Sprint cars race at Madras Speedway last year. The new season starts Saturday.

Bumping and grinding are commonplace on the banked clay track at Madras Speedway. And sometimes tempers can flare among drivers racing at speeds of 60 to 90 mph.

“There’s more (bumping and arguments) than you’d like to see sometimes,” says Scott Arnold, owner and promoter of Madras Speedway. “Some guys get upset and it’s something we always stay on top of. We try to make it a nice, family atmosphere.”

The 2008 season at the speedway starts on Saturday with a test and tune from noon to 5 p.m. Races will be staged on most Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. through Sept. 20. (For a complete schedule, visit www.madrasspeedway.com.)

Race classes include Juniors, Mini Trucks, Sprints, Sportsman and Super Sport. All cars race on slick tires. Most races include 20 to 25 laps on the speedway’s quarter-mile track.

Racers come to compete at Madras Speedway from all over, including Portland, California, Idaho, and even Canada. Other dirt race tracks in Oregon are located in Banks, Cottage Grove and Lebanon.

Bob Cordes offers a compelling reason why he has raced at Madras Speedway the last four years.

“Racing’s the most fun you can have in a car with your clothes on,” says Cordes, 50. “It’s something that some people are crazy about doing. It’s kind of scary; it’s very technical. They’re very high-horsepower motors that run very high RPMs.”

Cordes says that crashes occur in just about every race, and about once each racing Saturday somebody will flip their car.

“But we don’t have serious crashes very often,” Cordes says.

This season Madras Speedway will again offer its Bump to Pass race, which Arnold calls “a demolition derby on steroids.”

In the race, cars must run into another competitor before they can pass that car. There have been some wild moments in the 35-lap races, according to Arnold.

“It’s been a big draw,” Arnold says. “It’s a lot of fun to watch if you like watching cars get creamed.”

Madras Speedway

What: Auto racing on a quarter-mile clay track.

Where: On Depot Road, three miles west of Highway 26.

When: Most Saturdays through September, starting at 6:30 p.m. Opening day is this Saturday, with a test and tune from noon to 5 p.m.

Cost for racers: $20 this Saturday, $30 other Saturdays.

Cost for spectators: $8 for adults, $5 for ages 7-11 and 60 and over, free for ages 6 and under. Pit passes are $20.

Contact: www.madrasspeedway.com or 389-7518.