The typical Labor Day weekend is spent outside with friends and family, enjoying the last few nice weeks before the calendar turns to fall. For some people in the Oswego community, these days are spent at the Oswego Speedway.

For the past 63 years, the Oswego Speedway has hosted the Budweiser International Classic Weekend, which has become a Labor Day tradition at the Steel Palace. The speedway welcomes racers and racing fans from across the Northeast to one of the biggest annual open-wheel asphalt racing events in the area.

On Aug. 17, the 64th edition of the Classic Weekend was canceled, a common trend that management and drivers have become accustomed to over the course of the 2020 season. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the speedway has not seen competitive racing at the track since the end of the 2019 season, which finished last October. Camden Proud, who races at the track and is the Director of Public Relations and Social Media for Oswego Speedway, recognized how odd it was to go a full season without races.

“It has just been a strange feeling all year,” Proud said. “It is the first time since the place opened in 1951 that there has not been a single Saturday race night. It means a lot to so many people in our community.”

Proud has been around the track for most of his life, as his father, Tim Proud, raced in the Supermodified Series. The Budweiser International Classic Weekend has a major impact on the local racing community, along with the City of Oswego as a whole.

“To us it means everything,” Proud said. “To lose that race, it is supposed to be Classic Week now, it is hard for me to even be here right now. Oswego Speedway and Classic Week is a tradition, and it just means so much to so many people.”

This weekend would have been Proud’s fourth Budweiser International Classic as the public relations director. Track management spent most of the summer preparing for this event, optimistic that the track would be able to have the races in some sort of capacity.

“You [have] got six different divisions coming in,” Proud said. “A ton of fans, campgrounds are full and it’s completely different ticket sales. There is so much that goes into it from the management to the maintenance crew to [the] concessions, just top to bottom. It’s a hustle to get everything in.”

Newcomer Noah Ratcliff would have competed in his first career Budweiser International Classic Weekend this year in a Small Block Sportsman in the Pathfinder Bank SBS Division. The 15-year-old graduated from the kart track in 2019 and planned on moving up into the bigger car for 2020. Ratcliff was disappointed after hearing the news of the cancellation.

“It was kind of a bummer,” Ratcliff said. “It definitely slowed things down.”

Ratcliff and his team still were able to get experience out on the track this summer though. Oswego Speedway held Friday afternoon test sessions to allow drivers to stay competitive for the 2021 season.

“It got me a lot more practice, so I will be ready for 2021,” Ratcliff said. “I’ve gotten pretty comfortable in the car.”

This experience and seat time has allowed Ratcliff to get the No. 73 car dialed in for the 2021 season. The rookie was fortunate to be at the test session. As a young driver, it gave him the opportunity to soak up as much information as possible while being around the older competitors.

“I learn a lot from those types of people,” Ratcliff said. “In a way, it helps.”

With these practice sessions, Ratcliff will have some experience heading into his first season next calendar year. 

The Oswego Speedway management and ownership group are optimistic about next year, and plan on going beyond what was done in years past. Proud said 2021 will have a lot of changes.

“It will be a big year,” Proud said. “Everything we do, our traditions, our Grand Prix, the Memorial Weekend race, the Classic.”

Oswego Speedway held its last private test session on Friday, Sept. 4. This will mark the end of their odd season, as the announcement came out that Super DIRT Week will not return to the track this year due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19. Proud explained the urge around the track to get back next year. 

“The owners especially and our teams really want to go racing,” Proud said. “John and Eric Torrese want to give everybody a place to race, and they were unable to do that this year. I think you will see a little bit of an added effort to have some more track time.”

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian