Racing is planned Saturday and Sunday as part of the annual year-end Playday.

Track owner and promoter Butch Behn expects a high car count with drivers from Monroe and tracks in Oregon, among other places.

"This is the race where they come from all over," Behn said. "Last year we had 150 cars come for this. As long as we've got the weather we'll have a big car count."

The event has been around since before Behn took over the track in 1995, and has consistently attracted drivers eager for one last weekend of racing before winter.

"This is all for fun," Behn said. "It's a little different. People get pretty excited at times, since they're racing against guys they don't normally race against. They come here because their tracks are closed for the year."

Vehicles get grouped based on qualifying times. "Pretty much everyone is going to be mixmatched," Behn explained. "We've got Super Stocks, tour cars, sprint cars, dirt late models, and Figure 8's.

"We had a big truck last year, but that didn't work out," Behn added. "He hit somebody else. He's still on probation."

Both days this weekend feature qualifying, heat races and 25-lap main events. Saturday action begins with qualifying at 5 p.m. and racing at 6:30. Sunday action starts with qualifying at 12:30 p.m. and racing at 2. Sunday will also include a 'powder puff' race.

Rain has washed out a number of races this year, and with the return of wet weather Behn is ready to see the season end. "It's time," he said.

"We didn't even run the enduro last week because it was raining so hard. We had six rainouts at the beginning of the year. It's tough. You get it all going, then you've got to throw the towel in."

Behn is pleased with the year, however. "It was a great year," he said. "We had more people come, and more cars than last year. You look at Super Stock, and only one guy won more than one race. There was a really good level of competition."

Behn is already looking forward to changes at the track for 2004. One change is a result of the expected closure of Spanaway Speedway.

"We will probably do a bunch of Friday night shows, maybe every other week or so," Behn said. "We will know for sure in about a month."

There's been talk of a new sprint car class next year in Rochester, though Behn noted a decision hasn't been made.

Behn hopes racers can compete on a resealed track next season. In the last couple of years the track has been resurfaced and resealed.

"We're going to have to redo it," Behn said, noting he is talking with the company that did the resealing job. "It didn't work. It's still a one groove track."

Behn wants the resealing done by the time racing starts in March, but work can't be done until the weather warms.