Short Track Super Series Founder Brett Deyo is one of the Best Promoters in Dirt Modified Racing, and He’s Just Getting Started
Story By: MATT NOLES / RACERS GUIDE.COM Photos By: DAVE DALESANDRO / RACERSGUIDE.COM
SPRAKERS, NY- March 11, 2016- The final weekend in November isn’t usually synonymous with dirt racing in the northeast. Then again, neither is the first weekend in December. Though the aforementioned meteorological facts hold their weight in both snow and frost, Brett Deyo could care less.
If going against the established norms of dirt race promoting were a form of high fashion, Deyo would be the next Armani. In testament to this statement, one only needs to look back to his latest achievement; welcoming fans to a dirt track with Bing Crosby belting ‘I’m dreaming of a White Christmas’ over the public address system while dirt modifieds warmed their engines in the pit area of Accord Speedway. In a fashion typical to his promoting style, rolling the dice never looked so good.
The simple truth is that everyone wants to be successful until they find out what it takes. At that point, many fall to the wayside unable to cope with the difficulties and seemingly insurmountable odds that present themselves. Deyo’s story seems to be one of instant and overnight success; a young promoter from Pennsylvania that found himself in the right place at the right time. His story is about as far from instant gratification as one can possibly get.
The Short Track Super Series, a popular string of events throughout the year that draws both huge crowds and car counts alike, took the better part of a decade to build. With methodical insight, and making the right decisions at the right time, Deyo has managed to do something that most speedways and sanctioning bodies haven’t been able to in recent years; he fills the stands and the pit areas of his events in earnest.
Though he was already known as a talented announcer and accomplished writer, Deyo wanted to take his abilities to another level. His now flourishing promotional career started at one of the smallest speedways in the northeast; the I-88 Speedway in Afton, New York. “My first race was a partnership with Pat Jordan who was promoting Afton Speedway at the time,” stated Deyo. “We called it the Short Track SuperNationals and geared it toward the weekly racers.”
Though the concept was sound, the timing was anything but. The first-ever Short Track SuperNationals just happened to coincide with Super Dirt Week at the now defunct New York State Fairgrounds. Most would have bet on the race being a flop and its promoter being locked away in a padded room wearing an ‘I love me’ jacket for the rest of time.
Yet Deyo discovered something, he had a knack for promoting and he discovered a way to give the sport something it desperately needed; an event that was both enjoyable and affordable.
“There were a lot of drivers that just couldn’t afford to go run on the mile,” Deyo continued. “It was my idea to try this ‘working man’s race’ and at that time Pat [Jordan] was crazy enough to give me a chance at his track.” Whether crazy or not, the gamble worked and the so called ‘Working Man’s Race’ will be run for the ninth time this October.
Most promoters seem to age with every season much like the head of a country does. With the unrelenting stress and frustration that comes with an almost thankless job, many would wonder why anybody would want to become a promoter in the first place. The answer is actually quite simple.
“Promoting is kind of a rush just like racing,” explained Deyo. “It’s very rewarding work even though it’s frustrating at times. After we did that first race and it went well, from there it started to build where we started doing a couple of races a year.” Like a carpenter, Deyo acquired a range of skills that enabled him to build upon each passing success until the finished product left his clients with greater satisfaction. The building blocks that he added year after year eventually led to the inevitable in 2014; a series of his own.
“We started to see that the potential was there to move from a few small events to a series,” Deyo continued. “We made that jump two years ago with a six-race series.” The Short Track Super Series was born and in typical Brett Deyo fashion, it became another mark on a long list of successful promotional outings.
“The following year in 2015, we moved to a north and south regional format,” said Deyo. “We included some tracks for our Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware drivers and we built up the northern region a bit as well.” By taking small steps and making calculated decisions, his series is operating like a master-limited partnership; there’s growth every year.
“The series is continuing to build to the point where this year we have the north region, the south region and now the sportsman series,” Deyo remarked. “We’re already looking at a point fund for 2016 that is at $67,000 which is pretty solid for our program.”
Deyo has more than just a ‘solid’ program. Case and point, where other touring series’ pay out $800 for finishing tenth, the Short Track Super Series pays out $1,000. That’s the highest of any modified series around at this point. The drivers, the fans and the track promoters that host his shows have all taken notice.
“What’s nice is that all of the tracks we had on the schedule last year have come back this year,” stated Deyo. “It just shows that those track promoters felt good about being a part of our program and we’ve even been able to pick up some new venues for this year.” The momentum of popularity has continued as Susquehanna Speedway Park and Black Rock Speedway are some of the most recent arrivals for the 2016 season proving what ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson stated in ‘Field of Dreams;’ if you build it, they will come.
Though the possibilities are without a doubt endless and the sky is certainly the limit; caution and planning are still the order of the day for Deyo. After all, like Albany-Saratoga Speedway promoter Lyle Devore stated, a pig gets fat and a hog gets slaughtered. “I don’t like to jump too far in one year because that’s when you get yourself in trouble,” Deyo explained. “We’re trying to grow and be fair to the supporters that we have and be smart about where we race.”
