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SPEEDWAY OWNERS INVESTING A MILLION DOLLARS IN FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS
New frontstretch grandstands, restrooms, suites and concessions will be ready for 2004 season
HARTFORD, Ohio (Feb. 6, 2004) – This year, for her 75th birthday, Sharon Speedway is getting a facelift.
Owners of the 3/8-mile dirt track have begun making more than $1 million in improvements to the Hartford facility and expect to have them completed in time for the start of the 2004 season. “Our goal when we purchased Sharon Speedway was to make it the best short track facility around,” said Dave Blaney, speedway co-owner, “and these improvements are a major step in that direction.”
The focal point of the improvements is a total overhaul of the speedway’s front side. The structure that housed the speedway’s offices, concessions and restrooms has been torn down to make room for a new three-story, 17,500-square-foot building. The first level of the new building will include new and larger restrooms, a new kitchen and concession areas, new souvenir areas and upgraded ticket windows. Eight new suites – five of which will be available for corporate lease, and a new scoring and media area will occupy the top level, and the second floor of the building will house the speedway’s offices and a special kids’ room for young race fans to enjoy.
The speedway’s 1,600 premium seats also will be included in the new building. These seats, in the center of the frontstretch, will be located under the building’s roof. An additional 1,200 seats will flank each side of the premium seats – outside the new building, bringing the total number of seats on the track’s front side to 4,000. Speedway officials plan to enclose the 1,600 premium seats. “Our vision in designing the new building was to enclose the seating area in glass,” said Blaney. “That is still our intention, although we’re not sure if it will be completed for this season. As you can imagine, there is a lot involved in making sure the job is done perfectly so fans can have the best view of the races.”
The race track’s backstretch will have seating for approximately 2,500 fans, bringing the facility’s total seating capacity to 6,500. “We plan to open just the front side stands for all of our Saturday night shows,” Blaney said. “We will use the backstretch stands for our bigger events like the World of Outlaws shows.”
An additional improvement officials made was one that likely will go unnoticed by most race fans. The speedway installed a new treatment system to handle waste water and clean and recycle it for use by the track’s water trucks. “A lot of people don’t realize what goes into operating a facility like this,” Blaney said. “There are a lot behind-the-scenes expenses that may not be seen by fans, but affect their overall experience when they’re at the track. We want fans to have the best experience possible when they come to Sharon Speedway, so we’ve made infrastructure improvements this year as well.”
In another effort to enhance the fans’ experience, speedway officials will complete a hospitality area on the front side that will include pavilions with picnic tables to be used by families or larger groups. “We want to encourage companies and organizations to bring their folks out for an exciting night at the races, so we’re building a hospitality area where they can eat and relax before the racing begins,” Blaney said.
Another of the speedway’s improvements will be implemented when the racing ends. A new victory lane is being constructed and will be used for the 2004 season. “We’re making a lot of improvements for our fans and wanted to do something for our drivers, too,” Blaney said. “It’s an honor to win a race at Sharon Speedway, and we want our race winners to feel special.” The new victory lane will feature a large sign under which drivers will park their winning cars for the trophy presentations and photos.
Blaney thinks the improvements at the 75-year-old speedway will be a winner for the fans and the track alike. “We know these improvements are going to provide a much more enjoyable experience for our fans, and in turn, I think the word is going to spread that Sharon Speedway is a great place to spend a Saturday night with the family. The track has forged a pretty good reputation the past 75 years,” Blaney continued, “and we’re doing everything we can to make it even better.”
New frontstretch grandstands, restrooms, suites and concessions will be ready for 2004 season
HARTFORD, Ohio (Feb. 6, 2004) – This year, for her 75th birthday, Sharon Speedway is getting a facelift.
Owners of the 3/8-mile dirt track have begun making more than $1 million in improvements to the Hartford facility and expect to have them completed in time for the start of the 2004 season. “Our goal when we purchased Sharon Speedway was to make it the best short track facility around,” said Dave Blaney, speedway co-owner, “and these improvements are a major step in that direction.”
The focal point of the improvements is a total overhaul of the speedway’s front side. The structure that housed the speedway’s offices, concessions and restrooms has been torn down to make room for a new three-story, 17,500-square-foot building. The first level of the new building will include new and larger restrooms, a new kitchen and concession areas, new souvenir areas and upgraded ticket windows. Eight new suites – five of which will be available for corporate lease, and a new scoring and media area will occupy the top level, and the second floor of the building will house the speedway’s offices and a special kids’ room for young race fans to enjoy.
The speedway’s 1,600 premium seats also will be included in the new building. These seats, in the center of the frontstretch, will be located under the building’s roof. An additional 1,200 seats will flank each side of the premium seats – outside the new building, bringing the total number of seats on the track’s front side to 4,000. Speedway officials plan to enclose the 1,600 premium seats. “Our vision in designing the new building was to enclose the seating area in glass,” said Blaney. “That is still our intention, although we’re not sure if it will be completed for this season. As you can imagine, there is a lot involved in making sure the job is done perfectly so fans can have the best view of the races.”
The race track’s backstretch will have seating for approximately 2,500 fans, bringing the facility’s total seating capacity to 6,500. “We plan to open just the front side stands for all of our Saturday night shows,” Blaney said. “We will use the backstretch stands for our bigger events like the World of Outlaws shows.”
An additional improvement officials made was one that likely will go unnoticed by most race fans. The speedway installed a new treatment system to handle waste water and clean and recycle it for use by the track’s water trucks. “A lot of people don’t realize what goes into operating a facility like this,” Blaney said. “There are a lot behind-the-scenes expenses that may not be seen by fans, but affect their overall experience when they’re at the track. We want fans to have the best experience possible when they come to Sharon Speedway, so we’ve made infrastructure improvements this year as well.”
In another effort to enhance the fans’ experience, speedway officials will complete a hospitality area on the front side that will include pavilions with picnic tables to be used by families or larger groups. “We want to encourage companies and organizations to bring their folks out for an exciting night at the races, so we’re building a hospitality area where they can eat and relax before the racing begins,” Blaney said.
Another of the speedway’s improvements will be implemented when the racing ends. A new victory lane is being constructed and will be used for the 2004 season. “We’re making a lot of improvements for our fans and wanted to do something for our drivers, too,” Blaney said. “It’s an honor to win a race at Sharon Speedway, and we want our race winners to feel special.” The new victory lane will feature a large sign under which drivers will park their winning cars for the trophy presentations and photos.
Blaney thinks the improvements at the 75-year-old speedway will be a winner for the fans and the track alike. “We know these improvements are going to provide a much more enjoyable experience for our fans, and in turn, I think the word is going to spread that Sharon Speedway is a great place to spend a Saturday night with the family. The track has forged a pretty good reputation the past 75 years,” Blaney continued, “and we’re doing everything we can to make it even better.”
It was sooo nice to see that posted on here!! Sharon Speedway is my home town track and I will be going there next Saturday! We are all so happy to the improvements that the Blaneys have made to the track!!!