SALAMANCA, N.Y. — From an improved location to a larger track, each visit by the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series to the Seneca Allegany Casino has seen alterations officials say have resulted in better experience for both fans and racers.
That won’t change when the series visits the casino for its fourth consecutive this weekend.
But instead of taking on fan parking, bleacher numbers or the length of the track — all of which have seen improvement since the series’ initial visit to the casino in 2013 — snocross officials this year are finding a way to defy Mother Nature with heated, indoor seating.
Although this year’s races won’t be frigid, the mercury isn’t expected to climb out of the 30s during the two-day event and racing after the sun goes down could be chilly for fans.
“If you’re really against cold weather — and some people are — you can sit inside,” said Carl Schubitzke, president and race director for ISOC Racing, which oversees the series. “We want to make people comfortable because we appreciate them coming and hopefully this will help.”
The seating is an 80-foot set of bleachers about four feet off the ground with a large, glass window for viewing. It will be available as seats for the entire event for an additional cost — a $100 ticket will include a seat in the heated area, among other amenities, according to the snocross website — but will also be available for those looking to warm up quick between races, Schubitzke said.
The other new attraction for the weekend will be fireworks both nights, an attraction already present at the majority of the series’ other events.
The basics haven’t changed since the series’ first visit to the casino: multiple days of snowmobile racing, from amateur riding to the nation’s most well known professionals.
Feature racing will be held both Friday and Saturday night beginning at 6 o’clock for both the Pro Open and Pro Lite series, and some kind of racing — from practice for professionals to racing for amateurs — takes place throughout both days.
Following the first event in 2013, the track was moved from the casino’s parking lot to an empty field west of the casino, where it has been held since. Last year, the track was expanded much to the racers’ and fans’ delight, Schubitzke said.
He said this year, the track will remain similar to last year’s setup but more snow was made for this year’s event. The extra snow proved vital following this week’s warm up; Schubitzke said Wednesday there’s enough for racing.
AMSOIL Snocross Series officials arrived on site Sunday to begin shaping the track, with racers arriving on Thursday.
Schubitzke said the series has grown annually since first arriving in Salamanca in 2013. The stop is the easternmost event on the series’ eight-race schedule and comes two weeks after
racing in Deadwood, S.D.
An estimated 15,000 people are expected to attend the event over the course of the weekend, Schubitzke said. The number is average for the series, he said.
“The crowd is great,” he added, “it’s definitely a good, healthy crowd. The biggest thing for us is that it’s continuing to increase every year.”
The series is broadcast live online through the series’ website,snocross.com, and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network in late February. The feature events from Friday will be on 10 a.m. Feb. 21 and Saturday’s events are on at 10 a.m. Feb. 28.
-Salamanca Press
