WYALUSING VALLEY MOTORSPORTS PARK
CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY FOR AREA KART & SMALLCAR RACERS...
DUNN HILL 2 "ADOPTS" WYALUSING VALLEY MOTORSPORTS PARK PROGRAM
Last week's sudden closing of Wyalusing Valley Motorsports Park in Homets Ferry, PA left hundreds of racers, fans, and teams in shock. Most were faced with making a choice between parking their machines or traveling 1+ hours to another facility.
Enter Dunn Hill 2 Speedway promoter Mark Spencer and his team. After just over a week of negotiations, an agreement has been reached between Spencer and WVMP owners Rich Howard Sr. and Billy Maynard that will result in the continuation of small car and kart racing in the Northern Tier.
Spencer has secured all WVMP equipment, much of which will be used in the renovations at DH2. The lighting from WVMP will be installed, and a smaller kart track will be constructed on the infield of the Monroeton, PA facility. The micro sprints and slingshots will compete on the large track. This will allow the team to prep each track more suitably for the type of cars being run on it.
S & A Construction, Excavation, and Trucking has stepped up to assist with the modifications to the facility. The WVMP surface will be hauled in to form the kart track, with some new clay slated to be put down on the big track as well.
Stock car racing will remain on Friday nights, with the small car program taking place on Saturday evenings.
As part of this agreement, WVMP track preparer Neil Brown has agreed to offer advice and guidance to the DH2 track crew to get the racing surfaces in shape and ready for action. WVMP promoter Billy Maynard has committed to work with the DH2 staff for the 2012 season for much of the organizational duties. Maynard declined an invitation to manage the Saturday race program, and will not be involved in race day operations. In addition, several WVMP staff members have agreed to work the DH2 program as well. This should make the transition as "seamless" as possible.
This arrangement is as close to picking up the WVMP racing program and simply moving it to another location as any "kid" could hope for on his or her "wish list".
"We love seeing the kids at our facility on Friday nights. We are doing this for the kids. We want to see them continue having fun racing." stated Spencer following Tuesday's meeting.
"I am grateful to Dunn Hill 2 for stepping up to the plate for the WVMP racers. I'm sure there will be a period of transition and some bugs to work out, but I hope the racers will give them a chance and support their efforts. I've had several offers to form and manage new small car operations over the past week, but from day one at WVMP our goal was to bring this type of racing to our area. My main goal moving forward was to see that continue for our racers. I look forward to assisting Dunn Hill 2 with any guidance I can to get this program up and running." offered Maynard.
For 2012, Dunn Hill 2 will be "adopting" WVMP's planned 2012 divisions, pricing, rules (with only a few modifications as needed for their layout and organization), and payouts. The 600cc and Regular 270cc Microsprint divisions will still be getting $50 to take the green in the feature, but once again, Spencer is throwing out a gift... $400 to win WEEKLY in both divisions (with 12 or more cars entered)!
Work is expected to begin right after the 1st of the year, with small car racing kicking off with practice in late April. The schedule, payouts, rules, and other information will be finalized and posted as soon as possible. Watch for news and updates on the track's website, www.dunnhill2speedway.com .Dunn Hill 2 is the place to be in 2012 for "Full Sized Fridays" and "Small Car Saturdays". TWO times the racing! TWO times the fun! TWO times the excitement! This season, at DUNN HILL 2 SPEEDWAY, "How dirt track racing is DUNN!"
***RESERVED PITS TRANSFERRED TO DUNN HILL 2 HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED - PIT RESERVATIONS NOW BEING TAKEN AT DH2!***
All WVMP racers wishing to transfer their reserved pits have now been contacted and have chosen their spot. The majority of the pit refunds have been sent. The rest should go out this week. If you haven't received yours yet, and don't see it by 1/18, feel free to contact the WVMP office at 570-265-8974.
