Welcome to 2004 and to the first installment of “Traveling The Circuit.” I am looking forward to a new year, a new racing season and more importantly a new challenge as I attempt to write a column that is interesting and entertaining to you the readers. I am not sure where my travels will take me this year but I will attempt to bring some of my adventures to life on this website. I am a sprint car girl at heart but I also enjoy Modifieds, Late Models, E-mods and just about anything else with four wheels!!
I have been an avid race fan all of my life. I probably attended my first race at the age of four months. That may seem old by some standards but I was born in December and racing in Western PA doesn’t start until April so I should get a bit of a break!! Growing up my weekends were spent at tracks throughout Western and Central PA, Ohio and Maryland. I may have missed school dances, the prom and sorority formals but it was all for a good cause—I had to be at the race track. Actually I have never regretted not attending those activities for one minute as the strong family ties that racing enabled me to develop were and still are much more important. Other families may reminisce about the beach and trips to Disney; my family reminisces about sleepness nights on Ohio Sprint Speedweek when the people in room above us sounded like a marching band or the time we sat next to a gentleman at the Millstream Speedway who did the best impersonation of a train we had ever heard!! We still joke about the time a pizza box on fire at the Pennsboro Speedway made my sister think she was going to die in West Virginia!! These are the types of adventures I would like to bring to the readers.
This past September I made my first visit to the Little Valley Speedway. The track is located at the Cattaraugus County Fairgrounds in the middle of the small town of Little Valley. New York. The local fairboard schedules six to eight events each year and the schedule features the ULMS Late Model Series and special appearances by the DIRT Small Block Modifieds and the BRP Modified Tour. The speedway is one half mile in size with wide straight-aways and tight, narrow turns that make for great racing action. This is the only facility I have been to where the horse stalls double as pit stalls on race night. I should also mention that the midway under the grandstand area includes a lunch counter operated by the local Eastern Star organization. The lunch counter features slices of homemade pies and not just one variety; you could choose from apple, blackberry and rhubarb just to name a few.
The four-division program was completed in a timely manner and the racing surface was smooth and dust free. The local fans I spoke with indicated that many townspeople in the area oppose the race track but from my experiences at other facilities they should not complain. The four division racing was completed by 11:00PM and some facilities in Western PA do not complete their regular programs until the wee hours of the following morning which is not very conducive to being a good neighbor.
For those fans who like to incorporate other activities into their racing travels you should note that Little Valley is only ten miles from the Salamanca gaming facility and one half hour from the Chautauqua resort area.
I was impressed by the friendliness of the staff and the great racing action and hope to return to the facility this year.
I hope you have all enjoyed my first column. Until next time be safe in your travels. News, notes, comments and constructive criticism are always welcome at sprintcarfan@comcast.net.
Marcie
