RIVERHEAD RACEWAY ANNOUNCES 2026 SCHEDULE FOR 76TH SEASON, INTRODUCING FRIDAY/SATURDAY WEEKEND DATES IN JULY & AUGUST

Entering their eleventh season as owners and promoters of Riverhead Raceway, Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz recently announced via the track's social media platform the 2026 schedule of events for the 76th season of racing at the popular Route 58 quarter mile oval. The ambitious and fun filled schedule of events kicks off with the traditional opening weekend Saturday evening May 2nd featuring NASCAR Pack the Track Night with the May Meltdown Enduro program Sunday afternoon May 3rd. During the reveal, Partridge & Gatz announced plans for Friday and Saturday night programming during July & August, marking the first time Friday night racing has been presented since 1984.

Speaking on behalf of ownership in an email to race teams and staff, GM John Ellwood explained the decision for Friday/Saturday summer weekends in July & August. "Friday will carry a more hard-core racing vibe. On Saturdays we will continue blending in our family-friendly events along with plenty of racing action. This isn't about creating two completely different experiences; it's about giving more visitors a chance to see what we do while opening the door for new fans to check out Riverhead Raceway" Ellwood explained.  Realizing that Friday afternoon & evening traffic is heavier than Saturdays, Ellwood addressed those issues, "We understand that Friday traffic can be a challenge, so to help ease those concerns we are going to start these events later in the evening so our teams can get to the track and give every team enough time to settle in and get ready to race". An 8:15 PM time frame for opening ceremonies has been discussed but not finalized. 

Riverhead Raceway remains a flagship NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series facility with the Buzz Chew Chevrolet NASCAR Modifieds competing in Division 1 for national, regional and state championships. Fifteen regular season championship points paying events are on the 2026 docket for the Modifieds, four of those will unfold on Friday evenings starting with July 3rd. Additionally, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour visits Long Island for the Miller Lite Salute to Don Howe 200 on Saturday May 30th and return for the Eddie Partridge 256 Saturday September 19th. The 10th annual Islip 300 will serve as the 18th overall tour type Modified event of 2026 Saturday November 14th. Of the 15 regular season Modified contests, ten are slated for Saturday, with the remaining five presented on Friday night. 

The five race Crown Jewel Series for the Modifieds will return for its sixth year in 2026, with the chase for the Ted Christopher Cup starting with the Oval Speed Bubba 150 Saturday evening June 27th. Just six days later round two of the 2026 Crown Jewel Series unfolds with the 76th Year Celebration, Flying Dutchman 76 Friday night July 3rd. Another Crown Jewel event shifting to a Friday evening is the Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 on August 7th. The Cecil Palm Tree 66 Saturday September 12th and the 10th annual Islip 300 will conclude the Crown Jewel Series.

All weekly supports classes return for 2026 with the Late Models, Eagle Chevrolet Crate Modifieds, TK Figure Eights, Blunderbusts, Super Pro Trucks, INEX Legend Race Cars, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Eddie Partridge Vintage All Stars and INEX Bandolero are all set for another exciting season. With the exception of the TK Figure Eights and INEX Bandoleros, all others will compete on both Friday and Saturday nights in '26. 

The Enduro cars and stars return for 2026 including a new division of racing being introduced during the new season. The Truck Enduro, 8-Cylinder Enduro and 4/6-Cylinder Enduro teams get their 8-race season underway at the May 3rd May Meltdown program, the first of two Sunday program. Each class of Enduro racing goes to post twice on Friday nights with the balance set for Saturdays. Debuting on Saturday June 20th are the all-new 4/6-Cylinder Figure Eights, the first of five such races in 2026. Additional dates are set for July 25th, August 1st, August 8th and September 5th for a new breed of daredevils. Two Women's Enduros will bookend the 2026 campaign on May 3rd and September 27th. 

The KSR Monster Trucks are back and will have two exclusive standalone dates on Saturday July 11th for the Summer Crush, while on Saturday August 15th the Summer Smash will be presented. Both Monster Trucks dates will feature two shows daily at 11:30 AM and 6:30 PM with no stock car racing presented those days. Only a Kids Big Wheel Race and non-points INEX Bandolero expos will join those shows. While announcing the KSR Monster Truck dates, GM John Ellwood revealed advance tickets sales are now open for those shows by visiting https://riverheadraceway.com/store, another first over the 76-year history of the track.    

Five School Bus events are on the 2026 slate with the first of three Figure Eight races set for May 16th. After two more events on the Figure Eight course June 13 & July 18th, two bus destroying School Bus Demolition Derbies are schedules for Saturday August 1st and August 22nd.

Two Fireworks extravaganzas are set to light up the night sky in 2026, the first celebrating the 76th Year of Riverhead Raceway Friday July 3rd, while the I Love American night patriotic pyrotechnic display is set for Saturday August 8th. 

The annual Cromarty Wall of Champions inductions will complement the Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 program Friday August 7th. 

Saturday August 1st the inaugural Day of Destruction spectacular will bring a fun evening of thrills and spills to Riverhead Raceway. For the first time in decades Spectator Drags return for the Day of Destruction presentation and will be joined by the first ever Flag Pole and Trailer Race events at Riverhead. The all new 4/6-Cylinder Figure Eights will be in action along with a Smash to pass race while the night concludes with a School Bus Demolition Derby. As is the case for the Monster Truck show, no stock car racing is planned for August 1st. 

During 2026 another new event, a Tip the Cow race will be introduced Friday July 10th, while a Train Race unfolds Saturday August 29th.

There will be an increase in the number of Demolition Derby contests for 2026 with 4/6-Cylinder events slated for May 23rd, August 8th and September 5th, all Saturday affairs. The first ever Mini Van Demolition Derby will take place Saturday July 25th.

For the kids both the Big Wheel Races and JuiceBox Racers return for the new season. The first of five Bug Wheel events goes to post May 9th, while the JuiceBox Racers kick their year off the following Saturday May 16th. The JuiceBox Racers have a 6-race slate in 2026. 

To check out the entire 2026 schedule of events please visit http://www.riverheadraceway.com, click on the events link. Once there you will see month-by-month scheduling; to access the PDF, printable version please click on the icon to the upper right. Emails reach the track at [email protected], the phone number remains 631-842-RACE.