RACING PREVIEW : Speedway Adds Two Divisions : Saugus: Fifty-sixth season features pure stock and late-model competition.

Local racing gets underway tonight as Saugus Speedway begins its 56th season with five events.

The program includes the super late model division, mini-stocks, street stocks (which will be running both the Oval and Figure 8) and destruction derby.

Saugus has also added two racing divisions to its program with the pure stock and late-model division.

The pure stock division reflects Saugus’ attempt to make racing more attractive at the entry level.

By featuring 1990-or-later bodies of American-made passenger cars on stock chassis, the late-model stocks will be more-closely in line with the rest of the country.

“We are encouraged by the reported car counts for our new divisions,” Saugus Speedway promoter Ray Wilkings said.

“The pure stocks will allow new competitors to put a car together in an inexpensive entry-level division,” Wilkings added.

Saugus is hosting the NASCAR SuperTruck series race April 15, the tour’s only Southern California appearance. It will be a 200-lap event televised nationally by the Nashville Network.

Saugus is also introducing a new attraction called “Things That Go Bump in the Night,” designed by Wilkings.

The event, which combines elements of train racing and destruction derby, is run on a wet track with American-made sedans painted in fluorescent colors.

Each car will be equipped with limited lighting capabilities and will run on the oval for 15 minutes. The stadium lights will be turned off during the race.

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Ventura Raceway begins racing on Wednesday with USAC Midget and TQ Midgets starting at 7 p.m. The races will be shown on tape delay by ESPN on Thursday.

ESPN will show Midget races on April 8 live.

An April 22 event will be shown tape-delayed on April 27.