ACCORD, N.Y. -- By mid-October, most Northeast speedway promoters are winterizing facilities, locking gates and packing for off-season vacations.

Not Accord Speedway's Gary Palmer. He's preparing for his track's biggest event of the season: "The King of the Catskills."

The Ulster County bullring will roar to life on Sat., Oct. 29 with a full day of racing activity, headlined by a 50-lap, $3,000-to-win feature for the open competition Modifieds.

A 50-lap Sportsman main paying $750-to-win, the 40-lap "Mini King of the Catskills" for the Mini-Sprints offering a $750 top prize, plus Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and Slingshots in a $750-to-win, 40-lap main on the quarter-mile will complete the program. Gates open at noon, with hot laps at 2 p.m. and racing at 3 p.m.

A rain date of Sat., Nov 5 is in place for "The King of the Catskills."

Open competition rules for the Modifieds allow for big- or small-block engines and all combinations in between, wet or dry sump, gas or alcohol, Big Diamond (Pa.)/Grandview (Pa.)-legal 9-to-1 engines, open 13 x 92-inch tires, and 65-inch sail panels. A draw for position will determine heat-race starts.

The Sportsman, Mini-Sprints, Pro Stocks and Pure Stocks will follow weekly Accord rules with the exception of tires - any tire will be permitted so long as it is the same size as the track tire used during the regular season. All support classes will draw for heat starts. Spec Sportsman competitors are invited to run with the Sportsman.

With the rules relaxed for the "post-season" show, banner fields are expected in all divisions. An emphasis has been placed on drawing Modifieds from all around the area.

"The phone's been ringing non-stop," said Palmer, who added that the Modified event offers a healthy purse through last. "We're hoping the one race, a single 50-lapper, will be more appealing for the racers than the four 25's we ran in the past few years."

For small-car enthusiasts, "The Mini King of the Catskills" will offer plenty of excitement. Winged Mini-Sprint competitors will turn out in droves for an incentive-filled 40-lapper complete with lap money, special bonuses and a respectable payout, thanks to the efforts of event coordinator Jim Murdoch. 750cc Mini-Sprints are welcome to attend.

Stock-car fans will also have the opportunity to see the Slingshots, scaled-down Modifieds, do battle on the Action Track in a "money race." The Slingshot division was successfully launched during the summer "Midweek Madness" programs on the "Inner Oval" one-sixth-mile.

Entry fees for "The King of the Catskills" are as follows: Modified: $20; Sportsman, Mini-Sprint and Slingshot: $15. There will be no entry fee for Pro Stock and Pure Stock competitors, just the regular pit admission.

Grandstand admission is as follows: Adults $18; Seniors $16; Students (10-15) $8; Kids (under 10) $1; Family 4 Pack $46.

For more information, contact the speedway office at (845) 626-3478 or visit the website: www.accordspeedway.com.

The Accord Speedway season won't end with the Oct. 29 "King of the Catskills."

On Sat., Nov. 5 (barring no weather-related problems on Oct. 29), the rescheduled "Run What You Brung" will take center stage, an "anything goes" 30-lap event paying $1,500 to the winner. The Mini-Sprints, Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and Four/Eight Cylinder Demo Derbies will complete the Bryant's Towing card.

Gates open at noon, with hot laps at 2 p.m. and racing at 3 p.m.

In the event that Nov. 5 is used as a rain date for "The King of the Catskills," the "Run What You Brung" will be bumped back to Sat., Nov. 12.

Finally, the 5th Annual Racers' Flea Market will conclude the '05 season on Sun., Nov. 13. Gates open at 8 a.m.

NOTE: Advertised purses for "The King of the Catskills" are based on the following car counts: Modified (30); Sportsman (25); Mini-Sprint (25); and Slingshot (30).