By Jim Foose

On a crisp March afternoon, The Painesville Speedway roared to life for 2025 with The Great American Enduro taking to the track to open the season.  With 21 drivers on the property and frigid temperatures, the opportunity to cut laps was presented and accepted by drivers, making the race 100 laps in length.  To compensate drivers and fans in attendance for the lower than expected car count, Painesville Speedway Management offered free passes for Autism Awareness Opening Night on April 19th to all in attendance.

The 100 lap event got off to a dusty start as a cloud of dust was kicked up as the field raced around the track in the opening laps, John New brought out the first red flag on lap 2 as he hit the wall in turns 1 & 2 hard.  New retired from the event after just one lap was completed.  Just one other stoppage to the race came at lap 34 as Travis Cosiano in the #46 and Rob Brown in the #5 came together making contact with the frontstretch wall.

From there, Two time and defending Great American Enduro winner Erik Johnson took the lead on lap 40 and never looked back, leading the final 60 laps to take his third Great American Enduro in a row.  Kenny Bender, Jr finished second followed by Corbin Robinson in third.  Douglas Ralff (4th) and Eric Lehmann (5th) completed the top five finishers at the checkered flag.

Next up for The Painesville Speedway, it’s Autism Awareness Opening Night Saturday, April 19th.

The Painesville Speedway remains committed to offering Fast & Affordable Family Fun!  More information including gate times and ticket prices can be found at NEOhioRacing.com.

Located at 500 Fairport Nursery Rd in Painesville, OH, The Painesville Speedway has been providing affordable family fun for generations.  The ⅕ mile oval and figure 8 track provide close quarters and action packed racing at “The World’s Toughest Battleground”.