Racing has returned to Skyline Speedway in 2017 with a streamlined format that ensures all events begin on time and end as early as three hours later.
Skyline Speedway promoter Steve Curtis is keeping up with the times by keeping an eye on the clock, as events used to run long into the morning hours. The racetrack, located in Guysville, has been a part of Athens County culture for decades, and Curtis doesn’t want to see it go.
“A lot of tracks you won’t get out until 12, one or two o’clock.” Curtis said. “I don’t want to be here that long … no one (does.)”
Todd Gorrell is the speedway’s race director. He coordinates all the competitors in each type of race car and directs them in the pit area to line up and enter the track in a timely manner.
The speedway is also bolstering efforts to appeal to a younger demographic by offering $5 admission to college students. April 14 was the first college admission event, and students from across the region showed up to watch the Friday night racing.
Alex Martin and Cody Morrow are students at West Virginia University at Parkersburg. They traveled to Skyline for the first time Friday instead of attending a speedway nearby.
“The love of dirt-track racing and the $5 (admission price), who can beat that?” Morrow said of their decision.
John Gazzale, a student at Hocking College, joined his family, who traveled from Marietta, to watch Friday’s action.
“I think it’s a good idea to get some of the college kids to come out and experience it,” he said about the admission price. “And they might come back, and I think it’s a great way to do business.”
Skyline will continue its college admission pricing when racing returns Friday. The racetrack offers a flavor of local culture that goes beyond what the quaint, urban bricks provide.
