After graduating from McMaster University, Slack joined Charlotte Motor Speedway where he worked for Wheeler as he went from intern to vice president of events, managing the track’s vast array of motorsports entertainment. After leaving CMS in 2008, Slack toiled at World Racing Group where he organized and promoted such marquee events as Super DIRT Week. Stewart hired him to oversee Eldora in 2011.
Carved out of a cornfield and opened in 1954 by band leader and dance-hall promoter Earl Baltes, Eldora Speedway provides race fans with a one-of-kind motorsports experience that combines a passion for the past with a love for the high-speed action of today’s major short-track events.
“Until you experience it, you will never understand it because it is just that unique. That goes back to Earl’s days,” Slack said of the Eldora experience. “I remember going there in 1999 when we were building The Dirt Track in Charlotte, and that was the first time I ever saw the track. But then seeing my first World 100 in 2001. Until they see the Kings Royal, the World 100, the Dream, the Dirt Derby or any of our big races, people can’t comprehend the scope of just how big it is. And there it is right in the middle of rural Ohio, two hours from anything.
“For us, racing is still our entertainment. We don’t do thrill shows. We haven’t done Monster Trucks in a couple years. Therefore, the actual racing has to be spectacular,” Slack continued. “We put a lot of effort into the show, the announcers, pit reporting, the big screen and trying to run things off as quickly as we can. We know there are only so many people who are going to love dirt racing and there is always a certain part of the night when you are going to have dirt flying in the air and you try to manage that the best you can. And you try to keep the track as racy as you can so, hopefully, at the end of the night you are having fantastic finishes.”
According to Slack, every member of his staff has a deep-rooted passion for Eldora Speedway.
“Pretty much everybody on our team, before they worked at Eldora, they came to Eldora or they grew up at Eldora. Everybody is passionate about the place and everybody knows the track’s history,” Slack explained. “The people in our area, they are so hard working. Whether it’s our local contractors, our officials, sheriff’s deputies or our full-time staff, there is no other speedway that has a group of people who are as dedicated, passionate and devoted as these people are to that Big E logo and keeping it No. 1.
“Right now, we have eight full-time employees, including me. We don’t have a PR person and we don’t have a sales staff. We have a couple that comes in and helps with our camping during the summer. Sometimes during events there are 21 or 22 people working,” Slack added. “During the biggest races, you have the sheriff’s deputies, local volunteer firemen, traffic attendants, church groups and concession workers, so we’ve got 400 to 500 people working. These folks love working at Eldora and many of them give up their vacation time to do it. That promoter-of-the-year trophy has my name on it, but it should have the name of every single person who works at Eldora because every single person makes a difference to our fans.”
Being selected Auto Racing Promoter of the Year by a vote of his peers was a special moment for Slack.
“It meant a lot. My parents were there; Pat and Patti Wheeler were there; Glenn Donnelly was there; and Larry Kemp, who used to be the GM at Eldora, was there; as were Kendra Jacobs, Cary Agajanian, Tom Deery and a lot of people who I have learned a lot from through the years, and that really made it special.
“My brother had broken into my parents’ house in Canada — they live in Florida during the winter — and they had all of these pictures from when I was a kid. It was emotional and it was a real honor. It made me really proud of Eldora and all of our people. We are all these years removed from Earl’s ownership, but we are still doing great things and people are still recognizing that. It inspires you go get more creative and do more.”