Dollefeld keeps Stateline humming
Stateline Speedway owner Joe Dollefeld, his employees and a large group of racers were gearing up for the Northwest Modified Series’ Gary Miller Memorial 100 last Saturday, then the rain came.
The rain has come so often this spring that 13 events have been canceled. Dollefeld, racers and workers at Stateline have gone almost two weeks between events on several occasions this season.
As a track operator, Dollefeld knows that weather is always a big unknown, but it has not deterred his desire to continue making the facility successful year in and year out.
“I learned when we first moved over here (from operating Spanaway Speedway and Tenino Speedway in Western Washington more than 20 years ago) how the weather operates here at Stateline and we feel like we’ve become pretty good weathermen,” Dollefeld said.
“Watching the Doppler radar helps, but knowing that this isn’t easy (predicting fan turnout and racer participation in bad weather) can be a challenge. It can be frustrating at times to work through when it does occur, and it certainly takes away from the momentum you try build week to week.”
Even when the deluge is severe – as was the case on June 4 – Stateline’s support staff and Dollefeld maintain an upbeat approach to their race day.
“We always try keep our spirits up and have a smile on our face,” he said.
If weather wasn’t already challenging this season’s bottom line, uncertain economic pressure that has started to shrink the entertainment dollar has also perked Dollefeld’s attention. To maintain a strong fan base and car count for his weekly shows, the 2007 RacingWest.com Person of the Year made small changes to his costs for both parties.
“We’ve kept our pit passes in check and lowered our front gate prices some to make admission easier on fans,” he said. “At times, we’ve even provided a pass to some of our racers’ families.”
Local racing classes are strong, but Dollefeld sees the economic uncertainty affecting traveling series. The ASA Northwest Tour was dropped from Stateline’s schedule in early May for lack of committed participants.
“Our local classes are strong and continue to grow,” he said. “The local series based here (including the ICAR and the INSSA late model groups and the INSCA Sprint Cars) draw well on their dates, but the economy has certainly impacted the traveling shows.”
Dollefeld predicts changes to how traveling series and their race teams approach events such as the Idaho 200 slated for Aug. 2 and other big shows including the pending rescheduling of the Gary Miller 100.
“I call the new traveling teams ‘staycationers,’ because they are coming in on a Friday to see the area, race Saturday then go to Silverwood, for example, to play as a family on Sunday before heading home,” he said. “I think you’ll see that more and more for traveling racers as this season and future years go on.
“We are preparing ourselves for this future. We’ve made some friends in the motel industry, and once Silverwood gets open we’ll try to work with them to offer discounts to our racers. Kellogg (home of the new Silver Mountain Resort that features an indoor water park) and Triple Play in Coeur d’Alene could even see some of our participants as we go along to promote this new option to those that come to Stateline.”
With just more than six weeks to go before the drop of the green flag for the Idaho 200, Dollefeld is seeing a tremendous interest in his facility’s marquee event and has begun planning for the annual late model race.
“Based on the amount of downloads for the information packet from our Web site, we’re getting some great interest in the race,” he said. “I know it will be a great three-day weekend for the fans and the racers. On Thursday of that week, we’re going to hold a practice and then a barbecue for the teams then head into the weekend.”
Racing resumes this weekend at Stateline with the INSSA late model series running its fourth race of the season. Dave Garber continues to lead the points standings with one victory. For more information, call the Speedway hotline at 208-773-5019.