As the Montezuma County Fair gets underway this weekend, livestock will not be the only attraction thanks to a full slate of International Motor Contest Association-sanctioned car races that will take place at Fairgrounds Speedway on the evenings of July 27 and July 28.

Races will begin at 7 p.m. each evening, and numerous car classifications will be featured, including modifieds, stock cars, sport mods, hobby stocks, sport compacts and mod lites. Heat races will open the evening, and main events across all of the racing classifications will follow.

Among the local drivers competing in this weekend’s races will be Dove Creek stalwarts Aaron Spangler, Brody Spangler and Camron Spangler, Cortez engine aficionado Tony Hill and longtime Cortez racing icon James Blair.

Track conditions at Fairgrounds Speedway figure to be slick, and racing will likely be tight on Cortez’s oval track, which has become known as one of the most challenging in the state and the Four Corners region.

“The dirt at (Fairgrounds Speedway) is just unreal,” said Brody Spangler, after a recent race. “It’s just so slick. I mean, you can’t even walk across it.”

“(Fairgrounds Speedway) is probably one of the hardest tracks in the country to figure out because of the way that the dirt is,” echoed Aaron Spangler. “The clay is so slick, it’s its own animal out there, and there’s no other beast like it.”

In addition to being treated to the entertainment that accompanies nonstop racing action, fans will have the opportunity to participate in raffle drawings and purchase concessions at the raceway concession stand.

General admission to the races is $10, and family packs that allow admission for two adults and three children under the age of 12 can be purchased for $25. Pit passes are available for $30, and children between the ages of 6 and 12 can purchase tickets for $5.

Individuals interested in receiving further information about this weekend’s races are encouraged to contact Fairgrounds Speedway staff members at 970-759-9542.