The short-track stock car racing season is just about to get underway. Race fans are looking forward to the season with anticipation and are excited about getting back in the stands to cheer for their favourite drivers. Wade Wilson recently had a Conversation with Speedway 660’s Max Roy about the 2014 season.
Talkin with Max Roy
Wade: Max I hope you had a great winter and are all ready for the racing season.
Max: We had a very good winter Wade and we held the first ever snowmobile drag races at the Speedway 660 back in February. It was a great success and we were very pleased to be able to showcase the Speedway as a multi-function facility. It always seems to be a work in progress getting everything ready for our Stock Car racing season but we will certainly be ready when the green flag waves for the first time in 2014 this coming Sunday.
Max Roy welcomes the 2013 SpeedWeekend fans on behalf of the Speedway 660 owners group. Max looks forward to another great season of stock car racing in the Geary Woods beginning this weekend!
Wade: As new owners, the Roy and Foley families must have gone through a fairly steep learning curve last season. What are some of the things you learned last year that will help year in 2014 and beyond?
Max: The most important thing we learned is that there is a tremendous group of staff and volunteers who love racing and enjoy coming out to the track every weekend. Because of their dedication and commitment to the sport, the transition between the old and the new Speedway 660 ownership groups went seamlessly for the fans and the race teams. Operating a race track has its fair share of challenges and it seemed like we encountered a lot of challenges in our first season. I think we are quick learners and hopefully the lessons we learned and experience we gained will help us be more prepared for 2014 and the years to come.
Wade: Stock car racing is all about people. And the folks involved in this sport are pretty dedicated and passionate about racing.
Max: Yes Wade, you and I have been around the speedway for quite some time now and we have seen that dedication first hand. I have already mentioned the dedication to the sport that the folks behind the scenes have but the fans are also very passionate about everything associated with their favorite sport. They are very educated about the sport of stock car racing and exceptionally loyal to their favorite drivers and the sponsors who support the racers and Speedway 660. Our race teams are amazing too, they are loyal to their home track and are the ones who put on a great show for our fans each and every week.
Wade: Looking at the 2014 schedule, I see you have tweaked a few things. I really like the idea of separating Fan Appreciation Night and the Night of Champions. In recent years those two events were combined, but now will run on back to back race dates, just before SpeedWeekend 2014.
Max: Yes we have been looking at ways to give the fans something a little special at each event. So this was just one of those things that we feel will make those two events more exciting. Many fans have been asking for a longer season so we extended the season by two races and added some extended feature races for Bandolero, Sharp Shooters and Street Stock divisions.
Wade: We have five strong divisions at Speedway 660 and it’s great that we’ll see all five of them running on most race dates.
Max: Yes and the car count in each division is looking really good this season and there should be some great rivalries develop and lots of really exciting racing in all five divisions. It’s really nice to see drivers get experience and move up to the higher divisions and we are always really happy when new race teams are formed and come out to race with us.
Wade: Last year you made improvements in the pit area. Are there any infrastructure improvement plans for this year?
Max: We have a very long wish list but the priority this year is the tower and continued improvements to the seating. We’ll continue to make improvements each year and hopefully over time we’ll check all of the things off our wish list. The only problem is, as soon as you check one thing off the list, you think of two more things to add to it!
Wade: It’s always important for us to continue to grow our sport and share the excitement with new fans. Any thoughts on this?
Max: I believe we have the best weekly stock car racing program in the region. We’re really proud of our big events like SpeedWeekend, the Pro All Star Series, the Martitime Pro Stock Tour and the Best of the Best. The product on the track week after week is second to none. The point battles in our five weekly divisions, usually comes right down to the final race of the season before we know who the season’s champions will be. But there’s more to it than that. We are constantly thinking of new ideas that will make the Speedway 660 brand of racing an even more family friendly experience for the fans. And when the fans enjoy our brand of racing, they will tell their friends all about it and encourage them to come down to the races!
Wade: Racing is about partnerships. It all starts with the fans, the race teams, marketing sponsors and Speedway 660 staff and volunteers.
Max: Yes and to steal a rather famous quote, its more than just, “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity lets go racing boys and girls”. Racing does require sponsors and marketing partners for the Speedway and race teams. We are constantly working to make it the best experience we can for all of our racing partners and stakeholders.
Wade: On behalf of everyone involved in racing, I would like to thank the Roy and Foley families for the great work you have done in the last year or so and wish you all the best and much success in the future.
Max: Well on behalf of the Roys and the Foleys we want to thank everyone involved with Speedway 660 and all the wonderful fans and racers who made our first year a great experience and success. We look forward to doing it all over again starting this Sunday May 18 at 2pm. By the way, we’ll have a practice session for all of the teams on Saturday beginning at 1PM. See you all in the Geary Woods!
