Bennetts Blends Racing & Hospitality At Popular N.Y. Track

April 21, 2011 - 5:07pm

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Holland (N.Y.) Motorsports Complex is one of NASCAR’s longest sanctioned tracks, predating the introduction of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in 1982. The 51-year-old family owned and operated .375-mile paved oval was a founding track in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in 1982. The series celebrates its 30th season this year.

A top division dirt track stock car driver at the time, Ron Bennett and partners Richard Knox and Gordon Becker built the track which opened as a .333-mile dirt oval in 1960.

Bennett, Knox and Becker acquired some farmland near Holland, N.Y., with the idea of building their own race track, which they did during the winter of 1959-60.

Bennett easily recalls the birth of Holland Motorsports Complex.

“The property was rural and back then there were no zoning requirements,” Bennett said. “We cut trees on the property and used the wood to help build the place. We worked all winter, sometimes in three to four feet of snow.”

Bennett has instant recollection of the first race day at the track.

“On our opening day, June 24, 1960, we were dusted out,” Bennett said. “We understood right away we had to do to do a better job in preparing the track. We put lights up not long after that and night racing was that helped keep moisture in the track.

“We patterned the track to be like Angelica Raceway,” Bennett said. That track was a .333-mile dirt oval at the Alleghany County Fairgrounds that operated between 1958 and 1964.

“But our track seemed too tight – not enough racing room – so we enlarged the turns to be more sweeping,” Bennett said.

The expansion lengthened the dirt track to .375-mile in 1964.

Holland Speedway gained its original NASCAR sanction in 1967 and was paved a year later.

“Tiny Lund raced here in 1967 in a race we called the Holland Hundred. We had some NASCAR Grand American Division races here in 1968 and 1969. Buck Baker won one of hem and Richard Childress raced here,” Bennett said.

The track has also hosted the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

It was a natural for Holland to become part of NASCAR’s new weekly racing program in 1982.

“Guys were racing for all the points they could get,” Bennett said. “Richie Evans, Jerry Cook and Jimmy Spencer were racing here and every other NASCAR track they could get to. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series took on a life of its own in 1982. It quickly developed into something really good.”

Evans won the first four NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Northeast Region championships.

“The drivers were racing for new NASCAR point funds and NASCAR and (series founding sponsor) Winston were putting up billboards and building scoreboards at tracks and supporting the series with print ads. The series became highly visible.”

Holland’s all-time leading driver is the now-retired Art Clark of West Seneca, N.Y. Clarks career spanned 50 years. He had been racing for seven years when the Holland track opened in 1960.

Clark assembled 11 Holland Late Model championships (three on dirt and eight on asphalt) as well as a dirt B-Modified division championship. He posted 167 Holland feature wins -- 97 on asphalt and 70 on dirt. Including all tracks he raced at over the years, Clark won 321 features in an estimated 1,500 starts. He won a NASCAR track championship at Spencer Speedway in Williamson, N.Y. He finished as high as second in his NASCAR Whelen All-American Series regional point races. Back in the days when local Late Model drivers could race their cars in NASCAR North Series races at their home track Clark, nearly whipped the big boys at Holland in 1985.

Holland Late Model Pro Stock driver Vern Bliss of Arcade, N.Y., won a NASCAR regional championship racing at Holland in 2001. Brother Mark Bliss won a NASCAR Division III championship in 2006, along with Late Model track championships at Holland and Lake Erie Speedway in North East, Pa.

In recent years the Bennett family became sole owners of the facility. Bennett turned the promotional reigns of the track over to his son Tim in 1998.

“Tim has been around the speedway since he was seven years old,” Bennett said.

“As a kid being around the track was exciting all the time,” Tim Bennett said. “It was intriguing. There was something new every day. Dad helped me learn every aspect of the business. I had to earn respect, and was able to develop camaraderie with everyone at the track over the years. I learned a lot from the NASCAR track operator meetings and RPM Promoters Workshops. We work with our drivers and their teams to provide a great experience for our fans.”

Back in the 1980s, Holland was one of the first short tracks to place an emphasis on corporate hospitality, in-house catering and group sales. Today the track offers the VSP Corporate Tower, the Budweiser Brewhouse, the Turn Four Terrace, Hospitality Village, and the newest addition, the Kayak Pools Turn One Club complete with swimming pool and spacious deck. All packages include customized menus and allow children in the group free access to the track’s mini amusement park. Another offering is a track “driving experience” in four cylinder cars. The track’s marketing brochure brands the complex as a “unique entertainment facility.”

Holland’s regular weekly divisions include Raging Wolf Pro Modifieds (an SK-type Modified), LAMOT – Late Model of Tomorrow, Bank of Holland Chargers, M&M U Pull It Figure Eights, Hornet-Queen Bees, and Casey’s TQ Midgets. Novelty events such as Monster Trucks and a Crash-A-Rama, Faster Pastor, Battle of the Badges, and Road Warriors (local highway superintendants in competition), America’s Country Concert featuring Ricky Lee and extra distance races pack a busy schedule.

Joining Tim in operating the track are his wife Amy and his brother Ron Bennett Jr. A third generation of the family is also making their way around the track. Tim and Amy have two children, Ava, 7, and Conor 3. Tim Bennett’s sister Julie has a son, Garrett, who is nine.

“Ava has a lemonade stand at the track and she gives all the money to Boston Children’s Hospital and Strong Memorial Children’s Hospital," Tim Bennett said. "She’s doing great now, but she had several heart surgeries at both hospitals from the time she was an infant. Conor is 3 and been hanging out with his dad at the track and he doesn’t like it if I go to the track without him, so he’ll be wanting something to do. Garrett has been manicuring the lawn and cutting grass.

“We’re still learning something new every day and in today’s world, you have to think outside the box and be able to change with the times. It’s a different business atmosphere today, but we feel great about the future.”

Holland Motorsports Complex opens for the 2011 season on Sunday, May 22 before switching to its regular Saturday night schedule. The track’s website is www.hollandspeedway.com.

Source: By Paul Schaefer, NASCAR
Posted: 4/30/11

(