By NICK SCHWIEN

nschwien@dailynews.net

WaKEENEY -- Change is coming to WaKeeney Speedway.

And those stepping into the leadership role are hoping the changes boost the track back to its glory days.

"WaKeeney Speedway has always been good," said Kyle Rohleder, a modified driver from WaKeeney who plans to help with the track. "That's something it's carried on from decades ago, and we just need to keep it going now."

The 3/8-mile dirt oval originally had its last races of the season weeks ago. But now that the new group is taking over, two more races have been scheduled for this fall.

The George "Pappy" Parsons Fall Nationals will be Oct. 10 and 11 at WaKeeney Speedway. The fall nationals originated in 1992 or 1993 but haven't taken place for several years. Those helping lead the speedway into the future are banking on a solid turnout of drivers for the two-day show this weekend -- and for years to come.

"That's what we want," said Jay Fose, another volunteer helping with the track. "We want people to come back, get the fan base back. We want to put the 'fast' back in the fastest show on dirt. We want to keep the show short and get people out to watch some great races."

The Oct. 10 races will feature the Northern sport modifieds and stocks, along with the 305 sprint cars of the United Rebel Sprint Series. Races that Saturday begin at 7 p.m. and are followed by a dance at the Eagles Lodge.

Winners of the night's feature races will receive $400 in the sprint car class, $400 in the sport mod class and $600 in the stock class.

On Oct. 11, races begin at 5 p.m. and feature the URSS, modifieds and hobby stocks. At 4 p.m. that Sunday, a free hog roast will take place for fans and racers.

Feature winners will receive an inflated purse in the URSS feature -- perhaps $750 to $1,000, but it's not set yet -- and $800 for the modifieds and $400 for the hobby stocks.

Pit passes both nights are $25 each, and there will be no entry fee for drivers.

Admission each night is $8 for adults and $5 for those ages 6 to 12. Those 5 and younger are free.

The two-day show will be the first for the new group to take control. Previously, Rod Bencken was promoter at the track. He still is the promoter at RPM Speedway in Hays, which will host its fall nationals Oct. 16 and 17.

One of the new features the group hopes to institute for next year is moving some of the pits out of the infield to allow fans easy access to see the cars when they are on the backstretch. Organizers said they probably won't have that switch made for the fall nationals.

"I don't think we'll be able to get the pits moved before then, but we'll let them know what's going on," said Willie Wynn, a track volunteer. "If we have some open trailers to park on the inside, that might be OK. But we want to try to get some of the big trailers out of the way so people can see the backstretch."

There currently is pit access north of the track, but organizers said additional pits could be added south of the track as well.

Trophy dashes and give-aways for fans also are planned for the future.

"The main thing why we're doing this is to get more community support back in it," Rohleder said. "The main thing is they don't want the track to leave here. They don't want it to dwindle."