Ever thought of running a racetrack if you won the lottery? Well, for George Nichols that dream turned into a reality, as he’ll be co-promoting The New Chemung Speedrome with Dan Mathews.
In 2022, Nichols won $1.6 million lump-sum payment off a scratch-off ticket. Immediately, he sought the wisdom of a financial advisor.
“They say winning the lottery can make your dreams come true,” Nichols, of Elmira, New York, said. “I said it was always my dream to race. I invested my winnings and raced. The lottery enabled me to do that in the hobby stock class.”
At the end of the 2025 season, Ray Hodge left Chemung as its promoter.
“Me and Dan talked over the winter,” Nichols said. “If the promoter isn’t coming back, what would happen to our track? We decided to wait and see if someone would step up to run track. We were wondering if the Bodines would come back to buy it or operate it.”
The Bodine brothers — Geoff, Brett and Todd — cut their teeth at Chemung before making careers as NASCAR drivers. When it became apparent they would not take over the track that their family built, Nichols wanted to take action.
“The most important thing I thought of was the history Chemung Speedrome holds,” Nichols said. “If it were to close — not having races for a whole year — it probably would not be permitted to reopen. It would become just another racetrack that faded away.”
Nichols and Mathews leased the track from owner John White as equal partners. They rebranded the track as The New Chemung Speedrome. The paved oval will run Friday nights, starting in May and running through October. They do not have plans of making any major changes to the facility.
“We have a lot of support,” Nichols said. “Ever since the news broke that the track will be opening, our phone lines have blown up. Our regular drivers are asking questions and new drivers want to know how they can participate.”
The goals for the venture are modest.
“As partners, we both agree: If we break even for the season, it will have been a good season,” Nichols said. “We are doing this for the love of the sport.”
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.
