by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — It’s not too late to sign up for your free VIP Track Pass. Offered by the USTA, in partnership with more than 20 tracks cooperating in the promotion, the free VIP Track Pass is your ticket to receive access to special promotions and drawings.

The pass is free and available to those who visit www.BackToTheTrack.com and take a few moments to fill out the online form. The VIP Track Pass can then be printed out and taken to the races on Back to the Track weekend, and it will make its holder eligible for a wide range of specials being offered by participating tracks.

Those who sign up will be asked to indicate the harness racetrack they plan to attend for Back to the Track and one or two other tracks they like to visit. In return, VIP Track Pass holders will be eligible for entry into local prize drawings, free gifts, escorted paddock tours, rides in the starting gate and more. Here are some examples:

• Balmoral Park – Free T-shirts to the first 1,500 pass holders
• Cal-Expo – A free betting voucher giveaway
• Freehold – Drawings for starting gate rides
• Harrington – $5 match play and a voucher for a free program during a future visit
• Hazel Park – Visits to the announcer’s booth and Tigers baseball ticket giveaway
• Meadowlands – Winner’s circle photos
• Raceway Park – Paddock and “behind the scenes” tours
• Running Aces – Sulky rides

The above is only a partial list, and many items are being added by tracks every day. To sign up for a VIP Track Pass, and to see a list of VIP specials being offered at each participating track, fans should visit www.BackToTheTrack.com.

Back to the Track is an event to celebrate harness racing in all its forms, as an exciting form of entertainment for fans and bettors and as a livelihood earned by hard-working folks on the backstretch. USTA members are being asked to gather friends and acquaintances and bring them out to their local harness racetrack as a means of introducing them to the sport and unique excitement found at America’s harness racetracks.