Being smart is only part of the reason behind the successful growth of the Short Track Super Series; being insightful is the other. The payouts are better than any other series on the schedule and the endless hours of work and effort that go into the bonuses and contingency awards are second-to-none. In short; drivers that show up know that they are going to be paid well and treated well. The best form of advertisement will always be by word of mouth and in the case of Brett Deyo, people haven’t been able to stop talking about his race promotions yet.
There’s also the endless amount of hours that Deyo spends networking. “I put a lot of time into going to PRI [Performance Racing Industry Trade Show] and other shows to talk to people and making sure that we make the right connections as far as bringing in new companies as sponsors and retaining previous companies as sponsors.” The effort shows in spades as his list of sponsors and marketing partners would leave even the most experienced promoter green with envy.
Another example that sets Deyo apart from many of his peers is his unwavering support of the lesser-known drivers that pull into the pit area at one of his events. “I think that it’s easy for some promoters to worry about the five or six big haulers and big egos,” Deyo stated with a chuckle. “I focus on keeping the rest of the world happy and it shows with the winners of our events over the years.”
Throughout Deyo’s promotional career, the drivers that have walked away victorious at the end of his events reads like a laundry list of ‘who’s that’ rather than a list of the ‘who’s who’ of dirt modified racing. Drivers like Danny Creeden, Craig Hanson, Jackie Brown, Dave VanHorn, Jordan Watson and others have beaten some of the biggest names in the business. For once in racing, there’s a series where the money doesn’t always go to the big money names; it also goes to the little guy.
“I just want to keep this going, to keep plugging along,” stated Deyo. “I want to continue to build on the events that we have. We need to pick up things that make sense when we can and continue to improve on the events that we already have in place.” There’s another reason why drivers and promoters are willing to participate in the Short Track Super Series; it’s a sound and stable platform.
“Just having stability I think is a big thing these days,” continued Deyo. “There’s so much controversy in the sport right now with people not getting paid and things like that. People know that when they race with us and come to the banquet at the end of the year, they’re going to leave with their check.” With racing being his full-time job, Deyo and his shows certainly aren’t going anywhere. There’s safety in that as well.
Racing is still undoubtedly a business for Brett Deyo, regardless of how it seems to be more fun than work for people on the outside looking in, and business decisions still need to be made. Some are certainly more difficult than others yet what sets him apart is his ability to check his ego at the proverbial door.
“I’m not afraid to pick up the phone and ask our racers what they think about certain things,” stated Deyo. “I like to keep everyone involved whether it’s our sponsors or our racers and try to keep them involved.” In a day and age where transparency seems to be about as limited as an honest politician, Deyo stands amongst a very rare crowd that believe inclusivity is one of the keys to success with a ‘for the racers, by the racers’ mentality.
“Keeping everyone involved works,” exclaimed Deyo. “I mean look at the success of the ESS [Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints], having a club mentality works. At the end of the day you have to have a leader and ultimately I have to make the decisions but I still want people to feel like they’re a part of something with our program.”
Words can be twisted and changed around to influence one view to another and though the talk surrounding Brett Deyo has been nothing but positive, there’s something else that proves his success more than any statement ever could; the numbers. And, unlike words, numbers never lie.
In 2015, the Short Track Super Series under the guidance of Brett Deyo handed out $20,167 in lap money, $14,557 in bonus money, $360,137 in total purse money and $59,700 in point fund money which has already grown to $67,000 for 2016. If there were any doubts about why drivers seem so willing to race with Brett Deyo, the numbers should eradicate those rather quickly.
“We were just shy of $400,000 to pay out to our drivers last year,” continued Deyo. “Sometimes I think we get looked over because we’re not the Super DIRTcar Series but on paper, our deal is pretty competitive.” Plenty of notable drivers have figured that out for themselves; just ask Stewart Friesen, Danny Johnson or Matt Sheppard for starters. The formula is actually quite simple; less laps, less wear and tear on equipment and more money. If there’s a downside to what Deyo has done, many are yet to find it.
“We’re just going to keep focusing on the weekly racers,” concluded Deyo. “That’s important to us. We’ve grown with that mentality and we’re going to keep it.”
To learn more about the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP or BD Motorsports Media LLC, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com or www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com, call 845.728.2781 during business hours, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, “like” Short Track Super Series on Facebook or follow @ShortTrackSS on Twitter.
The 2016 Short Track Super Series is presented by American Racer/Lias Tire, VP Racing Fuel, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, Halmar International, Allstar Performance, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Bicknell Racing Products, Dirt Track Digest, Fast Axle, Fox Racing Shocks, Hig Fab, Henry’s Exhaust, HyperCo, Kirkey Racing Fabrication, Racersguide.com,Race Pro Weekly, Racing Optics, Teo-Pro Car, Vahlco Wheels & Velocita.
