Ace Speedway to Resume 2015 Season Under Brad Allen

Brad Allen is returning to Ace Speedway once more and the track’s 2015 season will resume on July 24th.

Allen, who currently works with the Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS), has reached a conditional agreement to cover the outstanding debt and reopen the track, located in Altamahaw, North Carolina, for the remainder of the 2015 season.

“I haven’t got the check yet, no official announcement until everything’s in place,” Allen said.  “There’s a conditional agreement to get back 24^th of July to set it up and that’s enough to cover outstanding debt where we can operate the rest of the year.”

Allen had run the track for five seasons but stepped aside at the end of 2014, which was when Bill Catania and Short Track Management took over.  The track closed down in early June with thousands of dollars in outstanding debt.  While it seemed unlikely Allen would return to his role as the general manager of Ace Speedway, it is a track the former racer loves and wants to see succeed.

“It’s beyond running the place the last five years,” Allen stated.  “I raced here.  I grew up here.  I know what it means to these people that made their plans to go to Ace Speedway on Friday nights … Last year was tough for me personally.  I didn’t plan on running the speedway until we lost Rodney.  I felt obligated to his memory to do it.  Probably did it under some circumstances that weren’t very productive to success.

“I had personal problems.  In your business life, it isn’t going right dealing with people that take things for granted, whether it’s an employee, sponsor, driver.  I had some problems with officials.  It overwhelmed me a little bit.  You have to have a love for the place to give the effort it demands … When everything’s getting away from you, it wears on you.”

Allen is already looking into running some special events with hopes of attracting CARS Tour competitors who have otherwise been running exclusively in the series.

“We’re looking at getting a CARS Type event after they run Orange County this year,” Allen explained.  “These guys have been running CRS exclusively, give them a chance to do a little racing as that series winds down.  I’d like to keep my relationship to secure dates next year.  Right now, this is for the remainder of 2015.  We’ll make a decision in November whether to go forward or not.  He’s entertaining offers to sell the place.  For the condition that the speedway deteriorated into in a shor tamount of time, it’s hard to watch.  If it’s racing season, it needs to be racing.”

Along with the CARS Tour, the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Labor Day race at Ace Speedway, which was cancelled, could also be back on the schedule.  Allen says he has talked to PASS President Tom Mayberry and they will make a decision shortly on whether that is an option.  According to Allen, PASS will still race on Labor Day and has entertained the possibility of racing at the soon to be opened Carteret County Speedway in Eastern North Carolina.

When Ace Speedway closed, the drivers and fans of the speedway had already been talking with Brad Allen as well as Southern National Motorsports Park promoter Langley Austin, who promoted two races at Ace in 2014, in hopes of convincing them to reach a deal with track owner Abraham Woidislawsky to reopen the track.

“We were at Motor Mile with the CARS Tour and a few of those guys heard the rumors,” Allen commented.  “I shared with them what we agreed upon until then.  The rumor mill and racing community can spin it pretty quick.  I’ve rached out to drivers, some reached out to me.  I’d like to get our car count back to where our average was last year and try to run bigger events.

Brad Allen is returning to Ace Speedway once more and the track’s 2015 season will resume on July 24th.

Allen, who currently works with the Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS), has reached a conditional agreement to cover the outstanding debt and reopen the track, located in Altamahaw, North Carolina, for the remainder of the 2015 season.

“I haven’t got the check yet, no official announcement until everything’s in place,” Allen said.  “There’s a conditional agreement to get back 24^th of July to set it up and that’s enough to cover outstanding debt where we can operate the rest of the year.”

Allen had run the track for five seasons but stepped aside at the end of 2014, which was when Bill Catania and Short Track Management took over.  The track closed down in early June with thousands of dollars in outstanding debt.  While it seemed unlikely Allen would return to his role as the general manager of Ace Speedway, it is a track the former racer loves and wants to see succeed.

“It’s beyond running the place the last five years,” Allen stated.  “I raced here.  I grew up here.  I know what it means to these people that made their plans to go to Ace Speedway on Friday nights … Last year was tough for me personally.  I didn’t plan on running the speedway until we lost Rodney.  I felt obligated to his memory to do it.  Probably did it under some circumstances that weren’t very productive to success.

“I had personal problems.  In your business life, it isn’t going right dealing with people that take things for granted, whether it’s an employee, sponsor, driver.  I had some problems with officials.  It overwhelmed me a little bit.  You have to have a love for the place to give the effort it demands … When everything’s getting away from you, it wears on you.”

Allen is already looking into running some special events with hopes of attracting CARS Tour competitors who have otherwise been running exclusively in the series.

“We’re looking at getting a CARS Type event after they run Orange County this year,” Allen explained.  “These guys have been running CRS exclusively, give them a chance to do a little racing as that series winds down.  I’d like to keep my relationship to secure dates next year.  Right now, this is for the remainder of 2015.  We’ll make a decision in November whether to go forward or not.  He’s entertaining offers to sell the place.  For the condition that the speedway deteriorated into in a shor tamount of time, it’s hard to watch.  If it’s racing season, it needs to be racing.”

Along with the CARS Tour, the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Labor Day race at Ace Speedway, which was cancelled, could also be back on the schedule.  Allen says he has talked to PASS President Tom Mayberry and they will make a decision shortly on whether that is an option.  According to Allen, PASS will still race on Labor Day and has entertained the possibility of racing at the soon to be opened Carteret County Speedway in Eastern North Carolina.

When Ace Speedway closed, the drivers and fans of the speedway had already been talking with Brad Allen as well as Southern National Motorsports Park promoter Langley Austin, who promoted two races at Ace in 2014, in hopes of convincing them to reach a deal with track owner Abraham Woidislawsky to reopen the track.

“We were at Motor Mile with the CARS Tour and a few of those guys heard the rumors,” Allen commented.  “I shared with them what we agreed upon until then.  The rumor mill and racing community can spin it pretty quick.  I’ve rached out to drivers, some reached out to me.  I’d like to get our car count back to where our average was last year and try to run bigger events.

“They’ve been off six weeks now.  People are itching to go back there.  It’s evident when I go to other tracks.  They want to race, these guys had sponsorship agreements that had to be fulflled.  Trying to give them eight races.  It’s hard to make a schedule in the middle of July when everyting else is already in place.  We’re a Friday niht track so hopefully conflicts don’t interfere too much with plans going forward.”