what’s for supper? Or, in some cases, what’s for lunch, breakfast or whatever meal you are missing because you are at the race track. Many of us have been to sporting events and have paid over the top prices for run of the mill burgers, dogs and fries. All of us have done it. I thoroughly enjoyed my $14 Philly Cheesesteak sandwich I had at Daytona the last time I was there for the 500, but it is too expensive to get on a regular basis and local short tracks would be criticized if they had a menu item like that on their offering for that price. On the other hand, I don’t mind going out to a restaurant, or even a “fast food” type of establishment and pay a higher price for good food. Hold up the train for a second though, we are talking about short track stock car racing. With that in mind, we are talking about folks who want their food as fast as their race cars on track and that preferably taste better than a piece of cardboard stuffed between two stale buns. Race tracks are businesses, so they want to save costs wherever they can, whether that be in staffing, preparation or food. So, how do you balance the two needs? Simply put, some find it easier than others. The easiest thing for a race track, or any event for that matter, to do is slap something on a barbeque or flattop, or dump a basket in a deep fryer. It is quick, it is easy and it is served quick without much effort. It is the care that is taken before and after that process that sets a race track apart from their peers. I think back to a trip to Peterborough Speedway I made in 2011. It was their annual Autumn Colours Classic weekend, which takes place in October and traditionally falls on Thanksgiving Day weekend. The Saturday and Sunday programs were long with full days of practice, qualifying and features. Instead of driving into the City of Peterborough, ordering food and coming back to the Speedway to fight for a parking spot anywhere close to the track was seen as more of a hassle, so we ate at their concession area. What set them apart from any other track I had been at all season was seen simply by looking at their menu. They had many themed burgers and hot dogs and, while my memory cannot fully recall the full offering, I do remember a Hawaiian burger, for example, that included a piece of pineapple. The point is that they thought outside the bun on this and added something to a burger that you could not get at another track. Think of the food truck boom that has taken off in recent
years, each truck trying to set themselves a part from their peers. Peterborough Speedway wanted fans to eat their food, not because they were forced to because that was the only option offered by the track, but because the food was different and looked appealing. The fact that it tasted good would bring them back, if not again that day but at
their next event. As someone who eats at many canteen and concession areas around Eastern Canada, I’ve know of at least one race track that prides themselves on their food services. While you have to take the paved roads to get there, the Valley Raceway dirt track is way ahead of their peers when it
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