You read that correctly — Flamboro Speedway is putting out big money for its Pot of Gold 300 on Sunday, September 4. First place gets $50,000. Second pays $10,000. Third $5,000. Fourth $3,000. And fifth $2,000.
The track in Flamborough, Ontario, Canada is less than an hour and a half from Buffalo, New York. It’s a tick above three hours from Detroit, Michigan. With a location like that, they hope to attract 300 cars.
“All 300 cars will have transponders,” general manager Gary Colling said. “At lap 250, we will stop the race and let the top 50 cars go back into the pits. They can change tires, brake pads or rotors, and refuel. Then, it’s 50 laps for $50,000 for those 50 top cars.”
Being in Canada, the track will pay its purse in Canadian dollars. At the current exchange rate, the payouts are:
- $38,195
- $7,639
- $3,819.50
- $1,527.80
For those worried about the border, Colling offers his assurances.
“You don’t need ownership papers for an enduro car,” said Colling. “As long as border agents can see the roll bar or roll cage, it’s considered a race car.”
You can find the rules for the event here.
The rulebook does not permit full-frame cars.
Front- and rear-wheel-drive cars, 1984 and newer, can compete. Four-wheel-drive cars must have a driveshaft removed.
Two-doors, four-doors, and hatchbacks can run.
Three to six-cylinder engines permitted.
Cars must have a roll bar or roll cage and a four- or five-point safety harness. Drivers must wear a DOT-approved helmet, full-length pants and shirt sleeves, as well as gloves.
With relatively simple rules, low costs for vehicles, and big money, Flamboro Speedway looks to build on this event for the future.
“The beauty of enduro racing is it can be fun for the new teenage racer or an experienced driver like [NASCAR Pinty’s Series driver] JR Fitzpatrick, who has shown interest in the race. John and Frank Caselli, who have owned the track all 50 years, wanted to put this event on to show appreciation to racers and fans. If it is a success, they plan to grow it bigger each year. Next year’s race could be $75,000 to win.”
The track extended the entry fee discount through Friday — $500 for nine crewmembers, the driver and the car.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
