JACKSONVILLE, NC – New River All-American Speedway’s championship races will come down to the final weekend of the season with the implementation of the Race for the Championship format.
The Race for the Championship is a playoff system with a sudden death elimination format in the semifinal and a winner-take-all finale. Each of the championships will be decided on the weekend of September 16-17, 2023, as part of a two-day championship blowout – which will also feature a Wild Card Shootout for the Late Model division where drivers who are not locked in to the playoffs will have one last chance to secure the final spot.
“The Race for the Championship will add to the excitement all season,” New River All-American Speedway track operator Anthony Goodyear said. “The final weeks leading into the Race for the Championship will see drivers trying to make it in, and the ‘win and you’re in’ format will add to the intensity up front during the summer months.”
The format will be similar to what is used in NASCAR.
In order to become eligible for a playoff spot, a driver must run 50% of the races to be eligible for a playoff spot. Winning a race will lock a driver into the Race for the Championship, and the remaining spots will be determined by points, with eight drivers advancing to the Championship Semifinals. If more than eight drivers win races throughout the season, the playoff spots will go to the highest points finishers among those drivers.
The Semifinal races will all take place on August 12, September 2, or for a handful of divisions on September 16.
From there, the top-four finishers in the semifinal race will transfer into the Championship Finals – with the highest finisher in the finals clinching their respective division championship.
“The final weekend of the season will be intense with championships on the line in every division,” Goodyear said. “It will likely come down to having to win the race to win the championship, and it’s going to be fun to see who can deliver under the pressure.”
Three divisions, the U-CAR, Mini Cup, and Jr. Mini Cup divisions, will have an altered playoff format with wins and points being accumulated through the season leading into a one-round playoff between the top-four drivers.
New River All-American Speedway is Jacksonville’s Action Attraction featuring racing and other events. For more information about New River All-American Speedway, check out the speedway’s website, like/follow “New River Speedway” on Facebook, follow @newriverswy on Twitter, or follow the track on Instagram.
