The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Painesville Speedway accelerates into 2019
“It’s not easy running a race track,” admits Randy Maggio. “Some people would love to have my job. It’s fun, I love it, but it’s hard work”
Seated in the scorer’s tower overlooking Painesville Speedway, Maggio books last-minute sponsors and prepares for the upcoming season.
After his parents, Denise and Randy Sr., purchased the Painesville Township racing track in October of 2017 they soon turned to their now 18-year-old son for help running the speedway.
“I loved racing ever since I was little,” he said. “It’s always been a thing in the family.”
Once his parents purchased the speedway, avid racer and University of Akron freshman Maggio began picking up whatever slack he could from painting the bleachers, sweeping the track, to buying miniature flags and popsicles for the children in attendance.
His parents have since transitioned him to more administrative roles as they train him to eventually assume ownership and control of the speedway.
“Last season I was down there helping the safety crew.” Maggio said. “This year, we talked about it on a management level, I’ll be more effective in the tower overseeing things.”
The focus on family is not exclusive to the Maggios, it’s essential to the race track’s success in 2019.
“(The former owners) had a very family atmosphere and then they lost sight of that towards the end,” he said. “We’re trying to bring that back. We want to get the youth involved. We want the community involved as well.”
One way in which they’ll attempt to bring more family groupings to the speedway involves the creation of the Rising Star division.
Comprised of children between the ages of 12 and 16, the division will serve as a hands-on learning experience for the young racers where they’ll be able to learn fundamental racing lessons from mentors.
Maggio emphasizes the division’s safety-first approach.
“All the kids have mandatory Snell-rated helmets, which are top of the line,” he said. “They all have to have fire suits, racing shoes, gloves, custom roll cages built in.”
Another way to court fans comes later this month at the annual Champion’s Banquet which will be held Jan. 19 at The Patrician in Eastlake.
The banquet dinner serves to celebrate not only the season’s top racers with commemorative plaques and trophies but as a way to embrace the fans that support the racers and the speedway throughout the year.
“It sounds a little funny, but this year we’re presenting these two women who sat in the front row every single week and always bought beer,” Maggio said. “We’re giving them a plaque with a beer bottle on it to show them our appreciation.”
The renewed show of gratitude speaks to the new lanes that the Maggios are determined to steer into.
“Last year was more focused on the racers and I think we lost sight of what the fans wanted and what the fans wanted to see, so we’re going to try and get back to our roots in that manner,” he said.
While lighthearted, the banquet also honors the year’s top racers in each of the speedway’s six division’s point standings. This year will see history made as local racer Magen March will be the first female to have won the first-place standing among any of the divisions.
There will also be awards for “most improved” and “rookie of the year”.
“It’s a great way to celebrate the past season and to look forward to what’s coming next,” Maggio said.