'We thought we'd try and open up a different night': Green flag falls on a new era at Beaver Dam Raceway

BEAVER DAM, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Tuesday nights just got a lot louder in Beaver Dam.

Switching from its normal Saturday night program, Beaver Dam Raceway will now be offering five divisions of racing on Tuesday nights during the 2023 race season.

"We thought we'd try and open up on a different night," said Carolyn Mueller, general manager at Beaver Dam Raceway. "We want to give the racers another opportunity to race."

Street Stocks, Legend Cars, IMCA Stock Cars, Sport Modifieds and Modifieds are all a part of the weekly show Beaver Dam Raceway is set to provide on a weekly basis in 2023. Sprint Cars, Monster Trucks and other specialty events will still be held on the weekends at the 1/3-mile dirt oval with go-kart racing now set to take place on Monday nights.

"It's really cool kind of to get back to tradition," said driver Ryan Mech from Greenfield. "Track's got to try something different to shake things up. I think this could be a big win for them at the end of the day."

Fans seemed to react well to the schedule change and nice weather, with one of the larger weekly show crowds on hand in recent memory.

While the excitement of the season opener could be felt throughout the grounds, there were also heavy hearts as this was the first race held at the track since the passing of longtime Beaver Dam Raceway race director Jerry 'Pink Hat' Priesgen, who lost his life in an automobile accident last month. The track held a moment of silence and a '"black flag" salute in his honor, with drivers placing specially designed "Pink Hat" stickers on their cars.

"A moment of silence and just a little respect for Jerry, who loved racing as a passion," Mueller said. "Our Fall Classic on Oct. 7 is going to be the 'Pink Hat Fall Classic' in memory of Jerry."

Weekly racing at Beaver Dam Raceway is set to take place until mid-September. You can visit the track's website here for more details.