Speedway 95’s popular Wacky Wednesday racing program for entry level drivers will open for season number nine Wednesday at 7.

They will have the same four divisions as a year ago: Small Enduro, Large Enduro, Ladies, and Full-Size pickup trucks.

Speedway 95 co-owner Del Merritt said they have averaged 800-1,000 fans at Wacky Wednesday in recent years and he is looking for the same turnouts this year.

Speedway 95 has a seating capacity of 2,700.

He also expects similar car counts.

“Last year we had about 40 Small Enduros, 20-25 Large Enduros, 8-10 Ladies Division cars, and 16 Full-Size Trucks,” pointed out Merritt.

Merritt said he and co-owner Alice Baker had contemplated a midweek racing program for a couple of years before deciding to try it. Wacky Wednesday made its debut in 1999.

“They had been doing it for years at Beech Ridge [Motor Speedway in Scarborough] and it had been fairly successful,” said Merritt. “We had been worried about whether or not we’d have enough cars to do a show.”

They kept the attendance prices low – Merritt said the admission price was $3 in 1999 – and Wacky Wednesdays gradually gained in popularity. Admission now is $5.

“When we first had it, we’d get a couple hundred people,” said Merritt. “It wasn’t an overnight success story. Like anything, it took two or three years to get things going.”

“We had it on the Fourth of July one year and the thing really started to skyrocket,” said Merritt. “We did some advertising on WABI -TV that year.”

Merritt said there are several reasons for its success.

“People are looking for something to do in the middle of the week and we keep it a two-hour show [most of the time]. That’s all people want [time frame] for entertainment. There are a lot of cars, and it’s exciting. The kids seem to like it,” said Merritt.

Merritt said Wacky Wednesdays will continue until the end of August.