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http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/445554-p2.html
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Rio Linda oval where Gordon raced fights for survival
By Debbie Arrington - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 1:31 am PDT Sunday, October 21, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C12
Rio Linda's little speedway might be on its last laps.
Time is running out for Roy Hayer Memorial Speedway, the 50-year-old racetrack where NASCAR icon Jeff Gordon won his first races. Its lease expires Oct. 31, and the Sacramento County parks department plans to plow the dirt oval under for open space.
Operated by the Capitol Quarter Midget Association, the track is on park property, purchased from the Hayer family in 2001. Wednesday, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will hear a presentation on the speedway in a last-ditch effort to save the track from demolition.
Families who have raced at Hayer Speedway for generations are distraught and will plead their case before the board. The track caters to children ages 5 to 16 who want to learn racing at its roots in a 2 1/2-horsepower quarter midget race car.
"You get to compete, have fun and meet new friends," said William Chapman, the reigning track champion. "This is such a blast."
While helping younger drivers learn the sport, the 16-year-old from Foothill High School has been racing at the track for five years and hopes to follow in the tire tracks of current World of Outlaws sprint car star Paul McMahan, who also got his start at this speedway.
"I've been going to races since I was 5 or 6 years old," he added. "Here, I got to race."
Nicknamed the "Crackerjack Track," Hayer Speedway holds a nationwide reputation. Only one-twentieth of a mile (264 feet long), the dirt oval hosted the Quarter Midget Dirt Grand Nationals in June, attracting more than 200 racers and attention across the United States.
"We had families from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, all over," said CQMA president Jeff Chapman, William's father. "They all raved about our place. It's the nicest little track you could find anywhere."
The parks department wants to use the speedway property as a natural buffer zone between Rio Linda Airport and the Dry Creek Parkway's bike path. It plans to replace its grass berms with low-growing bushes and restore native habitat as part of an open space preserve.
"We think the sport is great," said Jill Ritzman, deputy parks director. "It's just not in a good location."
Part of an 82-acre parcel, the speedway property was purchased with state funds designated for environmental enhancement. Specifically, the parkway master plan calls for "passive use" only, which doesn't include motorized racing.
"We need to implement the plan or give the (state) money back," Ritzman said.
The parks department has worked with the association to find a new location for a speedway, she said. Prairie City, which hosts the annual Hangtown Classic motocross races and has other motor sports, has a paved quarter-midget track and could become home to the association's activities.
Club members prefer a dirt track, which is more forgiving for beginning racers. Hayer Speedway's unique location – with seepage from Dry Creek – keeps its dirt just right. And since it's next to an airport, there are no noise complaints.
"It's unique," said parks commissioner Ted Robinson, who has tried to help the speedway get a lease extension. "There's no other place like it. It would be a shame to see it disappear."
In late April, the Dry Creek Parkway advisory committee unanimously approved a two-year lease extension, but the final decision is up to the supervisors.
CQMA members also have been searching for alternative locations.
"It's hard – especially in Sacramento County," said Fair Oaks' Doug Wilson, the association's vice president. "Even if we get a lease extension, we're on borrowed time."
Erwin Hayer, Roy's son, is among those trying to save the speedway. He says the family sold the property with the understanding that the speedway – which takes up about half an acre, not including parking – would remain part of park amenities for the foreseeable future.
"I'm very, very upset about it," said Hayer, who still lives one block from the speedway. "My dad is probably rolling over in his grave. This is something my dad supported very strongly. ... I don't know a single person or organization in Rio Linda who wants to see the speedway close."
Hayer recalls when his father built the speedway in the 1950s, one of several ranch projects that still stand. The family also built the airport next to the speedway.
"We've had more than 50 drivers go on to race professionally on a national level," Hayer said. "They've had wonderful careers. They wouldn't be racing if it wasn't for the speedway."
Now 36, Gordon is Hayer Speedway's most famous alumnus. A four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion, the Vallejo native came out weekends with his family, drawn by the little track's big reputation.
"The very first time I ever got into a race car was at Rio Linda," Gordon said in his official biography. He was 5 years old.
Gordon won races at the track before he could read or write. The recently released DVD, "24 by 24: Wide Open with Jeff Gordon," includes home movies of the prodigy racing in Rio Linda.
