Tyler Siri Takes The Keys At Black Rock Speedway,Becomes Outlaw Speedway
Story By: Mike Mallett/DTD Photos By:Dave Dalesandro/Racersguide.com
Dundee NY.-The track formerly known as the Black Rock Speedway has a new owner and a new name for the 2016 season.
It was just a few years ago Tyler Siri attempted to purchase the third-mile facility from long-time owner Dean Hoag. The agreement didn’t come to fruition at the time. This off-season the pair again struck up the conversation with the sale of the speedway to Siri being completed.
“It’s going to be awesome,” said Siri when reached by phone. “Everyone is super excited. We got a great schedule put together. The changes we are going to make out of the box should impress people. The place is great. We are going to clean it up, and with the management we got we should be able to knock it out of the park right out of the box.”
With new ownership comes another name change for the facility. Rather than go traditional, Siri has elected to think outside the box on his name for the speedway. He won’t use Dundee, Yates County or Black Rock in the name, instead he’s going with Outlaw Speedway.
“I think the Outlaw has a cool name to it; it attracts fun and excitement,” stated Siri. “I think it’s a cool name for the younger people too. It’s got a good ring to it. It’s fresh. It is something different. We are going to have pace car, safety trucks, everything is going to have the outlaw look. The guy did an awesome job designing the logo for me so I think it should be pretty cool.”
The weekly divisions will remain unchanged as he’ll continue to have the Modifieds, Crate Sportsman, Street Stocks, IMCA Modifieds and the 4-Cylinders. He’s adding the Crate Late Models on a weekly basis as well. Rules for the Modifieds will follow along with what Brett Deyo has done with the Short Track Super Series.
“We are going with Brett Deyo rules so we can cater to everyone,” he said. “The guys at Woodhull run the 370 engines, the big-block guys can come from Canandaigua, Brewerton, or Fulton. It’s going to be American Racer and Sail Panels. We haven’t decided on fuel yet.”
As a driver Siri understands the financial commitment it takes to field a race car week in and week out. As a result he’s increasing the purses in some of the divisions to help off-set the cost. He’s also paying a hefty point fund at seasons end.
“We are going to pay the Modifieds $2,000 to win and $200 to start every week,” commented Siri. “We are also bumping up the pay for the 4-Cylinders to $300 to win and the IMCA Modifieds to $500 to win each week. The Sportsman and Street Stock purses will stay the same. The Modified champion will win $5,000 while the other divisions will get at least $1,000 for the title.”
As far as the grounds are concerned, Siri has plans to update much of the facility to give it a fresh look for the upcoming season. The last several years have seen the facility leased to various promoters with little done to the overall look of the track.
“We are going to do a lot of painting and a lot of cleaning,” stated Siri. “We are going to tear down a couple things and put some new siding on some things. I’m going to seed the infield. We are going to add billboards near the road as well. We are going to put new clay on track once the season gets going. I don’t want to do it now and risk it not meshing together well.”
Siri has placed an emphasis on getting the fans in the stands. He’s planning activities for the kids including bringing back monster truck rides each week. He hopes to do several other things as well to improve the weekly attendance.
“We aren’t going to be just a back gate race track,” Siri said. “I know why people do it but we are going to spend the extra time, people and money to cater to the fans. We need the fans in stands to get the sponsors. We are going to make it the place to be on Friday nights.”
He also indicated that along with cleaning and fixing up the concession stands he’ll do what he can to improve the efficiency. In the past the slow moving lines in the concession area has been problematic. Siri will do what he can to remedy that situation by adding more staff and more open windows.
Siri has already spoken with several key people and has put together a staff. The only position he has yet to fill is the announcer’s chair. One familiar name that will be a weekly presence is Dick Stark. The former Thunder Mountain Speedway promoter and current GRIT Sportsman Series promoter will serve as overseer on race nights.
Those looking for more information about the upcoming season at Outlaw Speedway can attend a meeting this coming Saturday. Siri has reserved space at the American Legion in Dundee, N.Y., for Saturday morning, February 6 at 10am in order to hold to speak with drivers, owners and fans.
