Owosso Nationals camping filling fast; gates open at noon Friday in Ovid

If you were planning to camp at the Owosso Nationals this weekend, the track says to call first. Owosso Speedway, at 7204 W. M-21 in Ovid, posted a fan-and-driver notice Wednesday saying campsites for the Sept. 25-26 finale are still available but filling fast, and that spots have to be reserved by phone with Sarah or Dennis at (989) 461-7223. There is what the track calls a minimal rental fee for the event. Porta potties will be set near the camp area, and firewood will be for sale at the track for anyone who wants a campfire.

For fans, the gate times are set. Friday the pit gate opens at noon, general admission opens at 4 p.m. and racing is scheduled for 6 p.m., starting with the mini wedge events. Saturday, general admission again opens at 4 p.m. with racing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The track cautions that both start times are approximations based on estimated car counts. General admission tickets are available electronically at showpass.com/o/owosso-speedway.

The Current reported on Sept. 17 that the speedway had already posted minute-by-minute schedules for both nights — features only, no heat races, with 100-lap races for the CRA Pro Series and the Outlaw Super Late Models. The Champion Racing Association is a touring stock car series. Wednesday's notice adds the parts the schedule left out: where haulers park and what drivers need in hand at the check-in desk.

Teams that do not want to sit in line Saturday morning can park early. Early pit parking begins Thursday evening, after a day of private track testing wraps up; several teams have rental time on the track during the day, so pit access is restricted until that ends. The first 25 spots on the southeast Carland Road side of the pits are reserved Saturday for CRA teams, with the next few held for Outlaw Super Late Model teams that share crew or tools with joint CRA entries. Those areas will be marked off ahead of time, and the track says anyone who pulls into one by accident will be asked to move. Everything else is open parking.

Saturday morning runs on its own clock in the pits: the credential office opens at 8:30 a.m. along with CRA-only hauler parking, and the garage area opens at 9 a.m., when Outlaw, Modified and Pure Stock haulers can park.

Drivers racing at the track for the first time this year can save time at check-in by printing and completing their registration and tax paperwork in advance, including a W-9 and, for competitors under 18, a minor release form. All three forms are posted on the speedway's website. Drivers who have already raced at Owosso Speedway this season do not need to redo them — the track says existing registrations and minor releases will be honored. The notice was submitted by Jeff Parish.

What happens next: the pit gate opens at noon Friday, Sept. 25, with racing at 6 p.m., and the second night goes green at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. The track has not posted an entry list for either night, so who is actually in the CRA and Outlaw Super Late Model fields is still unknown, and it has not published ticket prices or the camping fee.