The Fun of Cavalcade Season Is Upon Us

Jim Foose Speedway Action Magazine

Cavalcade Season is upon us, and while the order has changed over the years, the concept remains the same: bring all the racers together for a weekend at the race track. It’s the grand finale, the last hurrah before winter for racers in Ohio.

It all started at Sandusky Speedway, whose Cavalcade predates many others in the area, beginning in 1971. The idea was simple: bring racers from across the state and region in for a weekend of racing. The payouts were usually considerably higher than the weekly racing payouts, and the events became a “who’s who” of racing across the region. Several new ideas were born at Sandusky Speedway Cavalcades, including bringing the 305 Sprint Cars (from the dirt tracks of Fremont and Attica) to asphalt. Those races evolved into the 305 Sprint Cars racing on asphalt at Sandusky and Lorain, becoming the Buckeye Super Sprint Series and eventually what is today’s Must See Midwest Lights Crate Sprints. Those Sandusky Cavalcades, traditionally held in late September, featured full pit areas of Supermodifieds, Late Models, Modifieds and Stock Cars. Later on, Don Arnold added Midgets and Compacts to the Cavalcade, making for a full weekend of racing. Drivers would come from Columbus, Midvale, Barberton, Lorain, Toledo, and as far as Michigan, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania to compete in the Sandusky Cavalcade. So many cars were competing that the infield was turned into a pit area for many of the stock car racers and out-of-towners.

Not to be outdone by Sandusky, Lorain Raceway Park (then known as Lorain County Speedway) began hosting the “Halloween Festival of Speed” an event that dates back to the early 90’s with promoter Terry Adams. Adams featured his usual weekly card of Late Models, Modifieds, Sportsman, and Stock Cars, at the peak, the Halloween Festival of Speed had over 200 cars in the pit area, filling every available pit spot and then some, even overflowing into the parking lot and tech inspection area. With B and sometimes C mains to run, those events became all-day (and night) events. When Adams returned to promote at Lorain in 2004, he brought in other series to add to the event. The Midwest Supermodified Association crowned its champion at Lorain for years and 305 Sprint Cars were added to the event, along with Dirt Trucks (from Fremont Speedway) and more.

Mansfield Speedway added a Cavalcade during its inaugural season as an asphalt track, 1999, and Columbus Motor Speedway had hosted the Main Event for years, featuring many of the cars that would be seen at the other tracks. Midvale Speedway, which held a “Cavalcade” in 1967, also had built up its own event, The Fall Classic, into Cavalcade status over the years.

Since the glory days of the Cavalcade, things have simmered down a bit with similar race weekends now running at Painesville Speedway and Norton Raceway Park, along with Lorain, Midvale, and Sandusky Speedways. While the days of 200 cars are probably over at least for the time being, the fun of the Cavalcades continues. Camping, bonfires, breakfast at the track Concession Stand, and the all-night party that makes Cavalcade so special to all. Stories of grand parties, showgirls and bad hangovers will live on in the memories of many. Rivals on the race track would often end up together after the races only to go back to being rivals on Sunday afternoon.

Gone are the Sandusky Corn Roasts, the Lorain 33 Car/33 Lap FWD Feature race, the 100-lap Late Model feature and the Chili Cook-Offs at Mansfield (who thought that would be a good idea at a racetrack?). Today, new traditions are born, and new friendships are forged during those weekends where all the racers head to one track to compete against each other. Where else would the Norton Modified Champion be competing against the Lorain Modified Champion for one of the largest purses of the season?