Western New York /By Larry Ott
Rainy weather makes future bleak for McKean Raceway
The wet weather coupled with other problems may be washing away the future of McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pa.
For the seventh time in nine attempts, inclement weather has washed away the racing events this season at McKean, about 95 miles south of Buffalo.
The facility was already in danger of evaporating into the racing history books three years ago when four men — Ken Leet, Rod Biehler, Tom Gleason and Rich Yeager — partnered to reach an agreement with the McKean County Fair Board to run the dirt track facility. Leet signed the lease on behalf of the group.
Many Western New York based drivers and fans have attended race events there over the years, including those who also race or watch races at Little Valley Speedway, Stateline Speedway and the now defunct Freedom Raceway.
This has changed drastically over the last few years as the crowds going to McKean have all but disappeared. While the track still gets good car counts in certain divisions, the facility has had poor crowds at most of these events with the exception of their season closing Fall Classic each September.
“My partners and I all make our full-time livings outside the world of racing and each of us promised from the beginning that none of us would invest any of our own personal income into funding the operations at McKean,” said Leet. “The only way this track is going to meet our expenses and hopefully to make a profit is on the income that we get from running races.
“Last year we had a bad year because we had a lot of rainouts but the one thing that kept us going was that we all said that the weather picture couldn’t get any worse then that and unbelievably it has this season. We are two weeks from the end of June and have just two races in the books and at both of those the crowds were terrible.”
Leet says his group has taken the heat from some fans who think that McKean has canceled races too early on some race days over the last two seasons to save money. But Leet says these people do not understand.
“I’ve expressed over and over again that the only way we are going to make it is if we run races to drive in income. So why would we want to cancel races when it’s our only chance to succeed?” said Leet. “It’s a different racing world now. With gas over $4 per gallon for the race haulers and the fans’ own cars, if we think it is raining too close to race time and the forecast looks bleak, I cancel to save our competitors and fans fuel money. I’ve actually received a few thank-yous from some drivers for saving them fuel.
“Also we have expenses that we have to meet even when it rains.”
Leet says he believes crowds are low because rainouts kill momentum when wet weather strikes in successive weeks over two years.
“It’s tough in today’s economy to draw fans. But when there are so many other opportunities for other forms of entertainment these days, when you keep raining out fans begin to find other things to do and then our racing programs become an afterthought.”
McKean once was home to the Super Late Models, one of the most popular racing divisions throughout America. Two years ago, McKean dropped the Super Late Models except on a special-appearance-only basis and replaced them with the less expensive FASTRAK Crate Late Models. The move did not sit well with many veteran fans.
While the FASTRAK cars have had a slight rise in car count and many veteran drivers such as Super Late Model stars Dick Barton and Todd Andrews have jumped aboard, some fans and drivers are still resisting the move.
Leet says he believes the FASTRAK cars are still the most fiscally responsible way to go.
Is the final checkered about to fall on McKean for good?
“To be honest with you, the way things have been going, I don’t know what to do to save this track now,” said Leet. “We are committed to finishing our commitment to run McKean to the end of this season. Beyond that, we’ll see.”
