Oakshade Raceway is a family track and doesn't make any bones about it. Dad works there, Mom works there, Grandma works there, the whole family works there.
For Oakshade Raceway, that made the 2008 post-season a tough pill to swallow.
Longtime Promoter of Oakshade Raceway Jon Green saw his life prematurely ended in February. Three weeks later, John's step-daughter Nancy Eberly; known affectionately as "the popcorn lady" lost a battle with cancer.
Track promoter Chrissy Henricks put it like this, 2009 is going to be a tough year, but not as tough as the off-season was. "We are going to be okay"; said Henricks, "Oakshade Raceway has the reputation of being the best dirt track in the region and we'll offer the same great side-by-side racing we always offer and we'll provide the same great value and everything will be okay."
For Henricks, that's a core philosophy. Great racing, every night. When asked what she thought her 2008 season highlight was, she couldn't name just one. "We have great racing every night. I can't remember a highlight which stood out from the rest. It would be impossible to pick just one".
Oakshade Raceway continues that philosophy in their pricing structure. "We sell a twelve dollar ticket" said Henricks. "Its twelve dollars on opening night, its twelve dollars when we run the Barney Oldfield, its twelve dollars when the Summer Nationals arrive. We don't jack up our concession stand prices, we don't start charging for parking. We offer exceptional racing every single race night of the year and we are going to toe the line when it comes to keeping it fair for the fans.
Oakshade is going to go the extra mile for their driver's as well. "We haven't raised our prices" said Henricks. In addition to not raising prices, the 2009 schedule features some new twists to help drivers a little more in the pocket book. "We are going to run Dual Challenge Nights a couple of times a year. On a Dual Challenge Night, we will run two features. $1500 to win both races. Its double payout, double UMP points, double the racing; but its still a single pit pass, a single grand stand ticket."
For people that don't know Chrissy Henrick's they will find her to be a tough but fair promoter. "I'm one way away from the track and another way at the track. The responsibility for this place is on me. I can get a little colorful sometimes when I'm at the track, but its not because I don't care, its because I do."
For Henrick's that is probably a value she learned at the track, growing up under Green's mentorship, admiring driver's like Larry Yantis. "Larry was my all time favorite driver as a kid. I just loved to watch him race. He always had the car sideways, he was always going to the front. He was a great champion".
Great champions, great racing, great atmosphere.. they could be tag lines for Oakshade Raceway. In typical Henricks style, she put it like this "Come check us out. You're not going to find any better".
