West Virginia’s Princeton Speedway is set for the 2025 season. It reopened last year before shutting down after two races. The 2023 season ended halfway through the season after owner Melvin Bishop had to take a break for medical reasons. Bishop’s health has since improved. Now he’s back at the helm, hoping to steer the first full season at Princeton Speedway in two years.
“The track was leased last season and the lessee only had two races because of all the rain,” said race director Bobby Barley. “This season, Melvin is back at it. He built this track in 1989, and owned and operated it up until the doctors told him he needed to take a break. He’s healthy now and having pure enjoyment running the grader, the water truck and getting his track looking good.”
The D-shaped 3/8-mile oval offers racing amidst the natural beauty of West Virginia.
“The track is in a nice setting — it sits back in a valley,” Barley said. “It has unique yellow clay that is easy on tires. It’s not too dusty and favors good handling cars. A lower horsepower car can work out just as good as a big-horsepower car, as long as you have the setup.”
The Bishop family had the stands at Princeton Speedway rebuilt with aluminum. The track plans to run Friday nights. Its two closest tracks — Beckley Motor Speedway and Wythe Raceway — operate on Saturdays.
“We’re starting with decent purses,” said Barley. “We want to draw the cars on Friday, get back to old-time racing and have some fun. We’ve kept entry fees down to help the racers.”
The track sells pit passes for $35 for weekly shows. Grandstand admission is $15.
“We’re also selling pit parking spots,” Barley said. “All the money raised will go into the point fund. When someone buys a parking spot, it’s theirs for the entire season.”
The first practice for Princeton Speedway takes place this Friday, April 4. The following week, April 11, Princeton Speedway hosts its season opener. The card features 604 pro late model, 602 sport modified, outlaw street, CRUSA street, pro mini, enduro, mini wedge, juicebox classes.
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.
