NASCAR HOME TRACKS
Rockford Speedway BY KEITH WALTZ
Opened in 1948, Rockford Speedway in Loves Park, Illinois, has been a leader in innovative motorsports entertainment since Hugh Deery became the track’s sole owner in 1966. “We always try to put on the best show, and that goes all the way back to my father’s day,” said second-generation promoter David Deery. “His idea was that this is a race track, but it’s really a stage. It’s an entertainment facility, so we have to entertain the crowd. “Back in the day, dad had chickens racing, Jell-O jumps and
COZY CONFINES
grocery-cart races. He did a lot of things to interact with the fans, get them involved in the event.” Hugh Deery passed away 37 years ago, but his family has continued the tradition of providing unique novelty events alongside an action-packed slate of Saturday night NASCAR stock car racing on the high-banked, quarter-mile asphalt oval. Rockford Speedway’s schedule runs from April through October.
BIG FINALE
FAMILY AFFAIR
AT A QUARTER-MILE IN LENGTH AND
EACH YEAR SINCE 1966, ROCKFORD
JODY DEERY MOVED INTO THE ROLE OF
with 22 degrees of banking in the turns,
Speedway has ended its season with the
president and CEO of Rockford Speedway
Rockford Speedway provides fans with an up-close view of the tight racing. “Rockford is very unique in its banking and the speed that it carries,” David Deery explained about the track. “The racing is all
National Short-Track Championships, highlighted by a 200-lap race for the NASCAR late models. “For many years that was the only major event in this part of the country,” said David Deery. The list of winners includes Mark Martin,
after her husband, Hugh, suffered a fatal heart attack in July 1984. With assistance from the couple’s eight children, Jody Deery continued to oversee the race track’s operation until last fall when she
right there in front of you, and there’s not a
Dick Trickle, Joe Shear, Junior Hanley and Steve
stepped away from her day-to-day duties at
bad seat in the house.”
Carlson.
the age of 95.
Originally built for midget racing, late
Today, the three-day program showcases 12 to
A pioneer among female auto-racing
models have long headlined the Rockford
14 divisions and attracts between 150 and 200
promoters, Deery was recognized as the
program.
race cars.
national Promoter of the Year in 1994.
14
POLE POSITION 2021
PHOTOGRAPHY: KYLE ADAMS/MISFIT PRODUCTIONS
