No question, one of the most exciting aspects of Tazewell Speedway is its 32-degree banks. While it produces fast-paced racing action, another thrill can be watching people get in and out of the infield.
“Bigger trailers, bigger problem getting to the infield,” Tazewell Speedway promoter Brian Smith said. “Small trailers have no problem. Trying to get an enclosed trailer over the track may be a problem for some racers.”
UCRA late model racer Odie Overholt found that out last Saturday. The Tazewell native has pulled into the track’s pits many times — but with a shorter trailer. His new hauler, however, got stuck.
“He arrived in a new 28-footer, with a spare tire box underneath,” Smith said. “It’s a live-and-learn situation — to understand the geometry of getting a truck and trailer over the track and into the infield. If you have never been here, it is hard to describe how steep the incline is at the infield pit entrance. When Overholt’s truck got over the edge of the track, the trailer’s spare tire box got hung up. He had to move things around, but he did eventually get it into the infield.”
For those who don’t wish to brave the banks with their trailer, Tazewell Speedway also offers a pit area outside the track. Nevertheless, Overholt’s hang-up got taken care of and the show went on, the first event for Smith as the promoter of Tazewell Speedway. The season opener debuted a new PA system, Whelen safety lights and LED track lighting for the historic track. Smith said the show ended by 10:45 p.m., too.
“We had a really big crowd,” Smith said. “The turnout in the pits and stands was great. We had [rain] showers in the area — to the North and the South — but none hit the track.”
As far as Overholt’s night, it didn’t get much better. He finished 18th in the feature. Overholt will assuredly likely remember — although he’d probably like to forget — how to handle the approach to Tazewell Speedway’s infield next time.
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.
