Skyline Speedway held its season opener April 2, bringing the roar of dirt-track racing back to Athens County, despite heavy rains forcing nearby road closures.
The Hocking River swelled beyond its banks and submerged Ohio Route 329. Federal Creek also deposited mud on the road where it had crested hours earlier. Yet track promoter Steve Curtis decided to hold fast to the first event listed on the season schedule.
The facility used 700 gallons of fuel for its equipment to prepare the rain saturated track and pit area for safe and acceptable conditions, in addition to the damaged engine of a water truck that is vital for rolling the clay surface. The show went on – though well beyond budget.
Curtis assembled an experienced group of dirt-racing professionals that organize operations, prepare the facility, coordinate the drivers and tend to the concerns of the race fans.
“Most of (the) achievement goes to these guys here because they’ve all busted their tails,” Curtis said. “I’ve got a group of good people here.”
Curtis owns and operates Curtis Towing, located on Columbus Road in Athens. He was born and raised near Stewart, attended races at the speedway when he was a child and didn’t like the thought of the speedway sitting vacant.
Curtis reopened the 3/8-mile clay oval track last summer when he leased the track for two successful events. He has re-leased the track for 2017, with a larger number of races planned.
Race fans traveled from across the area, and over 110 competitors rolled into the pit area, with their race cars in tow, anxious to appease their winter boredom.
Leon Beesley traveled from Waverly. He is a pipeline inspector from Atoka, Oklahoma, and has been a race fan all his life. When he saw a car-hauler traveling on Route 50, he decided to follow it to the racetrack. Beesley described racing as “a great tradition, it’s great family fun. … There’s so many aspects that you can get into.”
Steve and Gina Cox, a couple from Gallipolis, Ohio, came to Skyline in support of two friends who were competing. Steve has been a race fan his whole life, but never of dirt-track racing. When asked for his impression of Skyline, Steve said, “it’s a pretty wild time.”
Dirt-track racing plays a significant role in the culture of the entire Mid-Ohio Valley. Skyline Speedway has contributed to that culture for decades, and Curtis hopes to continue Athens County’s contribution for many more.
Skyline Speedway has scheduled its next event for Friday. The event will offer four classes of racing. The late-models are the fastest race cars, followed by the modifieds, sport modifieds and four-cylinders.
