ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605200124
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: 14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: KRISTEN KAMMERER STAFF WRITER
If you think there aren't any legal ways to fill your weekend nights with speed, danger and heart-pounding excitement, then you've never seen stock cars race at the New River Valley Speedway.
Tucked in a small green valley, the speedway is located two miles south of Radford on Route 11, the former location of the old Pulaski County Speedway.
Every Saturday night from April through October, the air over the paved .4 mile racing oval fills with the thunderous roars of high-powered engines, squealing rubber and an announcer's blow-by-blow coverage. Talented and gutsy drivers tear around the track in their souped-up and stripped-down Pontiacs, Fords and Chevys at speeds of up to 95 mph.
The action draws hundreds and sometimes thousands of enthusiastic fans. Some sit in the grandstands. Others bring picnics and spread out along the grassy hills that bank the facility. A few park close to the track and watch from inside or on top of their cars.
Every fan has his or her own opinion of where to get the best view. Bill Bandy of Pearisburg, who's has been coming to the track since it opened in May 1988, says the best seats are "anywhere on the top row of the grandstand."
Kathy Williams of Giles, binoculars in hand, says, "Turn four is definitely the best place to watch them come around."
But no matter where you sit, you can't escape the thrill. Applause and cheers are frequent as drivers make their qualifying laps and occasionally spin out in clouds of smoke.
Accidents are an obvious hazard of stock-car racing, and several well-staffed ambulances wait quietly at different stations along the track.
The speedway features several different divisions of stock-car racing, including Late Model Stock Car, Limited Sportsman, Modified Mini Stock, Mini Stock and Pure Stock. Each division has certain specifications regarding engine construction and body design.
While racing fans evaluate the cars and drivers, a colorful clown, Checkers, roams through the stands handing out pieces of bubble gum. He is often followed by a small band of smiling children.
A big percentage of the audiences is composed of youngsters. It seems like the pastime of coming to the races is passed down from generation to generation.
And the Speedway does all it can to make its future racing fans feel welcome. The track includes several children's events such as Big Wheel, bicycle and kart races in every program.
However, the kids are just as interested in the "real" racing as the adults. Long-time fan, Megan Dalton, 7, of Hillsville, even has a favorite driver - Johnny Rumley, a former Mid-Atlantic Champion. But, she admits, she also likes the many different colors on the cars.
In case watching all those brightly colored cars going round and round makes you hungry, there's plenty to indulge in at the concession stands. For those with big appetites, there's pizza, hamburgers, french fries, nachos and hot pretzels. For the sweet tooths, there's cotton candy, funnel cake and ice cream.
This year, the speedway's co-owner and promoter, Ronnie Snoddy, promises even more excitement. Along with the regular NASCAR Winston Racing Series, the speedway will feature five long-distance races, a new truck division, the Mid-Atlantic Open Wheel Modifieds, a race-simulator ride, a Fourth of July Monster Truck show and even professional wrestling.
Admission to the speedway is $10 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under. The gates open Saturdays at 2 p.m. and qualifying rounds begin at 6:15 p.m. The first green flag drops at 8:00 p.m. Picnicking is allowed, but no glass containers are permitted on the facility and public consumption of alcohol is, by law, prohibited.
For more information, call (540) 639-1700. |GENE DALTON/Staff The roaring Saturday-night action at New River Valley Speedway draws hundreds and sometimes thousands of enthusiastic fans.
TIP SHEET
New River Valley Speedway
U.S. 11 in Radford
Races start 8 p.m.
Admission: adults $10, kids 12 and under $1
Call 639-1700
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB