Staff Report

ONA, W.Va. — The legendary Ona Speedway, West Virginia’s only asphalt short track, has announced that it will return to racing for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday, May 23, with the Yes Chevrolet & Yes Ford Cabin Fever Bash.
For a track that has been in existence since 1963, was once owned by TV personality Dick Clark, and hosted four NASCAR Cup Series races in it’s early days, there’s not much the track hasn’t seen.
That will change however as the May 23rd race will be the first race ever held at Ona Speedway without spectators, per West Virginia state regulations.
Only drivers, their crew members and essential track personnel will be permitted on the grounds, but through a partnership with Kindred Communications, the race will be available to watch FREE of charge for fans on the Ona Speedway Facebook page and Kindred’s social media outlets.
Many short tracks across the country have hosted races with no spectators, but the only way to watch was through an online pay-per-view broadcast. This will be one of, if not the first, short track races in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic to be broadcasted FREE of charge to viewers.
Eight divisions will make up the racing card on May 23 with Late Models, Modifieds, Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, Classic Cars, Legends Cars, U Cars, and Crazy Compacts. Racing action will start at 4 p.m. as each class will run a feature race.
Strict social distancing rules will be in place and enforced to ensure the safety of the race teams and track personnel.
The race is called the “Cabin Fever Bash” as the track wanted to find a way to put on a race that would give race teams a chance to race and fans a chance to watch some racing via online streaming after what has been an extended offseason.
With not having spectators, in order to make the event work financially, the track has got creative and offered sponsorship, crowd funding options, and entry fee payback for the race purse. Local businesses and individuals have enthusiastically jumped on board with this to create a way to fund the race purses.
Following the May 23 race, the track is tentatively not planning on racing until Saturday, June 13, when hopefully state regulations will allow for spectators to return.
For more information, follow Ona Speedway on Facebook for up to date information.