DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Eldora Speedway’s promoter and general manager Roger Slack was named Auto Racing Promoter of the Year during the 47th Annual RPM Workshops in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The honor, awarded for the 44th consecutive year by Racing Promotion Monthly, is selected by promoters of over 1,200 speedways, dragways and road courses across North America.
Additionally, the 36th annual Kings Royal was voted Outstanding Annual Short-Track Event of the Year. Previously honored in 1997, the Kings Royal is the first event to earn the prestigious accolade for a second time.
“This is a tremendous honor to be able to accept this award on behalf of our entire team at Eldora,” said Slack, who garnered over 73% of the ARPY votes during the final round of balloting. “This is voted on by the industry and to be recognized like this is very humbling. I am very fortunate to have my family and so many friends here to share in this – it’s incredible. Eldora has such a great history and our entire team, sometimes as many as 400-500 at our biggest events, earned this honor with their hard work and welcoming nature. They are all so dedicated and we’re fortunate that Tony (Stewart) continues to provide us with the resources to grow Eldora and continue the legacy built by Earl and Berneice (Baltes).”
Slack has worked his entire career in the racing industry. His family’s footprints in racing date back four generations, starting with his great grandparents, who were involved in thoroughbred horse racing. His grandfather, Bob Slack, was the visionary behind Canada’s Cayuga Speedway (now known as Jukasa Motor Speedway) in Ontario and his father, Randy, was an accomplished short-track racer on both asphalt and dirt in late models, big-block modifieds and even big rig semi-trucks. Roger’s younger brother, Bobby, is a business partner at Bicknell Racing Products, one of the most-recognized names in dirt modified and specialty parts manufacturing.
“Short-track racing has always been our family’s passion,” Slack continued. “It is what we have always done and today, this award is not just for me, but for everyone at Eldora and all of those who have believed in me throughout my career.”
Originally scheduled as a three-day weekend, the 2019 Kings Royal became a four-day extravaganza by chance when rain pushed the final night of May’s #LetsRaceTwo Doubleheader, featuring both the World of Outlaws and USAC National Sprint Cars, to the Wednesday night preceding the Kings Royal. Never mind that Stewart’s bump of the winner’s purse from its traditional $50,000 to a staggering $175,000-to-win attracted the largest crowd in the 36 year history of the event, temperatures soared to over 100 degrees throughout the week calling for quick response and a robust action plan by Eldora’s track services team, the medical professionals in the Premier Health Infield Care Center, area ambulance services, local rescue squads and nearby hospitals.
“This was a big year for the Kings Royal and the action behind-the-scenes was as wild as the action on the track,” explained Slack. “Everyone at Eldora is dedicated to providing our fans with the most enjoyable experience possible while watching the best and bravest racers chasing after those big paydays. The way all of the great people of Darke, Mercer, Auglaize and surrounding counties pull together to make them feel welcome regardless of the conditions, whether heat or rain, is second-to-none. Our officials, event teams, church and high school groups, the sheriff department, everyone – over 400 people – working together are what make the Eldora Experience so memorable, so often, for so many. And we strive to do that every time we open the gates.”