By Curtis Berleue
(Evans Mills, NY) | Due to a multitude of factors, the Empire Super Sprints visit to the Evans Mills Raceway Park this Saturday for the Kevin Ward Jr. Asphalt Spectacular has been cancelled. The evenings events at Evans Mills will go on, however, with their five weekly divisions still set to hit the track.
Rising costs in sprint car racing have led many drivers to be hesitant to invest in the necessary changes to switch their car to a pavement machine. A handful of drivers that were yearly supporters of the event have also retired from competition in recent years. Those factors combined led to a scenario where the tour couldn’t guarantee a high enough car count to put on a good show for the fans.
While this was a difficult decision for all involved, the Kevin Ward Jr. Memorial race at Evans Mills will be re-imagined later this year. The INEX legends cars will now carry the banner, a fitting replacement as Kevins nephew Landen Herring currently competes in the division, and receives help from Kevin’s father, Kevin Ward Sr. The only multi-time winner of the event under the ESS banner, Dalton Rombough, also competes in the Legends class at Evans Mills and has a feature win under his belt.
The possibility of a return for ESS to Evans Mills in 2026 remains on the table, and the tour is excited to support the re-imagined Kevin Ward Jr. Memorial later in 2025.
The next stop for the Empire Super Sprints is now a two-race weekend in Canada, with a trip to the Brockville Ontario Speedway Saturday June 21, and the Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday June 22.
For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), X (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).
The Empire Super Sprints would like to thank the following series sponsors for their continued support: Rifenburg Contracting Corp, Hoosier Racing Tire, Cobra Coaches, E&V Energy, A-Verdi Storage Containers, Elab Smokers Boutique, Pinnacle Investments, LLC, Lacaillade Masonry, Inc., Wilwood Disc Brakes, FX Caprara, Lanes Yamaha, Ashley Lynn Winery, Slade Precision Shocks, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Bicknell Racing Products, and DirtTrackDigest.com.
The ESS Road Ahead:
Saturday, June 21 – Brockville Ontario Speedway – Brockville, ONT ($2,000 to Win)
Sunday, June 22 – Cornwall Motor Speedway – Cornwall, ONT ($2,000 to Win)
Wednesday, July 2 – Can-Am Speedway – LaFargeville, NY ($2,500 to Win CNY Speedweek)