LEXINGTON — Mother Nature must be a racing fan.
Sunshine greeted fans Wednesday afternoon at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the season kickoff event. Hundreds of motorsports enthusiasts took advantage of the break in the weather to tour the facility, grab a few autographs and catch a ride around the 2.4-mile, 15-turn road course in one of Mid-Ohio’s pace cars.
“Our race season starts much earlier than in past years and this is a great way to welcome our fans out to the track and get them excited for another great season of racing,” track president Craig Rust said. “With the new facility improvements, pace car rides, (question and answer session) with drivers, and much more, it’s a great way to help kick-off our season and give fans a little sneak peak before the season.”
Drivers from the Verizon IndyCar Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA Formula 3 Americas were on hand to sign autographs and answer questions in the Mid-Ohio Tower.
“We had a very good turnout,” manager of marketing and communications Steve Bidlack said. “I’m just glad the weather cooperated.”
The 57th season of racing at Mid-Ohio will begin May 4 to 6 with the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. The weekend’s headliner is the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which will make its debut at Mid-Ohio.
“This is the earliest the season has opened in my career with the course,” Bidlack said.
The Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio will be June 22 to 24, while the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days return July 6 to 8. The Verizon IndyCar Series returns to Mid-Ohio for the Honda Indy 200 on July 27 to 29, while the NASCAR Xfinity Series takes center stage for the Mid-Ohio Challenge on Aug. 10 to 11.
“We’re looking forward to a great season,” Bidlack said. “We’re excited to get started.”
