During the off-season, Cory and Sandy Penfold purchased Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Oregon, from Jimmy and Jerry Schram. The Penfolds have promoted before, operating Marion Creek Speedway in Turner, Oregon. When noise issues forced the closing of the go-kart track, Cory gave up on the prospect of promoting.
“We put a lot of time, sweat, and money into that track,” said Cory. “Its closing hit us in the heart. I told Sandy, when the track is done, so am I.”
Sandy had a different idea.
“I told him, ‘No, you are not done. You have too many dreams and goals to accomplish,’” Sandy said.
Ultimately, Sandy kept Cory motivated.
“She kept the pilot light lit,” said Cory. “We had a family meeting, and it was decided we need to take a run at buying Willamette Speedway.”
For the Penfolds, Willamette Speedway holds a special place in their heart.
“I’ve been going to Willamette Speedway since I was two years old — my dad, Dan, raced there,” Cory said. “Over the past eight to 10 years, the modified division got bigger and the late models seemed to dwindle. It doesn’t make sense to me since modifieds cost almost as much as late models, but race for about half the purse.”
Cory looks to reinvigorate the late model class. They have 21 events on the 37-night schedule that opens on April 16. The track will pay them $1,200 to win, $200 to start. The late models will follow Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series rules. He hopes to work with other tracks to rebuild the class and attract national tours to the West Coast.
“I am confident we can draw 30 late models,” said Cory. “There are 45 cars in the region, many of them parked.”
The Penfolds are aggressively promoting Willamette Speedway in the community.
“We’ll focus on the people in the stands,” Sandy said. “We’ll get it back into the newspapers, on the radio waves, and on TV screens in local homes.”
And, if locals miss that, they’ll appear at a car show in the Heritage Mall in Albany, Oregon, from March 25–27. The event will have 26 race cars on display.
“People who don’t know the track is nearby will find out about it,” said Cory. “The track itself is in great shape and needs little work, so our attention is on promotion.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
