The team at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway made some off-season changes designed to enhance driver safety and improve the racing line for 2023. A new spotters tower and the reconfiguration of the track in turn two should be welcomed by drivers and their crews.
The new spotters' tower is now the tallest structure on the property and will provide an unobstructed view of the entire track. The new structure will be for “spotters only” while the old spotters area is still available for additional crew members as deemed necessary. The new tower will allow spotters to see over the trailers and other vehicles parked anywhere on the infield resulting in better communication with their drivers. “Unfortunately accidents are part of racing,” says Carteret Speedway owner Bob Lowery adding, “Now spotters will be able to better direct their drivers to avoid further mishaps.”
Before the 2022 season, a new pit exit onto the track was designed to increase safety while entering the track. To that intent, the new exit worked perfectly but the unintended result was a change to the inside wall of turn two. “The wall became an impediment to the natural racing line coming out of turn one,” said Carteret Speedway Competition Director Ben Kilcrease, “The drivers spoke and we listened.”
After consulting with drivers and industry insiders, the decision was made to move the pit exit to the beginning of the backstretch. Part of the back wall was demolished and about two hundred feet of new asphalt was added to the staging area. The pit exit redesign kept driver safety at the forefront and allowed the inside wall of turn two to be returned to its original form. “Drivers can once again hug the wall coming into turn two,” said Kilcrease.
Along with these major projects, America’s Nicest Short Track has cleaned up nicely from its winter rest and is ready for opening day on April 2 and the Solid Rock Carriers Jumpstart 165 featuring Late Model Stock Twin races and the rest of the Carteret Speedway cast of drivers and divisions. Remember, it’s not too late to save big on a season pass, for more information on our season pass or anything related to the 2023 season, go to carteretspeedway.com.
Here's a look at the progress of the project from start to finish: