In 2005, Brian Azevedo became the youngest sprint car champion in speedway history. Art’s son, Brian, started in modifieds before switching to winged sprint cars. He’s competed in go-karts, street stocks, dwarf cars and dirt modifieds.
Carr’s intense hometown rivalry with Victor Gonella and their heated wheel-to-wheel battles make great memories for longtime racing fans.Īrt Azevedo, Jr., owner of A&A Automotive, first came to the speedway with his father when he five. Working together, Soares and Carr, a nationally recognized racecar builder, were instrumental in bringing the modified class to Petaluma Speedway. “It’s a piece of California history and when it goes so will our history.” It’s one of the few original tracks left from the 1940s,” said record-setting, 58-time feature race winner and two-time dirt modified track champion Joe Carr. “Petaluma Speedway is a California landmark. Soares expanded the number of racing divisions and brought in an alphabet of top-notch racing organizations including BCRA, NARC, WWO, USAC, Civil War, King of California and others. As other Northern California racetracks were lost to development - Vallejo Speedway and Baylands Raceway Park, for example - more race team descended on Petaluma. Much of the success and growth of Petaluma Speedway is attributed to former promoter John Soares, who took over the quarter-mile oval in 1960 and later converted it into a fast, 3/8-mile banked track. The first race, on the original one-mile horse race track, reportedly witnessed by more than 1,000 wildly enthusiastic fans, was won by Petaluma racing legend Ed Normi, who’s enshrined in the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame. Automobile racing has taken place at Kenilworth Park since 1936, that’s four score and four years - 84 - for those counting. Petaluma holds a long loving relationship with Petaluma Speedway despite some disapproval of the sounds it emits. Tentative plans call for about three race divisions to compete each week, with the action to be live-streamed on Speed Shift TV.” “I’m optimistic we’ll be able to open for testing sometime in June and be able to start racing, without fans in the stands, soon thereafter. “Right now, we’re trying to get guidance and approval to open,” said Faeth, who’s run the racetrack since 2013. That’s expected to change during the coming weeks as speedway promoter Rick Faeth works to reach an agreement on when it will be safe to open. Petaluma Speedway was on the verge of opening its season in March before the shelter-in-place orders halted everything. Those workers are now out of part-time work, hoping to return in some fashion before the end of the racing season.
It takes careful planning and effort from about 50 track personnel to put on the show. Behind the scenes, a sizable crew is on the job. Sights, sounds and smells merge into an action-packed, enjoyable experience.
Work, politics and problems are cast aside. When the pieces are in place, the atmosphere buzzes with excitement. It’s quiet in the pits, where powerful race cars are rolled out their haulers and fired up for the upcoming events, as track officials choreograph qualifying, heats and feature races among the different divisions.
There is silence in the grandstands, which only come to life when arriving spectators stake out their favorite seats amid the alluring aroma of popcorn, sizzling hamburgers and other comfort foods wafting from the concession stands. It’s the silence brought on by the absence of activity at Petaluma Speedway, where, for more than 70 years, finely tuned racecars, coupled with adrenaline-charged fans, transform it into the town’s most highly energized sports venue. (SCOTT MANCHESTER/ARGUS-COURIER STAFF)Īn unusual silence hangs over Petaluma these Saturday evenings, uncommon for this time of year - a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Harlan Osborne's column Toolin' Around Town appears every two weeks in the Petaluma Argus-Courier.
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