"We had a big race that Jeff won when he was about 7," recalled club member Russ Risley, whose son Cole races at the speedway now. "He got kissed by the trophy girl during the presentation. He was so young, he just blushed and got back into his car."
At age 8, Gordon won his first major quarter midget championship, the beginning of his national fame. He still credits Hayer Speedway for launching his early career in a quarter midget built by James "Penny" Paniagua, a local legend. Paniagua was inducted into the National Quarter Midget Hall of Fame in June.
Gordon, who currently leads the Chase for the Nextel Cup in the No. 24 Chevrolet, was unhappy to learn that the track may be closing.
"That's unfortunate," said Gordon, contacted in North Carolina after his victory last week at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "It's a great place for kids to become involved in racing, and it was a vital part of me becoming the championship driver I am today. It's sad that it will no longer offer the opportunity to race to youngsters."
The club hosts free, heavily supervised training sessions Tuesday evenings in which kids can motor around the track with an adult controlling the speed and brakes in specially equipped quarter midgets.
Rio Linda's Katherine Burris and her children, 12-year-old Rudy and 6-year-old Rose, have attended several Tuesday sessions.
"It's a beautiful setting and really nice for the kids," Burris said. "This place has so much history. Everybody's heard of Jeff Gordon.
"Racing can be real expensive," she added. "I can't afford a $1,000 race car. This gives all the kids a chance to race, not just the elite."
Like many kids, Rudy Burris loves racing, and this is his first-hand taste. "I get to have some fun," he said. "It relieves the stress of school, and you get to go fast."
Added his sister Rose, who sports a pink helmet with lightning bolts, "I get to go fast and slow. And there's good things to eat like hot dogs."
About 100 kids race regularly at the speedway. The association encourages entire families to take part
"This is our time to bond," said Wilson, whose 12-year-old son Ben has been racing at Hayer Speedway for five years. "I'm an insurance agent; I don't even work on my own car. I had absolutely no mechanical ability. But with the club, I was able to learn a lot. With my job, safety is always first, and these cars are very safe.
"The majority of this is family activity; we're not thinking this is some conduit to NASCAR. What's important is the kids are having a really good time."
=====================================
Rio Linda oval where Gordon raced fights for survival
By Debbie Arrington - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 1:31 am PDT Sunday, October 21, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C12
Rio Linda's little speedway might be on its last laps.
Time is running out for Roy Hayer Memorial Speedway, the 50-year-old racetrack where NASCAR icon Jeff Gordon won his first races. Its lease expires Oct. 31, and the Sacramento County parks department plans to plow the dirt oval under for open space.
Operated by the Capitol Quarter Midget Association, the track is on park property, purchased from the Hayer family in 2001. Wednesday, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will hear a presentation on the speedway in a last-ditch effort to save the track from demolition.
Families who have raced at Hayer Speedway for generations are distraught and will plead their case before the board. The track caters to children ages 5 to 16 who want to learn racing at its roots in a 2 1/2-horsepower quarter midget race car.
"You get to compete, have fun and meet new friends," said William Chapman, the reigning track champion. "This is such a blast."
While helping younger drivers learn the sport, the 16-year-old from Foothill High School has been racing at the track for five years and hopes to follow in the tire tracks of current World of Outlaws sprint car star Paul McMahan, who also got his start at this speedway.
"I've been going to races since I was 5 or 6 years old," he added. "Here, I got to race."
Nicknamed the "Crackerjack Track," Hayer Speedway holds a nationwide reputation. Only one-twentieth of a mile (264 feet long), the dirt oval hosted the Quarter Midget Dirt Grand Nationals in June, attracting more than 200 racers and attention across the United States.
"We had families from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, all over," said CQMA president Jeff Chapman, William's father. "They all raved about our place. It's the nicest little track you could find anywhere."
The parks department wants to use the speedway property as a natural buffer zone between Rio Linda Airport and the Dry Creek Parkway's bike path. It plans to replace its grass berms with low-growing bushes and restore native habitat as part of an open space preserve.
"We think the sport is great," said Jill Ritzman, deputy parks director. "It's just not in a good location."
Part of an 82-acre parcel, the speedway property was purchased with state funds designated for environmental enhancement. Specifically, the parkway master plan calls for "passive use" only, which doesn't include motorized racing.
