Young promoter has passion for historic speedway

Brett Deyo grew up in New Jersey, watching and writing about dirt-track racing.

It seems only natural that he would take the next step – a leap of faith actually – and become a race promoter. As head of BD Motorsports Media LLC, he's turned last year's season at the Georgetown Speedway into a three-year lease, and will now offer a nine-race series called The Tide Has Turned.

Deyo is bringing a nearly six-decade old, retro track back to life. And the three-year deal gives him some breathing room to make improvements.

The 34-year-old also promotes the 23-race Super Series at short tracks in Delaware, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Deyo said he's able to offer high prize payouts, which attract the area's top racers much to the delight of the thousands of fans who attend races at the historic track.

It's fitting to start the 2017 season at the historic track with races in memory of founder Melvin L. Joseph because Joseph built the track in 1949. It was also Joseph who built Dover Downs International Speedway – now Dover International Speedway – from 1966 to 1969, literally cementing his name in the state's racing history.

Joseph passed away in 2005, but thanks to company President Ken Adams, support of Georgetown Speedway has never wavered, Deyo said. “They have been a big help providing heavy equipment. We couldn't have done it without them,” he said.

Working overtime to ready track

Deyo and his friends and volunteers have spent the last few months on a major makeover of the track and its facilities. Speckled in blue paint from repainting the large bleachers, he said over the past decade the track has been neglected. It even even shut down for a few years in the 2000s.

He literally started from the base of the track this year and rebuilt it, hauling in 200 dump truck loads of clay, the key ingredient to a successful dirt-track season.

Deyo is excited that the concession stand has been totally refurbished with new equipment. Local favorite Fat Daddy's BBQ will run the concession this season.

Everything is getting a fresh coat of paint, and there's a rebuilt novelty shed, upgraded sound system and a new scoreboard

“We hauled off two roll-offs of junk the first week here,” he said. “The projects will never stop.”

Deyo says all the hard work pays off when he looks at the packed grandstands. The crowd of 3,000 who attended last year's Melvin L. Joseph Memorial Race was the largest in a long time. “There is so much history and so much potential here,” he said.

Deyo and his wife, Heather, moved from Pennsylvania to the Long Neck area, which has made his life easier as he works from sunrise to sunset getting the track ready.

Local racing enthusiast Don Allen of Seaford stopped by to check on Deyo's progress. “We all thought the track was dead,” he said. “It took someone like Brett who is savvy and has connections to bring it back.”

Melvin Joseph Memorial is March 11

Racing at Georgetown gets underway Saturday, March 11, with the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial Race for modifieds, sportsmen, vintage stock cars, Little Lincolns, Delmarva Chargers and Delaware Super Trucks. The pits open at noon with racing scheduled all afternoon into the night.

The renovated half-mile track opened for practice sessions March 4, will open again from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Friday, March 10. Pit admission is $20 but there is no charge for grandstand seating during practice sessions.

ON THE TRACK

Georgetown Speedway is located on an 81-acre parcel at the intersection of Route 113 and Speedway Road just south of Georgetown.

Phone 845-728-2781, email georgetownspeedway@gmail.com or go to www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com for more information.

Depending on the race, admission is $20 or $25 for grandstands and $35 or $40 for pits.