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FORMER TRACK R.O.Y. RETURNS TO ASA’S ORANGE SHOW SPEEDWAY AS NEW PROMOTER
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 20, 2009) – Racers in the Southern California area have seen their options for places to compete dwindle over the past several years as racetracks are replaced by track homes. Orange Show Speedway nearly fell to this same fate, until Rick McCray stepped in and picked up a five year lease to promote the historic quarter-mile racetrack.
Coming from a family of racers, McCray was extremely familiar with the San Bernardino, Calif., racetrack which is owned by the National Orange Show fairgrounds.
“My parents had been bringing me here since I was nine,” he recalled. “The last thing I wanted to see was it shut down.” McCray is so familiar with the racetrack he can even tell you the best driving line as he was the OSS Rookie of the Year in 1976.
“We got everything taken care of (with the contract on February 18) and are really looking forward to working with Rick. We had some other proposals to take over the track operations, but Rick’s was easily the best fit for Orange Show Speedway. We wanted someone who had experience in racing, had good credentials, and was successful in business. Rick brings all those things,” said Dan Jimenez, general manager of National Orange Show.
The same night that the contract was signed, McCray held a meeting with the track’s competitors to discuss their thoughts for the season. He was impressed that more than 200 people showed up despite this being a very “last minute deal.”
“I wanted to let the racers know that they too are customers of Orange Show Speedway, and not just the fans,” McCray said about the town hall-style meeting. “We are going to try to clean the place up racing-wise and appearance-wise. We are working hard to get the local businesses back involved with the racetrack, and not just as sponsors. We need to get the community involved and the more people that help each other out can help stimulate things throughout San Bernardino overall. We have to get everybody back on the ship to make it work.”
McCray stressed to the drivers that he intends to be fair, and eliminate the “gray areas” in the rules that they may have experienced in the past.
“Racers just want the rules to be enforced the same for everybody. I’ve been a competitor and now that I’m on the other side of the fence I think I understand better than many about what a racer wants, and that is simply fairness across the board,” McCray explained.
The 14-race season will open on March 28. The primary classes will be Super Late Models and Late Models (alternating every other week), Factory 4, Pro 4, Ford Focus, Street Stock, Pony Stock, Legends and Bandoleros. McCray indicated that there will be a variety of special events throughout the year as well, citing demolition derbies, Figure 8s, and the occasional drifting show. Several touring series will make a visit to OSS, including the USAC Midgets (August 8), the Lucas Oil Superclean Modifieds, and a Super Late Model series (formerly the Southwest Tour).
A brand-new web site (www.BestInTheWestRacing.com) will debut in a couple of weeks for fans to check out all the information about Orange Show Speedway. People interested in more information are also invited to call (909) 885-9000.
“This year we are just planning to see what works and what doesn’t. We’ll just throw it all out there and then evaluate the reception based on the attendance and the numbers and see what gets it done,” McCray said.
A former driver in what are now known as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Camping World West Series, one thing that McCray said was never really in question was whether or not OSS would be a Level 1 participant in the ASA Member Track Series.
“I got a couple of phone calls from racers who said that they really liked being part of the ASA program,” he explained. “Basically, it turned out that almost 100 percent of them wanted to remain with the ASA, and when your customers are telling you something like that why rock the boat?”
“I’ve known Dennis (Huth, president of the American Speed Association) since the late ‘70s when he was promoting Portland Speedway and when he was heading up the NASCAR Truck program. I didn’t realize his involvement with ASA until recently and when we got on the phone and he presented his ASA Member Track package it was just much more enticing than what (others) were offering.”
One of the areas that McCray highlighted as a major benefit to the ASA Member Track program was the insurance, particularly the coverage for participants to-and-from the racetrack itself.
“In retrospect, when towing to-and-from the racetrack is probably when more of the accidents happen so to be covered during that phase of the racing event as well is a great part of the ASA insurance,” he said.
ASA members in good standing are eligible for a $500,000 Excess Medical Benefit as well as a $20,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefit. Coverage for the member begins while traveling to a location promoting an ASA-sanctioned event and continues until arrival home again. The American Speed Association is the only sanctioning body to offer insurance coverage which extends beyond the boundary of the racetrack itself (complete details are available online at www.ASA-Racing.com).
“Orange Show Speedway is a great racetrack with a ton of history and I’m proud of Rick for stepping up and taking charge,” said Dennis Huth. “He was a no-nonsense driver on the track, and he’ll be taking that same attitude into the role of promoter and will be well respected by the competitors there. He has a big job ahead of him to turn things around and get the community back involved, but the ASA stands behind him and is willing to help in every way we can. I’m already planning my trip out to Orange Show Speedway to meet the competitors and personally thank them for their support of the ASA and making Rick aware that their membership was that important to them.”
“We’ve got a lot of good people here, but one person cannot turn things around,” McCray said. “We really need the support of the community; of the drivers, of their sponsors, and of the fans and business around the region. But, knowing that he (Dennis) has our back is very important too.”
The ASA Member Track program is comprised of more than 30 short tracks around the United States, as well as a variety of regional and national touring series. For more information, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. For news and information from all the racetracks and tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.
ASA™, ASA Racing™ and American Speed Association are trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. Racing Speed Associates, LLC is not related to or affiliated with ASA Late Model Series, LLC.
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