BRANDON, S.D. (KELO) — Another sure sign of summer arrives this weekend with Huset’s Speedway in Brandon opening its season.

Mother’s Day means racing at Huset’s Speedway.

“We thought about even this year opening up a week earlier, but it’s traditional Mother’s Day opener at Huset’s Speedway and we want to keep that tradition alive,” Huset’s Speedway GM Doug Johnson said.

General Manager Doug Johnson says he’s heard from more drivers than ever before prior to a season, thanks in large part to increased weekly payouts.

“Increased cost of everything, we feel we need to keep up with that pace and reward the drivers throughout the season by increasing our payouts and hopefully we’ll see an increase in car counts,” Johnson said.

And that’s not where the changes end. The rooftop now includes a scoring suite and the race is on to finish the rooftop patio.

“We’ve got another crew here that’s redoing some of the railing that you can see up top, so I’m sure they’ll be here probably through Saturday night finishing up,” Johnson said.

“They’ve done a lot of improvements and it’s quite a place,” Street Stocks driver Dan Jensen said.

Dan Jensen has seen plenty of upgrades over the years. The former Street Stocks champion is entering his 39th and likely final season at Huset’s Speedway.

“I’m 64 years old, going to be 65 pretty soon, and I think it’s time to let the young guys take over. I’ve had a lot of fun with these guys, but most of the guys that I raced with when I started they’re all watching in the stands,” Jensen said.

The finish line is in sight, but Jensen says there’s still nothing like opening night.

“Gives you chills. When they sing the national anthem the first time it always kind of gets you,” Jensen said.

“It’s been a long winter for everybody and everybody’s ready to get back racing and just to see the new designs on the cars, the new teams that are coming out, there’s no feeling like it in the world,” Johnson said.

Huset’s will open its gates at 4:30 Sunday afternoon, followed by racing at 7:30. The first 200 moms in attendance will receive a carnation, and the opportunity to win $100.