Yakima Speedway joins track progam
YAKIMA SPEEDWAY SEES GROWTH, BENEFITS TO JOINING ASA PROGRAM DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 26, 2007) -- Yakima (Wash.) Speedway is coming off their best season ever with increases in car counts, attendance, and track revenue. Now, with the news that ...
YAKIMA SPEEDWAY SEES GROWTH, BENEFITS TO JOINING ASA PROGRAM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 26, 2007) -- Yakima (Wash.) Speedway is coming off their best season ever with increases in car counts, attendance, and track revenue. Now, with the news that they have signed a contract with the ASA Member Track program, the track management has even higher expectations for the 2007 season which opens on April 14 with the start of the 41st Annual Apple Cup.
"We had a tremendous year in 2006 and saw major increases in car counts and attendance," said Ron Bennett, general manager of Yakima Speedway. "I think that we can attribute this to hard work and having a few different things come together at the same time. We lowered the admission price, changed our racing classes slightly, and got a lot more involved with our community. We worked with our track sponsors to have them offer discount tickets and had a variety of charitable organizations come to the racetrack and set up booths."
Ted Pollock, who has owned Yakima Speedway for 42 years, puts a different spin on why the half-mile paved oval had such a spectacular year last season.
"I would say that our location, being centrally located, had a lot to do with that," Pollock explained. "Yakima Speedway is equidistant between Portland (Oregon), Spokane (Wash.) and Seattle. The other thing is that we are the only half-mile track in the area and we have no crash wall. It is a lot safer for the drivers because they don't bounce off a concrete wall and have to repair a bunch of costly damage. Instead they can go off and come right back around and get back on the racetrack and continue on."
"Of course, we also make sure that we have a clean facility for the fans, plant flowers to help make it a little more attractive, and offer good food. We also make sure to start our program early and end it early for the families," added Pollock.
The general admission adult ticket price has been lowered 17 percent and is now just $10, with a children's ticket priced at $5. Military and senior discounts are also available. Both Bennett and Pollock take great pride in the fact that Yakima Speedway is the largest spectator sport in their area, and continually draws larger crowds that the local semi-pro baseball and professional basketball teams.
Yakima Speedway will play a key role in establishing the new ASA Northwest Tour as they host three dates this year, and this will be the track's headline touring series. The first date is a 125-lap event on May 26, followed by a pair of 200-lap races on July 7 and September 2. Both of those races will feature live pit stop action.
"We are proud to be the cornerstone of the ASA Northwest Tour and will be the only track to host the series three times. We are also the only track on the schedule where live pit stops will be done so that is pretty exciting for our fans and those teams as well," Bennett said.
The 2007 season opens with the April 14-15 running of the 41st Annual Apple Cup with a $5,000-to-win purse for the Super Late Models. The closing event is the 20th Annual Fall Classic which will be held on September 28, 29 and October 1. The total purse for this event has grown over the years and now stands in excess of $80,000, with the Super Late Models gunning for the $16,000 prize.
The Saturday night program features Late Models, Super Stock, Hobby Stock, Hornets, and a Bump-to-Pass class. For the full 2007 schedule, and other track information, visit www.YakimaSpeedway.com or telephone the racetrack at (509) 248-0647.
Yakima Speedway joins the ASA Member Track program as a Level II participant, partnering them with a national organization of racetracks, regional and national touring series across the United States, each dedicated to working together to improve the state of weekly racing for both the fans and competitors. The competitors at Yakima Speedway will also be covered by the renowned ASA insurance plan.
The ASA insurance program, always noted for its excellence, has been further enhanced by the partnership with TOPIC Motorsports Insurance (TMI). ASA Member Track operators are able to purchase general and excess liability, automobile, an expanded ASA-exclusive $500,000 participant accident medical, workers compensation and health insurance directly from TMI. Details are available online at www.TOPICinsurance.com.
Dennis Huth, president of the ASA Member Track, Regional and National Racing programs, has nothing but praise for what Pollock has accomplished in his four decades as owner of Yakima Speedway.
"It seems like I've known Ted forever, but in reality it can only be counted in terms of many, many years and I have always been a fan of what he has done, and continues to do at Yakima Speedway and in Motorsports," said Huth. "I have worked with him in the past and I am really looking forward to rekindling that relationship again and help Yakima Speedway continue moving forward with their outstanding growth. Ron has done an excellent job on the management side, and this entire package of staff, facility, and great racing is a perfect representation of what the ASA Member Track program is designed to be."
-credit: asa
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