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Future
Looks Bright for Mountain Speedway Following Lease Extension
By:
Gene
Ostrowski
June
15, 2008
In the
opinion of some folks, short track racing is a dying breed. High fuel
prices and the current state of the economy aren’t exactly helping the
situation and in turn, tracks struggle to keep their doors open.
However, that’s not the case at Mountain Speedway, as the track will
remain under the same promoter for at least five more seasons of
competition.
Formerly Evergreen Raceway, Mountain Speedway came to life at the start
of the 2000 season under the promotion of Hazleton businessman Joe
Callavini. Since, Callavini has made many improvements at the track,
including new grandstands, pavement in the pit area and track, restroom
renovations and many other appealing changes in appearance.
The lease on the track was set to expire at the end of this season, and
like other speedways in the area, drivers and fans were beginning to
question what the future held for area racing.
Recently, Callavini met with the track owner and the two hashed out
another five-year extension on the lease of the popular 1/3-mile
facility. There is also an option for Callavini to purchase the grounds
at any time.
For obvious reasons and despite the economy, Callavini is excited about
the extension and plans for even more changes and additions, which
should satisfy racers and fans across the Northeast.
He also believes that having the track itself helps local businesses
benefit from the folks that travel to the speedway. “Many of them (the
fans and racers) stop for fuel and dinner at places in our area”, said
Callavini. “Many of them also stay overnight on double race weekends,
especially for the bigger shows at the track”.
While some believe that the grass roots type of racing is, or was just a
fad, Callavini has no regrets about signing another five year deal and
is happy to keep short track racing alive and well in Northeast
Pennsylvania.
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