Red Deer Raceway?
The prospects of developing a local track to serve the needs of stock car enthusiasts in Alberta and beyond is being floated by the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association. A meeting to discuss the idea is scheduled for Jan. 20, with representatives of the SSCRA, existing Alberta tracks and others involved in the sport invited to attend.
“Red Deer would be an absolute ideal location for a paved oval racetrack,” said Herm Hordal, business development manager with Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, a track north of Saskatoon that’s operated by the SSCRA.
He said Red Deer’s central location would allow it to draw racers and fans from across the province.
“There are a lot of racers in and around that Edmonton-Wetaskiwin-Calgary area that I believe Red Deer would be able to capitalize on.
“They’re travelling all the way to Saskatoon to race.”
There are racetracks in Alberta, but Hordal thinks the sport would benefit from a new, high-quality facility in Central Alberta — especially with Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park forced to close to make room for expansion of a landfill. He envisions something similar to Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, which consists of a three-eighths of a mile paved and banked oval.
Open since 2006, the Saskatoon track has allowed stock car racing to flourish there, with some 40,000 people attending every season.
“I’ve seen what it’s done for the community; I’ve seen what it’s done for other spin-off business opportunities; I’ve seen what it’s done for tourism,” said Hordal. “It’s a tremendous sport.”
A new track in Alberta would help strengthen stock car racing, to the benefit of the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association and its track.
“We’re being a little bit selfish. We feel that if a racetrack is not built soon in Alberta, we’re actually going to see a decline in participants in the stock car business.”
Hordal acknowledged that the case for a racetrack must make “economic business sense.” Suitable, affordable land would be a key factor, he said.
“You’ve got to use land that maybe would not be used for anything else,” said Hordal, suggesting an old gravel pit as one possibility.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the Jan. 20 meeting, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel (formerly the Capri Centre). Those interested are asked to notify Hordal by email at hhordal@saktel.net.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com