 campaign next weekend with the annual USCS Frostbuster 250, which will feature former full-time Sprint Cup drivers Kenny Schrader and Kenny Wallace in sprint modifieds.
The schedule boasts additional heavy-hitter weekends, too, as Magnolia has added a MSCCS super late race on March 21. Area Super Late Model drivers will have other shots at good purses at the track, as the Chevy Performance Series and Comp Cams series will feature $2,500 and $3,000-to-win shows on April 24 and May 9, respectively.
Clash at The Mag ($20,000), a televised race, and 12th annual Governor’s Cup ($10,000) return this summer.
“Last year, we bought the track and basically went with the schedule we inherited,” Ables said. “We hadn’t had a state series race here in a couple of years and decided to bring that back. The schedule is getting better.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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