Greetings from Painesville, Ohio
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From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
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Painesville Speedway
Asphalt oval
Lifetime Track #492
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Painesville Speedway
Asphalt figure 8
Lifetime Track #493
Reprinted with permission from my June 30, 2001 Trackchaser Report
As of 2016 the former Painesville Speedway is now known at the Lake County Speedway.
Greetings from Painesville, Ohio
TRAVEL/PEOPLE NEWS
Jim Sabo, Ed Montgomery and I made our way up to Painesville Speedway from downtown Cleveland. It was less than a one-hour drive. Earlier in the day we had all gone to the Cleveland Grand Prix in downtown Cleveland.
RACING NEWS
Painesville has been in operation for 43 years. It’s a flat ¼ mile asphalt oval and a traditional figure 8 track as well. Painesville was the most entertaining race of the weekend. Admission was just 8 bucks.
They had very prominent signs stating, “No camcorders”. I don’t see this very often but I accepted their rule. We all sat directly in front of the announcer. I gave the announcer my trackchasing information. He invited me into the booth and we talked over the P.A. for a few minutes about trackchasing. I was able to get in my normal plug about the trackchaser website. I also had the opportunity to acknowledge Jim and Ed.
The racing was very good. We saw more side-by-side racing tonight than I’ve seen at the last 25 tracks I’ve visited. The weather threatened. Since the figure 8 show was the last race of the evening I was concerned I would miss out on that track. Not to worry. The promoter told me they always run the figure 8 race even if it rains. As a matter of fact they even wet the track before the figure 8 race begins!
Refreshments were highlighted by the rib sandwiches for $2.75 The remainder of the menu was racetrack traditional. They did do one thing that virtually no track does. They continually gave the score of the Cleveland Indians game that was in progress. The Indians are obviously very popular in this area.
Car classes included: mini-cups, trophy stocks, semi lates and figure 8s. If you like to be close to the action and see very close racing you’ll enjoy Painesville Speedway. This is down home Saturday night racing.
The oval and then figure 8 tracks were my 492nd and 493rd lifetime tracks.
Weather: t-shirt and shorts, but as the storm came nearby the wind picked up and long sleeve shirts were the order of the day.
Current rental car mileage: Jim drove
Most unusual ad at the track: Team Master Casket Stores – caskets, urns, grave liners, etc!
Painesville Speedway History
Here is an article from Daniel Chervenak on the history of the Painesville Speedway. Thanks, Daniel.
Hello
Here is some info about Painesville Speedway’s history.
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Johnny Ray who is deceased now, used to race rat racers at sport stocks there. His last car was a 57 Chevy.
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You had a class at one point called Hurricanes where they used 6 cylinder full sized hardtops or convertibles in the 60’s.
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Then they had the Pony car class which consisted of: Camaro’s, Mustang’, Challenger’s, etc. with drivers such as: Bob Burt, Lanny Laughlin, Bob Smelcer, Ray Thomas.
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Before sportsman, they were called sport stocks and Bob Fatica is the only one left who raced them then and now. He first started in spectator stocks and then moved into sport stocks in the late 70’s when they created that class.
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Some of those drivers have been: Jim Sharpe, Marc Colegrove, Mark Ungar, Joe and Denny Vargo, Mickey Caranci, Leroy Caranci, Dan Fults (First 4 time sportsman Champ), Kenny Bender (First 4 in a Row Champ), Mayo Spence, Dale March, Jim Cohagen, Gordon Allen, Dave Lawson, Giselle Evola, Denise Williams, Stu Martin III, Alonzo Henderson.
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For awhile from 73 to 79 you had a class called superstock which would evolve into super latemodels that ran there in what was called the Russ Rubino Buckeye World Series of Racing that will include Painesville Speedway, Lorain Speedway and Cloverleaf Speedway.
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Super Latemodel Drivers: Rusty Adams (First 3 in a row Champ at Painesville), Kenny Adams, thingy Adams, Muttly Kurkowski (1983 ASA Rookie of the Year), Terry Adams, Glen and Marc Bolen, Denny Vargo, Bill Neubert, Brian Volk, Bill Dave (Not Billy Davis).