Dunn Hill 2 Speedway is now reserving pits for the 2012 season at $35 each, with no electric. They currently have no electric, but plan to begin installing electric during the season. They will begin with pit #1 and work up from there. When electric becomes available, the racers will have the option to pay the difference to upgrade to an electric site, or to keep the pit and not use the electric.
The pit map is posted on www.dunnhill2speedway.com . For more information, visit their website.
Thank you, and best of luck to you all in 2012!
WYALUSING VALLEY MOTORSPORTS PARK TO CEASE OPERATIONS IMMEDIATELY
After putting 6 years, thousands of hours of hard work, and thousands of dollars into providing a facility in the Northern Tier for youth and adults alike to enjoy small car racing, we are deeply saddened to have to announce that effective immediately, Wyalusing Valley Motorsports Park has ceased operations and will be closed.
We would like to be clear that this decision is not one we have made willingly. It is not our desire to make this decision, but rather one we are being forced into and are powerless to prevent.
Shortly after this season ended, and just before the banquet, the Howard family was informed that their insurance on the farm was being cancelled due to the race track being on their property. After a call to an attorney, it appeared that the solution to this would be for them to lease the use of that ten acres to Wyalusing Valley Motorsports Park, LLC. It was advised that this would exclude the Howard family from being named in any possible lawsuits were they to be initiated against WVMP. With this risk addressed, it was believed that they would then be able to obtain insurance on the farm.
Not long ago, they were informed by the insurance company that the lease arrangement was not sufficient, and that they were once again being cancelled. Their agent then contacted every company they represented, and each refused to insure a property that contained a race track. Another agent approached every company they represented, and all but one refused. Insurance was obtained with that company and plans for 2012 continued as planned. This week, that company sent a letter informing the Howards that their board had denied their application, and they too cancelled their insurance on the farm. For the past few days, the advice of several attorneys has been sought, and in short there are too many issues to resolve and for us to continue to operate the facility.
The first step would require the subdivision of the property and the sale of it to Wyalusing Valley Motorsports Park, LLC. This alone presents a roadblock, as the thousands of dollars it would take to do so (surveying, title searches, deed transfers, abstract costs, etc) is simply not there. Part 2 of that issue is the amount of time it would take. It took 8 months to get our 2 acres for our new home subdivided off the property. If the process was begun tomorrow, that would put us into August before the porperty were transferred and operations could resume.
The biggest aspect is the liability of a lawsuit. All of the attorneys contacted agreed on one thing. While being an LLC would protect the owners from being the target of a lawsuit, there are still circumstances that could result in lawsuits being initiated and won against them. Taking such a risk and putting what we have worked for all our lives for our families is just not acceptable.
This situation has developed literally in just a few days. The decision was made just a few hours ago. We are releasing this information immediately to allow teams to explore their options for 2012. We thank each and every racer, owner, crew member, sponsor, fan, and track worker for your support during the past 6 years. We have met many great people, many of whom we have come to call friends, and some that we even think of as family. It is devastating to us to have to take this action and make this decision, but I assure you, we have explored all options and this is what must be done.
Prior to making this release public, a few individuals have been contacted and forewarned as to the upcoming announcement. Interest has been expressed that could result in a local option for small car racing. I cannot speak any further on that matter, so please do not contact us and ask. It is not in our hands.
All track assets are to be sold to pay off existing debt. It is our desire to sell these assets to someone local with the intent to offer continued small car racing in the area. If not, the assets will be sold piece by piece.
Companies that have paid for 2012 billboards, as well as racers that have reserved pits for 2012, will receive a refund of their money. This is all sudden, so we are unable to say exactly how or when this will be accomplished. Please bear with us as we address this situation, and we will release refund details on the website as soon as we get things sorted out.
Again, a heartfelt thank you to anyone that has ever attended or supported WVMP in any way. It's been a hell of a ride. We wish each of you all the best.
Sincerely,
Rich Howard Sr., President
Billy Maynard, Vice President
Wyalusing Valley Motorsports Park
YOU ARE NIGHTMARE # 
