When Theresa Rogers proposed a $50,000-to-win modified race, even her husband, Bruce, winced at the idea. She thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Grandview Speedway for its signature Freedom 76 in 2012.
“Bruce and the rest of the family thought she was crazy to want to pay that kind of money,” said Jeff Strunk, who won the event. “When she wanted something, she got it. The race was a tremendous success.”
Theresa Rogers had a larger-than-life personality, often referring to those who attended the races at Grandview Speedway at “my drivers” and “my fans.”
“The purple hair? It shows what made her special,” Jeff Strunk said. “It was her personality — always smiling, always in a good mood, always having fun. Yet, she was not afraid to tell you what was on her mind.”
She married into the Rogers family, whose patriarch, Forrest Rogers, built Grandview Speedway in 1963. Theresa and Bruce helped grow the facility into one of the premier short tracks in America today.
“When Nazareth Speedway closed [in 2004], they bought its grandstands and moved them to Grandview,” said Jeff Ahlum, track announcer and publicist. “They added skyboxes and transformed the speedway to the facility it would be today.”
Theresa and Bruce rarely missed a race. The only time anyone could remember her not being present was when she broke eight ribs in a car accident. Jeff Ahlum remembers her as being “tough, but very fair.” She appreciated her racers, especially those who committed to a full season at Grandview Speedway.
“Grandview Speedway gave fully paid vacations to champions — how many tracks do that?” Jeff Strunk, who has 10 championships at Grandview, said. “I’ve been a world traveler thanks to them.”
After her husband Bruce died in 2017, she took over the helm of Grandview Speedway. Theresa was never alone, though, as her children Tina and Kenny joined the effort to help lead the track. In 2022, the Rogers family almost sold Grandview Speedway.
“The offer came to Theresa — she was not looking to sell,” Jeff Ahlum said. “There was public outcry. Theresa entertained the offer, but maintained if the deal couldn’t get done, the track would have racing. She proved to be a lady of her word. When the track opened the next season, the public support was very strong and has been ever since.”
In recent years, Theresa focused on work in the office and the grandstand side of the business.
“She would make sure the paint and landscaping was perfect,” Jeff Ahlum said. “She made sure the food was ordered, the concessions were clean and ready, and were properly staffed. Late in the show when the office was closed, she would drive her PT Cruiser from the office to the pits. In the early years, she and Bruce would be there, talking with drivers until the sun started coming up.”
Theresa passed away on July 23 at the age of 84. Last Saturday, Grandview Speedway hosted a night to remember her, with Jeff Strunk winning the modified race.
“It will be one of, if not the most, memorable wins for me,” Jeff Strunk said. “Theresa was a great lady — sweet and funny, who loved family first and foremost. It was an honor to win her race. It is special to my heart, because she was such a special woman.”
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.