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You’ve also had some great figure 8 racers: Spyron Figure 8 Team (Usually about 6 to 8 cars),
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Track Patrol (The Mason Brothers), Big Daddy Fade, Kyle and Bubba Matttson, George Puskas, Herbie Reynolds (Greatest Figure 8 Racer Ever), Jeff and Craig Marvin, Jeff Kokish, Kenny Bender, Ray Fairbanks, Of course the Infamous Joe March (Also Good), Bill Lett Jr. (Now in North Carolina building Street Stocks, racing and in a Stock Car Racing magazine article).
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Some other notable:
Jeff Hooker who went to race in Winston Cup, raced there.
Kenny Adams would go on and race in ASA
Muttly Kurkowski of course in ASA
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These are just some of the tid bits about the track. It would be great to have an Oldtimers Night to remember some of these guy’s before they all pass.
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Other drivers in Rat Racer or sport stock: Ray Kieran Sr., Gary Ahola, Joe Caranci, Jim Taylor, Jim VanGunten Sr., Jay Kovacs, Larry and Mike Winters (Shifters Dad). Slow John Marcuson,
Bill Serles (Great local Black Racer), Herb Gindelsberger, Jake Walker, Jimmy Lewis, Gary May, thingy and Rich Krotz, Tony Delillo, thingy Arnold, Don Fitzgerald, etc.
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By
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Daniel Chervenak
Additionally USAC midgets raced at Painesville. On September 3, 1959 Gene Hartley won the feature. The next year on June 22, 1960 Bob Wente was the winner.
New racetracks visited in 2001
Editor’s note: You can try these website URLs listed below but they were active in 2001 and may not be today. Good luck!
- Laughlin Event Center, Laughlin, NV (no web site)
- Loc Moran, Mont Carmel, Quebec (http://www.grabnetworks.net/delta/)
- Circuit Jacques Rainville, Vanier, Quebec (no web site)
- Pauline Davis Pavilion, Red Bluff, CA (http://www.rboutlaws.com/)
- The Pavilion at the Fairgrounds, Chico, CA (no web site)
- Baton Rouge Raceway, Baker, LA (http://www.batonrougeraceway.com)
- Mississippi Motorsports Park, Long Beach, MS (http://www.msmotorsportspark.com)
- South Alabama Motor Speedway, Opp, AL (http://www.southalabamaspeedway.com)
- Nashville Super Speedway, Smyrna, TN (http://www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com)
- Beech Bend Raceway (oval track), Bowling Green, KY (http://www.beechbend.com)
- Beech Bend Raceway (figure 8 track), Bowling Green, KY (http://www.beechbend.com)
- Soggy Bottom Speedway, Morgantown, KY (http://www.soggybottomspeedway.com)
- Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Buttonwillow, CA (http://www.buttonwillowraceway.com)
- Speedway 90, Beaumont, TX (http://www.Speedway90Bmt.com)
- 105 Speedway, Cleveland, TX (http://www.105speedway.com/)
482 Savannah Speedway, Savannah, MO (no web site)
- Winston Speedway, Winston, MO (no web site)
- Stuart Speedway, Stuart, IA (http://www.midiowa.com/showtime/stuart.html)
- Barberton Speedway, Barberton, OH (http://www.barbertonspeedway.com/)
- Eriez Speedway, Erie, PA (http://www.statelineeriezspeedway.com/)
- Anderson Dry Lake, Lucerne Valley, CA (http://hometown.aol.com/mdrracing/index.html)
- Perris Auto Speedway-(figure 8 track), Perris, CA(http://www.perrisautospeedway.com/)
- Dixie Motor Speedway – (figure 8 track), Birch Run, MI (http://www.dixiemotorspeedway.com)
- Dixie Motor Speedway – (oval track), Birch Run, MI (http://www.dixiemotorspeedway.com)
- Grand Prix of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH (http://www.imgmotorsports.com/)
492 Painesville Speedway – (oval track), Painesville, OH (http://members.tripod.com/pspeedway/)
493 Painesville Speedway – (figure 8 track), Painesville, OH (http://members.tripod.com/pspeedway/)