"We need to implement the plan or give the (state) money back," Ritzman said.
The parks department has worked with the association to find a new location for a speedway, she said. Prairie City, which hosts the annual Hangtown Classic motocross races and has other motor sports, has a paved quarter-midget track and could become home to the association's activities.
Club members prefer a dirt track, which is more forgiving for beginning racers. Hayer Speedway's unique location – with seepage from Dry Creek – keeps its dirt just right. And since it's next to an airport, there are no noise complaints.
"It's unique," said parks commissioner Ted Robinson, who has tried to help the speedway get a lease extension. "There's no other place like it. It would be a shame to see it disappear."
In late April, the Dry Creek Parkway advisory committee unanimously approved a two-year lease extension, but the final decision is up to the supervisors.
CQMA members also have been searching for alternative locations.
"It's hard – especially in Sacramento County," said Fair Oaks' Doug Wilson, the association's vice president. "Even if we get a lease extension, we're on borrowed time."
Erwin Hayer, Roy's son, is among those trying to save the speedway. He says the family sold the property with the understanding that the speedway – which takes up about half an acre, not including parking – would remain part of park amenities for the foreseeable future.
"I'm very, very upset about it," said Hayer, who still lives one block from the speedway. "My dad is probably rolling over in his grave. This is something my dad supported very strongly. ... I don't know a single person or organization in Rio Linda who wants to see the speedway close."
Hayer recalls when his father built the speedway in the 1950s, one of several ranch projects that still stand. The family also built the airport next to the speedway.
"We've had more than 50 drivers go on to race professionally on a national level," Hayer said. "They've had wonderful careers. They wouldn't be racing if it wasn't for the speedway."
Now 36, Gordon is Hayer Speedway's most famous alumnus. A four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion, the Vallejo native came out weekends with his family, drawn by the little track's big reputation.
"The very first time I ever got into a race car was at Rio Linda," Gordon said in his official biography. He was 5 years old.
Gordon won races at the track before he could read or write. The recently released DVD, "24 by 24: Wide Open with Jeff Gordon," includes home movies of the prodigy racing in Rio Linda.
"We had a big race that Jeff won when he was about 7," recalled club member Russ Risley, whose son Cole races at the speedway now. "He got kissed by the trophy girl during the presentation. He was so young, he just blushed and got back into his car."
At age 8, Gordon won his first major quarter midget championship, the beginning of his national fame. He still credits Hayer Speedway for launching his early career in a quarter midget built by James "Penny" Paniagua, a local legend. Paniagua was inducted into the National Quarter Midget Hall of Fame in June.
Gordon, who currently leads the Chase for the Nextel Cup in the No. 24 Chevrolet, was unhappy to learn that the track may be closing.
"That's unfortunate," said Gordon, contacted in North Carolina after his victory last week at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "It's a great place for kids to become involved in racing, and it was a vital part of me becoming the championship driver I am today. It's sad that it will no longer offer the opportunity to race to youngsters."
The club hosts free, heavily supervised training sessions Tuesday evenings in which kids can motor around the track with an adult controlling the speed and brakes in specially equipped quarter midgets.
Rio Linda's Katherine Burris and her children, 12-year-old Rudy and 6-year-old Rose, have attended several Tuesday sessions.
"It's a beautiful setting and really nice for the kids," Burris said. "This place has so much history. Everybody's heard of Jeff Gordon.
"Racing can be real expensive," she added. "I can't afford a $1,000 race car. This gives all the kids a chance to race, not just the elite."
Like many kids, Rudy Burris loves racing, and this is his first-hand taste. "I get to have some fun," he said. "It relieves the stress of school, and you get to go fast."
Added his sister Rose, who sports a pink helmet with lightning bolts, "I get to go fast and slow. And there's good things to eat like hot dogs."
About 100 kids race regularly at the speedway. The association encourages entire families to take part
"This is our time to bond," said Wilson, whose 12-year-old son Ben has been racing at Hayer Speedway for five years. "I'm an insurance agent; I don't even work on my own car. I had absolutely no mechanical ability. But with the club, I was able to learn a lot. With my job, safety is always first, and these cars are very safe.
"The majority of this is family activity; we're not thinking this is some conduit to NASCAR. What's important is the kids are having a really good time."
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