Crawford County businessman Mark Tatalovic has formally come to agreement with H & H Motorsports to purchase the former Tri-City Speedway located in Oakland Township. Tatalovic's son, Sam and his longtime friend and co-worker Chad Wagner will oversee the operations at the speedway. The speedway which has been closed since July, 2011 is currently undergoing extensive renovations and will reopen in the spring of 2015. A name change to Tri-City Raceway Park will also enable the facility to host events such as car cruises and flea markets.
"We had every intention of opening on September 20th and 21st however this summer's rainy weather has delayed some of the renovations and forced us to postpone the opening until next year," stated Promoter Chad Wagner. "We want to do our best to provide the fans and the race teams with a top notch facility and myself, Co-Promoter Sam Tatalovic and Owner Mark Tatalovic are just as disappointed as the fans that we have had to delay the opening until 2015."
The Tri-City Raceway Park promoters are planning to kick off the Tatalovic era in the Spring of 2015. At this time a "Special Only" format is anticipated. The new owner and promoters are currently evaluating which classes will be in action. Wagner and Tatalovic had been in contact with several regional Series and believe that area fans and teams will be happy with the mix of open wheel and full bodied racing action that will make up the 2015 schedule. "We had contacted the BRP Modified Tour and were planning to have them on the card when we originally planned to reopen this fall and we anticipate that they will be part of our 2015 schedule," commented Wagner. "In addition our Pro-Late Models will compete under the FASTRAK Northeast banner."
The 2015 Tri-City Raceway Park schedule will also feature action on the infield go kart track. Truck and Tractor Pulls and a variety of community oriented events will also take place at the Venango County facility. "We recognize that motorsports is changing and we need to provide our fans and the area's residents with a facility that provides affordable family oriented entertainment," stated Wagner. "By providing other forms of entertainment at the facility we are hopeful that attendees at these events will also take in a racing event or two next summer."
"Sam and I have been friends for many years and we are also co-workers at P.M. Bus, Inc. This was an excellent opportunity for the two of us to combine our business backgrounds and our love of motorsports into a new venture," stated Wagner. "We both grew up at the speedway and recognize that it provides the region with some much needed revenue. We also want to bring other forms of entertainment to the area so that the residents of Venango and Crawford Counties can enjoy them without travelling to Erie, Cleveland or Pittsburgh."
The Venango County facility was heavily vandalized since its closing and work has begun on replacing all of the grandstand seating. In addition, copper wiring was taken from several buildings on the grounds and will be replaced before any racing action takes place. The restroom facilities will also be refurbished and new clay will be added to the racing surface before the track will open to the public. "We want to provide the fans and race teams with a top notch facility so we are taking our time and making sure the work is done correctly," continued Wagner. "We also recognize that we need to attract new fans to the facility and a fan friendly atmosphere will be our number one priority."
The Tri-City Raceway Park offices will be located at the P.M. Bus, Inc. facility in the near future. Once a dedicated telephone line, speedway website and social media outlets are obtained they will be released. In the meantime, race fans can contact Chad Wagner at (814) 673-0916. Those wishing to be added to the Tri-City Raceway Park e-mail list should send their e-mail address to Marcie Barlow at tricityracewaypark@zoominternet.net.
A new era in Venango County motorsports will kick off in 2015 as the Tri-City Raceway Park will reopen its gates and provide race fans and area residents with affordable motorsports action, Truck and Tractor Pulls and much more; get ready for a "New Year, New Ownership and New Attitude at Tri-City Raceway Park!"
About Tri-City Raceway Park
Tri-City Raceway Park is owned by Crawford County businessman Mark Tatalovic. Tatalovic purchased the facility in the Spring of 2014. The facility's promoters, Sam Tatalovic and Chad Wagner, are longtime friends and also work together at the Tatalovic family business, P.M. Bus, Inc. The ½ mile auto racing facility is located in Oakland Township (Venango County). Although the 2015 schedule is not complete the speedway is expected to host truck and tractor pulls, go kart racing and other family friendly activities in additional to monthly short track auto racing action.
