Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 13, 1990 TAG: 9005090226
SECTION: DISCOVER THE NEW RIVER VALLEY PAGE: 46 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
Local law enforcement officials are on hand to keep an eye on things, of course, but nobody gets arrested for going too fast. At the Pulaski County Speedway, speed is the object.
About 4,000 people from all over the New River Valley are there to watch drivers from Bristol to Richmond race around the NASCAR-sanctioned track.
The New River Valley sports a few drivers of its own.
"We've got the most exciting event on a Saturday night in the New River Valley," brags Steve McMurray, the speedway's president and promoter. "It's action packed, thrilling auto-racing."
This will be the third season for the speedway, which features races ranging from street stock to late models. And he says it's going to be a good one.
Season highlights include the Busch Grand National, a touring series that will be here in late July for the second year in a row. "I'm gonna have it the rest of my life if they'll let me," McMurray said.
Other speedway-related activities include displays, fireworks, and occasional visits from the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Ken Schrader.
This year, McMurray said he hopes to set up a concert with a country band or two. And there's a clown there every week to entertain kids of all ages.
The price tag for the kids is more than affordable - it's free for anyone under 9. It's $8 for everybody else.
"We're doing really well," McMurray said. "The weather's not always that great, and that hurts us. But eventually we're going to turn that around."
The fans sit in bunches, some wearing racing T-shirts and waving banners to support their favorite drivers, others wearing non-commital shirts and blue jeans.
Karen Sifford, who works at the speedway, says there's a family atmosphere in the stands that surround this track, which runs four-tenths of a mile.
"We call it `Affordable family fun' because the children get in free," she said. "You'd be surprised how many women come out here - maybe more than the men. A lot of people think of it as a male sport, but we also have a woman driver."
People often come and picnic before the races, Sifford said. But it's not for a lack of food in the speedway's concession stands where hot dogs and hamburgers, french fries and funnel cakes are the featured items.
The gates open at noon and the drivers practice from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Qualifying is usually around 5:15 p.m. and the races begin around 7 p.m.
Races will be held every Saturday night through September.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB