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By STEVE BARRICK
The uncertainty that loomed over New York’s Southern Tier racing scene this offseason finally cleared last week as George Nichols and Dan Mathews announced they’ve reached a deal with Chemung Speedrome owner John White to lease the track—stepping in as first-time promoters for the upcoming racing season.
Nichols, of Southport, NY, and Mathews of Horseheads, NY, have scheduled an opening race night of Friday, May 1. The opener will be preceded by two Saturday afternoon practice sessions, on April 18 and April 25.
The provisional schedule released this past week includes races every Friday night from May 1 through October 2, with only one Friday, September 4, idle. Nichols and Mathews also established a 7:00 PM start time for the Friday events.
Race divisions planned for the three-eighths mile asphalt oval include Sportsman Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hobby Stocks, and Four Cylinders, four classes that were active at Chemung in 2025.
Nichols and Mathews will host a general meeting in the near future, to-be-announced, where particulars including track rentals, pit stalls, annual paperwork requirements, rules, and payouts will be revealed.
Pit pass cost has been set at $45. Front gate admissions have been established at $15 for adults ages 16-61, $13 for seniors ages 62 and over, and $7 for children ages 10-15. Children under the age of 10 are free.
Nichols’ abiding love for the sport manifested itself when he first learned Chemung’s promotional regime had walked away from the track.
“When the track became available, I found a partner in Dan Mathews and decided to go for it,” Nichols said in an exclusive AARN phone interview late last week.
“He and I are good friends. With the track, it’s kind of a 50/50 partnership deal. It was Dan who first got me involved in racing Hobby Stocks. He’s a long time racer who hasn’t competed in years.”
Nichols is a life long Southern Tier resident, calling the town of Southport home. He turns 57 years of age next month. His racing background is extensive.
“Racing has always been a part of my life. My father and I spent many summers going to different race tracks. The last four years, I raced at Chemung in the Hobby Stock class,” Nichols shared.
“Dan had reached out to Chemung track owner John White first and talked about what it would take to come to an agreement to lease the track. It didn’t take too long for John to send us back a lease. It needed a couple of things changed which John did, we signed it, and the track is now ours to operate.”
Nichols said he didn’t have any first hand knowledge if there may have been other potentially interested parties. He further stated that he believed Chemung would not have had racing this year if he and Mathews had not come forward.
By having raced Hobby Stocks weekly at Chemung the last four years, Nichols knew first hand what was going on at the track.
“This past year, the crowds seemed better than they had been the last couple of years. The Hobby Stock class I ran in was the largest as far as car count,” Nichols said.
“Sport Modifieds are the top class though Hobby Stocks were drawing bigger fields, averaging 23 every week. Four Cylinders were down to 10 or 11. Street Stocks started the year with four which dropped down to two. Ray (Hodge) then dropped the class.”
Staffing for Chemung has proven to be fairly easy for the new promoters.
“We’ll have quite a few people from Ray’s staff who will be coming back. I’ve already hired the flagman and corner flaggers, and tow truck operators. It seems that people are reaching out to us, asking to come back. That shows people really want the track to succeed,” he added.
Racing on Friday nights has long been part of Chemung’s history. Because of the inherent difficulty of getting to races early enough on Friday nights, coupled with a rigid 11:00 PM curfew imposed by the town of Chemung years ago, making sure race nights flow well is essential.
“We want to make sure everything runs smoothly this year. If it goes well, we’ll look to sign a lease extension for a few more years,” Nichols offered.
Nichols’ ability to lease Chemung after Ray Hodge left was made possible in part when he won the New York State Lottery four years ago.
“I learned real fast that the government loves lottery winners. The top prize I won was $3 million dollars off a $10 dollar scratch-off ticket. I opted for a lump sum payout option. They took $480,000 off the top, then after they taxed the rest of it, I was down to $1.6 million,’ said Nichols.
“When I filed the income tax the following year, I found out they hadn’t taken out enough taxes, so in the end, the $3 million turned into $1.3 million.”
Nichols had worked in Waverly, N.Y. in the CVS Pharmacy warehouse, retiring from there after his good fortune.
In leasing Chemung, Nichols has also retired from racing Hobby Stocks.
“My racing career is over now that I’m involved as I am with the track. I’m going to have someone else drive my car. I thought my brother would want to drive it but he’s undecided. He said he’d take the car out for the first session hot laps, then let me know. Chad Lane, my cousin, will drive if my brother doesn’t want to,” Nichols related.
Nichols himself started racing late in life at the age of 53. He describes the reaction of Chemung’s racers, fans, track employees, and sponsors as ‘overwhelmingly positive’.
“When the announcement was first made, my phone started ringing and hasn’t stopped. We wanted to keep the track alive. To be allowed to keep the track going legally, at least one race a year has to be run. I look at what we’re doing as protecting the future of the race track as much as maintaining continuity in the present,” Nichols asserted.
“Dan and I started talking about Chemung right before Christmas. We’ve moved along pretty quick, are still working hard. There are already seven season sponsors secured for the track, five who returned and two new ones,” Nichols said.
Other key staff positions have been filled with the notable exception of media coordinator. Long time Chemung race results and advance story writer Carol Houssock has stepped away from those duties as well as announcing. Nichols believes Mathews is in the process of securing a ‘Voice of Chemung Speedrome’.
Chemung Speedrome was built 75 years ago, in a cornfield, by Eli Bodine, Senior and Eli Bodine, Junior, grandfather and father of NASCAR drivers Geoff, Brett and Todd Bodine. It was originally a dirt track. Later paved, the Bodine family operated the Speedrome for 27 years before closing it in 1978. The track then sat idle for 23 years, resuming in 2000.
During its extended period of dormancy, Bob Stapleton, a Southern Tier competition engine builder, acquired the track in 1995. Stapleton then undertook what became a five year rebuilding project before running his first race in 2000.
In 2005, John White, a Long Island, NY resident and owner of Spencer Speedway in Williamson, New York, joined Stapleton as a partner in Chemung operations. White subsequently required sole ownership of the race track.
From 2018 through 2025, race fan, become promoter Ray Hodge operated the facility for White. Hodge announced his intention shortly after the 2025 season concluded of not returning in 2026.
The promotional duo, who decided to create and submit a proposal to operate Chemung in late November 2025, are enthused about what lies ahead.
“We have a one year lease with a two or three year extension if all goes well. I decided to do this because I like racing. My driving days were pretty much over so I decided to take a chance and take on a different role in the in the sport,” said Nichols.
“Dan and I both hope Chemung’s competitors and fans give our new management team a chance.”
Future information will be posted on the track’s Facebook page, The New Chemung Speedrome, as they evolve.
