KAUNEONGA LAKE, NY — NASCAR-sanctioned motorsports returned to our area in June with a series of practice sessions, followed by the official opening of the racing season at Bethel Motor Speedway (BMS) and then numerous auto racing events.

Racing action continues through the rest of the summer and into the fall, with races scheduled for various popular divisions, including a favorite of this sports scribbler, a nostalgic look back in time with the appearance of vintage race cars from the Atlantic Coast Old Timers Auto Racing Club (ACOT).

Not dating myself in any way you understand, but I recall my father and I standing outside the fence of a race track at an old airstrip up in Washington State watching sprint and Indy cars whiz past.

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At one point, one of the cars lost a wheel, which sailed over the fence, just over the heads of the outlaw spectators.

That was it for Dad, and we left the race. But I’ll never forget the sound and fury of these open-cockpit race cars piloted by helmeted drivers in search of the elusive checkered flag.

Meanwhile, fast-forwarding a few years, racing action at the local quarter-mile asphalt oval features several competitive classes, from four-bangers to Bandoleros, and on up the food chain to street stocks, 358/Sportsmans and modifieds.