FERNLEY, NEVADA (March 17) — This past year the Reno-Fernley Raceway changed hands. Owner Dan Shore now has selected a manager, who was the very first one when the complex was built 25 years ago.
Asked about that manager Dave Asher said, “I met Mr. Cable and interviewed for the job and he said, ‘you got it.’ I had done a couple of other motorsports promotions before that. I built a motocross track at Top Gun Raceway and they decided they didn’t want that after one year. “
Asher related that one of his promotions was Jet Ski races at Pyramid Lake that benefited the Tribe’s first responders. With no dust, dirt or trucks needed for the six-race series he said, “That’s the easiest venue I’ve ever worked on.”
Looking back at Reno-Fernley he said, “I’m blessed that Mr. Cable gave me the opportunity, to work here, I’ll always respect him to having the vision to have a motorsports park here from the very beginning.
“Unfortunately we were always under funded, under staffed but we still pulled it off. Bob and I got on tractors. I never touched heavy equipment in my life, went in circles in a dozer and made the clay oval.
“We had the clay oval going and I built a very successful sand drag track. They came from San Francisco to Salt Lake City to race here. Had a BMX bicycle track that had hundreds of kids playing on it. We had the off-road track with VORRA racing, but the motocross track didn’t take off too well as it had too many rocks.”
Although it was a good first year another opportunity came up and Asher left. Over the years however he’s kept track of how the complex has been doing.
Asher, a long time motorcycle drag racer moved into road racing over a year ago thanks to the efforts of a friend. Later this friend invited him to a private meeting of some car people and that’s when things happened.
“Met Dan Shore there and I’m talking about building a sand drag track because I have a wicked side-by-side I want to race somewhere. And this guy I’ve never met before or seen before says, ‘I own Reno-Fernley Raceway.’”
So we had a few meetings after that. I showed him what I did in ’99. For some reason I kept all the flyers, all the schedules I had, all the marketing brochures I put together. It’s almost like I’ve been in training for this position for 25 years.
“Mr. Shore really didn’t have plans for the dirt sport as the money and return from investment coms from the road racing. I just been blessed to learn that sport for the last year in a half as if it’s been leading up to where I am today.”
He added dirt racing is the icing but the road-racing venue is the cake.
“You don’t put condos on a dirt track but you do on a road course. There are shops at all the road courses, there’s no shops at the drag strips per say unless there is a road course there. So the infrastructure and the reason to have this park is the road course. “
The facility is made of several parts and Asher explained they’ll been doing it step by step while restoring it.
“So as Dan I put our plans together, knowing that I guess I could do it again as I did it in ’99. I know how to put on races at a motocross track, an oval and the off-road. And I am a sand drag racer and I have a national record on an ATV back in ’99 at the Marysville Track,” he said.
The poster graphic shows the layout and order they are following.
“First will be the motocross track because it’s turnkey. They were practicing on that all the way up to last October. Tyler built a really, really nice track so all I have to do is groom it, add water and they will come as it’s ready to go.
“We haven’t talked to Ty about it but we have several people that are interested, have all the local clubs to reach out to so that will be not take much effort.”
The oval is next on the list and it’s going to be a two-part project. Oddly enough Asher originally helped carve it out and stacked the blocks that make up the outside wall. He explained the first spectators were sitting on hay bales until the bleachers and stands were built.
“The clay oval has been abandoned for four years, pre Covid. Everything needs to be painted and everything needs to be fired back up. We don’t have any timing system or amplifiers for the PA. So we’re starting, not from scratch, because it’s all there. It just needs a good facelift, groom the track, put water on it and that will be turnkey.
“We’re coming into it with a tight budget cause of the cost of buying the whole property. So I assured Dan I would take what we have, not invest a whole lot, put some lipstick on it and get it running again. And then we’ll reinvest as it goes.”
Inside the oval is where the Outlaw Kart track is going to be placed.
“I’ve already been contacted with the club there in Reno and as you see on the drawing I put on Face Book. There is a 1/5th inside of the 3/8th mile and that’s just for them.
“Since I went public with this on Face Book I had a gal that just moved to Dayton reach out to me. She’s from the Merced track. She’s got in her trailer 12-quarter midgets. She reached out and asked, ‘you got a track for those?’”
So he pointed out the small track and asked if she would use that or run the big track. His plan is that it’s going to be a youth driving school.
Asked about off-road he said, “Well that’s number 3 on the list. I built that 25-years ago when I took the Google image of what my track was and it’s on that map. It’s a big track we’re going to take over, because you’ve got side-by-side racing these days. So I’m going to model what we’re going to do there after the E Street Motocross Park in Marysville. Everything they are going to, we’re going to do, Side-by-Side, ATV’s and motorcycles.”
He mentioned that Norcal Rock Racers have already reached out to him. He has a phone all with Lucas to maybe get the truck series back here that was up at the Wild West Park. Seems that outside track us big enough for them to run on.
“We’re expanding the pits to up in this area that was a pistol range before. That’s a nice flat area for spectator viewing, overnight camping. We really want this place to be a fan friendly, family friendly, we want memories made here, we want bonding, camping under the stars. It’s going to be so fun, what we do is to sell tickets to put smiles on race fan’s faces.”
One major project will be the road course, which is something Dan Shore mentioned in the interview this reporter had with him in late January.
“The road course is the last on the list cause it required repaving so it’s going to take a lot of money, about a 5 million dollar budget,” Asher said. “It was not built exactly right, the asphalt has shrunk, there are big cracks about every 25 feet all the way around it. It could be patched but it would be, as Dan said, putting a Band Aid on it and he wants to do it right.
“So in order to get the right customers here, the right support, the people that buy shops and condos you’ve got to have a whole new facelift on that road course out there.”
