EDMONTON, AB – Rome Awde has been named the new race director for Castrol Raceway’s 3/8 mile clay oval track. The former race director of the now closed Race City Speedway in Calgary brings more than 40 years of paved and dirt oval experience to the Edmonton, Alberta facility.
Awde’s first major decision as new Oval Director was to cut the number of classes from five to four on a regular race night. “We have abused our fans for far too long,” exclaims Awde, “we’ve had too many 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock nights trying to get the shows in. We need to work on the show and end the marathons.”
Awde says the track also needs to attract new fans plus bring back its long-time fans that haven’t been to the facility in several seasons. “We need to get people re-interested in our sport again. Forty-percent of our market doesn’t even know what a dirt oval track is.” Awde says Castrol Raceway has invested heavily in hiring an experienced Marketing and Media relations team [mid-December] to help increase the fan count and exposure plus bring in new sponsors. “The Edmonton market has changed dramatically. We need to turn this race [oval] track around to the way it was back in the early 1990’s. If we don’t have race fans and if we don’t have sponsors, we don’t have a track to race on.”
Castrol Raceway’s biggest classes, the Northern Provincial Pipelines Late Model Series and the Alberta Sportsman Sprint Car class will figure prominently on the Edmonton race schedule this upcoming season. For the 15th consecutive season the NPP Late Model will be the support class for the Gold Cup Sprint Car race on July 19th and 20th.
From Gord Craig / NPP
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