Eldora Speedway’s promoter and general manager Roger Slack was named Auto Racing Promoter of the Year (ARPY) during the 47th Annual RPM Workshops in Daytona Beach, Florida. The honor, awarded for the 44th consecutive year by Racing Promotion Monthly, is selected by promoters of over 1,200 speedways, dragways and road courses across North America.
Additionally, the 36th annual Kings Royal was voted Outstanding Annual Short-Track Event of the Year. Previously honored in 1997, the Kings Royal is the first event to earn the prestigious accolade for a second time.
“This is a tremendous honor to be able to accept this award on behalf of our entire team at Eldora,” said Slack, who garnered over 73% of the ARPY votes during the final round of balloting. “This is voted on by the industry and to be recognized like this is very humbling. I am very fortunate to have my family and so many friends here to share in this – it’s incredible. Eldora has such a great history and our entire team, sometimes as many as 400-500 at our biggest events, earned this honor with their hard work and welcoming nature. They are all so dedicated and we’re fortunate that Tony (Stewart) continues to provide us with the resources to grow Eldora and continue the legacy built by Earl and Berneice (Baltes).”
Slack has worked his entire career in the racing industry. His family’s footprints in racing date back four generations, starting with his great grandparents, who were involved in thoroughbred horse racing. His grandfather, Bob Slack, was the visionary behind Canada’s Cayuga Speedway (now known as Jukasa Motor Speedway) in Ontario and his father, Randy, was an accomplished short-track racer on both asphalt and dirt in late models, big-block modifieds and even big rig semi-trucks. Roger’s younger brother, Bobby, is a business partner at Bicknell Racing Products, one of the most-recognized names in dirt modified and specialty parts manufacturing.
Short-track racing has always been our family’s passion,” Slack continued. “It is what we have always done and today, this award is not just for me, but for everyone at Eldora and all of those who have believed in me throughout my career.”
Originally scheduled as a three-day weekend, the 2019 Kings Royal became a four-day extravaganza by chance when rain pushed the final night of May’s #LetsRaceTwo Doubleheader, featuring both the World of Outlaws and USAC National Sprint Cars, to the Wednesday night preceding the Kings Royal. Never mind that Stewart’s bump of the winner’s purse from its traditional $50,000 to a staggering $175,000-to-win attracted the largest crowd in the 36 year history of the event, temperatures soared to over 100 degrees throughout the week calling for quick response and a robust action plan by Eldora’s track services team, the medical professionals in the Premier Health Infield Care Center, area ambulance services, local rescue squads and nearby hospitals.
“This was a big year for the Kings Royal and the action behind-the-scenes was as wild as the action on the track,” explained Slack. “Everyone at Eldora is dedicated to providing our fans with the most enjoyable experience possible while watching the best and bravest racers chasing after those big paydays. The way all of the great people of Darke, Mercer, Auglaize and surrounding counties pull together to make them feel welcome regardless of the conditions, whether heat or rain, is second-to-none. Our officials, event teams, church and high school groups, the sheriff department, everyone – over 400 people – working together are what make the ‘Eldora Experience’ so memorable, so often, for so many. And we strive to do that every time we open the gates.”
Tickets and campsites for all of Eldora’s 2020 events, including the 50th World 100, are available 24/7 at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or by calling (937) 338-3815 on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
About Eldora Speedway:
Since carved from a cornfield in the natural amphitheater that existed between the Eldora Ballroom and the Wabash River by bandleader Earl Baltes in 1954, Eldora Speedway has grown to be a frontrunner in motorsports growth and stability. Baltes chose to sell the legendary high-banked clay oval to motorsports entrepreneur and NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC champion Tony Stewart in 2004. Eldora celebrates its 67th consecutive season of racing in 2020 featuring the biggest events in short-track racing, including: the 26th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream Weekend on June 4th-5th-6th; the 37th Kings Royal Weekend on July 15th-16th-17th-28th; the only NASCAR National Series event on dirt – the NASCAR Gander Outdoors & RV Truck Series Eldora Dirt Derby on Thursday, July 30th; the 50th Annual World 100 Weekend on September 10th-11th-12th; and the historic 4-Crown Nationals on September 25th and 26th. The complete schedule for Eldora’s 2020 calendar, including ticket and campsite information, is available at www.EldoraSpeedway.com. Fans can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on social channels Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Exclusive video content posted on www.youtube.com/EldoraSpeedway has nearly 7M views.
About Racing Promotion Monthly (RPM) Newsletter and RPM Workshops:
The Racing Promotion Monthly (RPM) Newsletter and RPM Workshops provide an educational and networking program to the motorsports industry. The program provides media and meeting platforms which offer promoters, motorsports management, tracks, sanctions and companies a forum to share, educate and network within. The newsletter and workshops are services of Hoosier Racing Tire and K&K Insurance, with supporting sponsorship coming from Chevrolet Performance Products, RACEceiver, Moffett Productions, IMCA Racing, Eldorado Hotel and Casino, Simes Graphic Design, Firethorn Marketing, Lucas Oil Products, Sunoco Racing Fuel and INEX US Legend Cars.
Eldora Speedway PR