It’s going to require a major facelift but after that it will be a multi use venue.
“Dan’s going to reconfigure it a little bit and at the same time, with my strong influence, we’re going to put in a real nice 8th mile drag strip on the straight away. It’ll be a state of the art, won’t have a bump in it, won’t be up hill and it’ll have a great timing system. So that’s the last part of it.”
Asher has already reached to Top Gun Drag Strip as they’ve always worked together.
One group that is now using part of the road course is Club Rowdy. They put on drifting events and Asher was impressed at how well they have cleaned up the area as well as put in a barrier that makes a safe place for spectators.
The poster he created has the order and future goals, which will start this year.
“That’s all outlined on the bottom of the flyer I put there. Bottom of it says our goals; first is motocross and it says early spring. Next is the oval and it says late spring. Then there is the off-road track, it’s there I just need to clean it up and start charging people to run on it, add water and they’ll come.
His next goal is a Sand Drag Racing Strip. For this Asher is starting from scratch.
“Have to acquire the timing system and have to do it right. Sand drags is huge as it’s got all these side-by-sides, you can put paddles on anything, all the way up to top fuel dragster and they do that. So I think it’s going to be huge.”
While this is going on Asher has been reaching out to other groups and tracks.
“I’ve done that from the very beginning. I’ve reached to Rattlesnake and Susanville and we will always cooperate. I’m a little late on the scheduling for this year.
“I’ll take the dates that are left over cause everything is already booked up. But from next year on we’ll be working with everybody to make sure we’re all on the same page and working with each other.”
The amount of feedback he’s gotten has been a very pleasant surprise.
“Right out of the gate I’m overwhelmed with the response. We’re hungry for this and to join Mr. Cable’s view of what this could have been 25 years ago. I have brochures that have pretty much the same design that we put together in 1999 and has almost everything that’s here or going to be here.
“So we just waited for the right owner to come along to complete this project. I think that’s what we have right now in Dan Shore.”
One aspect is creating the crews needed to operate the facility. He and Dan Shore are working on this.
“After my first outreach I almost have all that secured. I’ve got two or three guys that want to be announcers. I’ve got enough volunteers to damn near put it on.
“What I’m going to do is start a couple of meetings, one here at the track and one in Reno so we can put together a volunteer list and a team list and start deciding who is going to be the manager of each venue.
“I’ll need a team for each venue. And we’ll start signing up people who will indicate which venue they want to participate in.”
As mentioned earlier Asher has been over whelmed with the response he’s gotten after making it public he was the manager. It’s been a humbling gratifying experience for him.
“I’m honored to have this opportunity and share my phone number and e-mail with everybody because it’s on that flier. My phone’s been ringing off the hook.
“What’s going to happen is there’s people in Reno right now have never raced before but in two years will own a race car and be a driver out here. They’re going to inspired as this is a place you can experience your dreams as a driver, if it’s a dirt track, sand drags, drag racing or the road course or off-road.
“We’re going to have side-by-sides classes, where you just come out and putt around. There will be something here for everybody.”
For more information please check, www.renofernleyraceway.com or www.info@renoferneyraceway.com. Racing’s Field of Dreams has been reborn. The phone number is, 775-224-2242.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• Lockett Shows moves into the Convention Center this week. The Reno RV Show actually begins on Thursday then the Reno Boat Show opens the following day.
The Off-Road Motor Sports Expo also opens on Friday. Great way to meet the various 4X4 groups in this area.
• This Tuesday, starting at 6:30 p.m., Trucks and Tacos of Northern Nevada will meet at Taos El Rey. Location is at 5100 MaeAnne #10 in the shopping center that runs along the west side or McCarran.
• Davey’s American Racing is found on Face Book. His focus is on western oval tracks as well as national series.
He recently started his broadcasts so to check Face Book around 6 p.m. Wednesday.
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• If you enjoyed this article please “like,” and share it as widely as possible. Comments are welcome.
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• Our newest sponsor is State Farm agent Kelby Schoorl, who was a racer in his younger days. He has some supplemental insurance that racers might be interested in checking out.
There is medical that covers visits to the ER, ambulance rides and if a person has to stay in a hospital. In addition trailers as well as tools and tools in shops can be covered with additional policies.
If Kelby isn’t available the other guys at his office will be very happy to explain what they can offer both to racers and those enjoying motorized recreation.
Office hours are from 9 until 5: 30 Monday through Friday, appointments are needed on Saturday. The phone number is 775-827-2255 or at his website, www.kelby@insuringreno.com.
• One of our sponsors is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists owned by former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian. The shop is located at 890 Gentry Way.
The shop services older and new transmissions and now has a section for high performance units and those used in towing. Phone number is 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
• Our first sponsor is Reno Motorsports (RMS). Not only do they have about anything a rider might want or need and the store also has a full service shop.
Their location is at 964 Terminal Way, by the intersection with Mill Street. Store’s phone number is 775-322-1499 and the site is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.
• The next shop is Moto-Source located at 3180 Mill Street. Once again they are a full service shop plus the showroom has about any thing a rider might need or want.
The phone number is 775-856-3855 and the website is,www.moto-source.com.
• Concours Body Shop, located at 250 Telegraph Street in Reno, is another sponsor. The shop does quality collision repair for cars and trucks.
Owner Brian Saul is a car enthusiast himself and is committed to continuing the shop’s reputation of quality work. Phone number is 775-329-4557 and the website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.
• Hungry, want a great place to eat, then try PJ&CO for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and it’s a great place to watch your favorite sports. Wednesday evenings, starting around 5 p.m. is Bike Night, good time to meet fellow riders and have a great dinner.
The location is 1590 South Wells Avenue, just north of the round about. Phone number is 775-323-6366 and their website is www.pjandco.net.
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