By Motor Sports LLC submitted the lone bid to operate and promote stock car races at Brown County Speedway for the next handful of years.
The county requested proposals for services related to grandstand premises for purposes of public entertainment during the summer months.
The proposal was opened by the Brown County Commission during its regular meeting at the courthouse annex on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Fairgrounds and fair manager Rachel Kippley advised that commissioners have a contract written up before formally accepting the proposal.
The proposal offered to pay the county $20,500 per year for the years 2025 through 2028 and $22,500 in 2029.
The contract that just expired, also from Motor Sports LLC, paid the county $18,000 a year.
MORE: $25K from Brown County opioid settlement going to treatment courts
Terry Voeltz is president of the group and one of five owners. He’s no stranger to local race fans.
“I had the track out there from 1996 to 2008 by myself at the time,” Voeltz said in a phone interview after the meeting.
He said that since Motor Sports LLC took over in 2020, things have been going well.
“It was down quite a bit and we brought it back. We’re getting pretty good crowds. You get the people you need to help out,” Voeltz said.
When the contract was last up in 2019, Voeltz said a group approached him to see if they could jointly take over the speedway.
“I was retired and out of it at the time, and nobody was bidding on the track. The other people in the group wanted to make sure it stayed open, but they didn’t have any experience in running the race track,” Voeltz recalled.
Eldon Swingler, Kent Arment and Derek Handrail are the others involved with Motor Sports LLC. They learned from Voeltz, who still helps out at the track.
“But if I didn’t enjoy doing the work, I wouldn’t do it,” he said.
Terry Voeltz takes a group photo with Brown County Speedway workers during the 2024 season. Courtesy photo.
The revenue made from concessions, fees, sponsorships and admission goes back into the speedway or the equipment needed to maintain it, and there’s not much left at the end, Voeltz said.
“We love the local sport and want to keep it alive,” he said. “I’ve been involved in the racing business myself for probably 45 years. If you went all the way across the country at all the race tracks, I’d say they all do it for the love of it.”
He said it’s a pricey pastime for all parties involved.
“It’s a very expensive sport for the drivers, so they need to be paid. The people are only going to pay so much for a ticket. Weather can hurt you real bad. You’ve got to have the equipment, and that takes money,” Voeltz said.
The race cars and safety equipment can run up to $100,000, he said.
“A late model, top class can cost $50,000 just for the chassis, then they got to buy a motor which can cost $30,000 to $40,000,” Voeltz said.
MORE: 2024 Brown County Fair rakes in record-breaking amount of revenue
The safety equipment used by the drivers must be inspected before each use, that includes helmets and seat belts, which can only be worn so many times before new ones are needed.
It’s just one aspect of running a safe race track.
“Several of us that put in 30 to 40 hours a week out there all summer long. You’ve got to prepare the track, facilities, concessions. But we’ve got really good group of people that help out,” Voeltz said.
One point of pride Voeltz has is the concession stand at the Brown County Speedway, which has a full menu and great customer service.
Shannon Marvel is a South Dakota journalist who has worked in Aberdeen, Rapid City and Pierre before joining The Aberdeen Insider.