Big Business
Big Business ng The Past , Building the Future by Aaron London
Another tradition that continues at New Smyrna Speedway is building the future of racing , both in terms of fans and new drivers . Getting the next generation involved and excited about racing is a prime focus for smaller tracks like New Smyrna Speedway . “ What we look for is for families to get involved ; We ’ ve got to get the young people involved to take over , If we don ’ t keep the younger people involved , the sport is going to die ”, says Marcus .
Godwin Kelly , former motorsports writer at the Daytona Beach News-Journal who covered auto racing for 40 years , said New Smyrna Speedway has served as a springboard not only for drivers but for racing industry management as well . “ A perfect example of that would be Ben Kennedy , he started at New Smyrna Speedway ,” Kelly said . “ And he ’ s worked his way up from there through the NASCAR ladder system . That ’ s a real plus .”
“ The opportunity for people to get involved in racing at a smaller track like New Smyrna Speedway also has an economic impact . When you add up all the people involved in racing , the money spent on building and maintaining a racecar and everything else involved is a significant amount of money when it ’ s all said and done . “ I ’ d guess you ’ d call it a cottage industry around here ”, said Kelly .
Track Facts : ✔ Grandstand Capacity : 6,000 ✔
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Track Length : 1 / 2 Mile Oval ( 600ft straights / 720ft turns )
Track Width : Turns 70ft / Straights 60ft Banking : 23 degrees
Divisions : NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series : Super Late Models / Pro Late Models / Modified / Mod Minis / Sportsman / Pro-Trucks / Bomber A & B / Super Stocks / Florida Southern Ground Pounders
Longest running event : The World Series of Stock Car Racing will enter its 56th year in February .
Aaron London is managing editor of Evolve Digital . He is also an adjunct professor of journalism at Daytona State College .
NOVEMBER 2021 | 27 |