Albany-saratoga speedway carries on traditions

Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, New York, is distinguishing itself as a dirt track with determined leadership.

During the pandemic caused by the spread of COvID-19, organizers at Albany-Saratoga persisted, saving the 2020 season and earning track promoter Lyle Devore “Auto-Racing Promoter of the Year” in early 2021. The “ARPY: ‘Without Fans’ Award,” DeVore noted, was the first of its kind, as it recognized promotional gains despite a fanless season resulting from COvID-19 restrictions. “I won ‘Regional Promoter of the Year’ for the Northeast the past three years,” he said, “but I just won the national promoter of the year … for not having any fans — we weren’t allowed — so the track has become more nationally known.”

A December 2020 article at albany-saratogaspeedway.com called the facility “an oasis in the pandemic wasteland.”

“Under the direction of Devore, and with the help of a dedicated staff and some very generous corporate sponsors, Albany-Saratoga completed a 14-week schedule, running five divisions every Friday night, giving drivers and owners alike the weekly diversion they needed to get through an uncertain summer,” the article states. Steering towarD SucceSS

Devore, 49, credited ingenuity and sponsors with saving the 2020 season.

“We never worked as hard just to be able to make it a go from week to week,” he said. “One of the hardest things was that we didn’t cut our purses. We were fortunate that we got some sponsors to help out with races and purses and so forth, but it was a struggle, because we didn’t know what was going to happen next in the world.

Racing, as seen in this 2020 photo, takes place on Friday nights at AlbanySaratoga Speedway.

storY: ALLISON COLLINS, FOR INSIDE MOTORSPORTS Photo: PROvIDED

“It’s been a big financial struggle, because we weren’t allowed to have fans and you need to have fans to survive,” Devore continued. “The fan part is pretty big and, with this situation we had last year, we weren’t able to. We couldn’t really ask our sponsors, because there were no fans in stands to advertise to. That’s why we moved to payper-view and we did utilize that for some of our sponsors. We followed the protocol of what we needed to do to race without fans, with regard to the safety of the racers and their pit crews, and we averaged 151 cars a night. That’s why we got that national award.”

Devore said powering through the challenges of last year has him hopeful for the 2021 season, expected to start in April and continue through September. “moving forward, we’re pretty optimistic that everything is loosening up and that we’re going to be able to put capacity fans in our stands,” he said. “We’ll still follow whatever health guidelines we need to in order to make it work.

“And I think that (optimism) is going to be industry wide,” Devore continued. “There are some promoters that are more optimistic than others, but you’ve got to maintain the right frame of mind and be positive that we’re going to be able to

come out of this.”

The Albany-Saratoga facility, Devore noted, seats “close to 5,000.”

hiStory anD a homecoming

Devore said the 4/10-mile track has a long history of attracting racing enthusiasts.

“The track was built in 1965 and, at that point, it was an asphalt track,” he said. “It had a few different owners, then, in 1977, it was switched to dirt by … C.J. Richards and he promoted the track until he passed away (in 2012). We leased the racetrack and then purchased it (later that year).”

Devore noted that he runs the track with help from fiancée, Marcy Mangino, and her daughter, Mia. “It’s been a Friday night racetrack as long as I can remember,” Devore continued. “I grew up five miles down the road and actually, at the age of 7, I started picking up garbage at the track in lieu of a pass to go to the speedway. At 6 in the morning, we would start picking up trash. I’ve been involved with several different speedways across New York State, but it was a homecoming to come back to this.” carS, crowDS & community

Fans and drivers, Devore said, represent a wide swath.

“We draw from western New York to down toward New York City to vermont and up toward the Canadian border,” he said. “It’s a pretty big radius of racers that come to the track and, if we have a special sprint car race, there are guys up from Pennsylvania and Canada.

“Our base crowd is (from) probably within 60 miles,” Devore continued, “but there are numerous times when there’s people here from out of state. When we were doing pay-per-view, there were people from Kansas watching and even different countries. I’ve had people from all over the u.S. come. It’s affordable, family entertainment; we do promotions that are geared toward kids, (such as) a bike giveaway and fireworks, so we try to do things for everybody.” DeVore credited the track’s location and reputation with keeping it viable. “I think the location is key; we’re located (where there is) a base of racers within close proximity of the track that, from generation to generation, has helped maintain strong fields,” he said. “And it’s the racing; because of the size of the track, a lot of people enjoy coming there to race. It’s also not as expensive as some places. “An announcer at the track gave it the nickname ‘The Great Race Place,’” DeVore continued, “because the racing was so good and is kind of what the track is known for — good racing and the configuration — so it stuck. Whether it’s real close finishes or three- and four-wide racing, it’s full of action.”

This year, Devore said, that action starts with the April 16 season opener, “Hell or High Water.” Fans can watch the pay-per-view event live via dirttrackdigest.tv.

June 22 will see the start of the Super DIRTcar Series, Devore noted, and the Malta Massive Weekend is scheduled for Sept. 24 and 25.

For more information, find “Albany-Saratoga Speedway” on Facebook or visit albany-saratogaspeedway.com.

layOut 4/10-mile dirt track lOcatiOn 2671 U.S. Route 9, Malta, New York racing divisiOns DIRTcar Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman, Pro Stocks and Street Stocks, with regular appearances by four-cylinder racers; special events include traveling racing series, featuring sprint cars, vintage modifieds and classic car shows racing seasOn Weekly races at 7 p.m. on Friday nights, April through September; season opener, “Hell or High Water” is scheduled for April 16 track prOmOter Lyle DeVore; Albany-Saratoga Speedway is owned and operated by Lebanon Valley Auto Racing cOntact 518-587-0220 www.albany-saratogaspeedway.com Albany-Saratoga Speedway