12/29/2018
RacinBoys
Five member board set to run Fremont Speedway
By Brian Liskai (Fremont, OH) -- When Fremont Speedway opens for its 68th anniversary season of racing on Saturday, April 13, “The Track That Action Built” will be under the promotion of a new five-person team of directors.
Just after the 2017 season, long-time Fremont Speedway Promoter Rich Farmer announced he had come to an agreement to turn over the speedway’s assets to the Sandusky County Agricultural Society, which runs the Sandusky County Fairgrounds where the track is located. Farmer and his wife, Shelly, were retained to promote the track in 2018. Toward the end of the season the Farmers announced they were ending their promotion of the track.
PHOTO: New 5 members of Fremont Motorsports Park LLC who will be in charge of operating Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio in 2019. From left, Rick Holland, Ryan Schiets, Brian “Buzz” Mathias, Gary Root and Justin Liskai.
A few weeks ago the fair board appointed Ryan Schiets, Brian “Buzz” Mathias, Justin Liskai, Gary Root and Rick Holland to oversee the daily operations of the track as Fremont Motorsports Park LLC. Schiets is the board’s chair and Liskai, who began as the pit steward at the track and the past few years as the head scorer, will serve as the race night competition director.
“We got a late start on this but we have been meeting and talking to other tracks, sanctioning bodies, marketing partners….a lot of people in the racing business to gather information and get caught up. The committee is excited about the future of the speedway, continue to build on relationships and work with those in the industry. Work on the track itself actually began shortly after the 2018 season finished. We have a tentative schedule and are very excited about what the coming season will offer,” Schiets said.
“Since the creation of the committee we have had a lot of people step forward offering assistance and advice and we really appreciate it. We understand what Fremont Speedway means to not only the Fremont and Sandusky County community but to the region and racing in general,” Schiets added.
One of first things the new track committee has done is work with nearby Attica Raceway Park on the series between the two tracks. The 410 sprints will operate as the All Pro Aluminum Heads/Kistler Racing Products Attica Fremont Championship Series (AFCS) Presented by the Baumann Auto Group with 9 shows at each track. There will be some special events with bigger purses and a separate point fund from that of each track. The 305 series – known as the KS Sales and Services AFCS – will compete in 7 events at each track.
“There are seven double-header weekends for the 410 sprints and six double-header weekends for the 305s. We’ve received a ton of positive feedback on the series,” Schiets said.
The tentative schedule also includes bigger purses for both the 305 sprints and dirt tracks in 2019 while the weekly 410 sprint purse will remain at $3,000 to win, $300 to start the feature.
Besides the AFSC events, the tentative schedule features three FAST Series 410 shows including the 12th Annual Jim and Joanne Ford Classic. The huge event will wrap up the season at Fremont Speedway and is scheduled for Friday and Saturday Sept. 20-21.
Other highlights of 2019 include a 305 sprint race during the popular Sandusky County Fair on Tuesday, Aug. 20 and the return of the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series non-wing sprint cars on Saturday, June 15. Also, the annual Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame inductions will take place prior to the night’s racing on Saturday, June 8.
“We will continue to build on the fan interaction themes that Rich and Shelly introduced for each week,” Schiets said. “For now we will continue to work on the schedule, reaching out to all the great marketing partners and getting the facility ready for April 13th.”
For more information go to www.fremontohspeedway.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FremontSpeedway or on Twitter https://twitter.com/FremontSpeedway.
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott