Track set to begin season

For the record, the address is 1230 Race Track Drive in Carson City.

The paved track and its surrounding facility have been a familiar sight to local race fans since 1963 - not to mention rock concerts and boxing cards - although under three different names. But no matter what the name - Tahoe-Carson Speedway, Silver State Raceway, or Champion Motor Speedway - and no matter what type of vehicle, there is something special about spending a Saturday night watching drivers spin laps here.

Just ask Les Kynett, who has been involved with the track in various capacities for more than 25 years, including fan, announcer and owner and general manager.

"I have been involved with this track since I became the announcer in 1982. I bought it in 1985 and sold it to Larry Burton," said Kynett, who returned as general manager for one season in 2001 and came back for another go-round last year. "And before all that, I came down several times from 1975 to '82 to watch the races as a spectator. So, yes, I am very partial in my feelings for this track."

He isn't alone, by any means.

"This track has entertained three generations of people," Kynett said. "You had people out here in the '60s and '70s, then you saw their kids racing here in the '80s and '90s, and now their grandkids are coming here in the 2000s."

Consider three generations of the Heller family: Jack "Blackjack" Heller, one of T-Car Speedway's original racers and won two track champions in the late 1960s; followed to the track by his son, Dean Heller, Nevada Secretary of State and preparing for a run at Congress in 2006; and 16-year-old Harris Heller, who made his debut at Champion in 2004 and won the combined Junior Hornet/Queen Beez division championship.

Another familiar sight at the track is Craig Paulsen, who will return in his No. 65 after a three-season hiatus to race in the Late Model Series. Paulsen won track championships in 1975 (in a 1966 Ford Fairlane), '78 (in a 1966 Chevelle) and '98 (in a 1974 Camaro) but hasn't raced full-time in Carson City since the 2001 season.

"I love coming out here. It's been a large part of my life for a long time," Paulsen said Saturday afternoon as he watched a test and tune session at Champion this past Saturday. "This has provided me with a lot of opportunities in my life - a lot of good memories and a lot of people I've met."

He is looking forward to coming back next month when the West Car Late Model Series comes to Champion. In its inaugural season, the series features nine races between Champion and All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., with stops in Carson City scheduled on May 21, June 18, July 9 and Aug. 6. (For more information the West Car Series, go online to http://westcarseries.com)

"There's a lot of interest in this West Car Series," Paulsen said. "There's some very good drivers, some of the best on the West Coast, so that (May 21) will be a great night of racing."

Paulsen began racing at T-Car right after his graduation from Carson High in 1971. Randy Hedrick did the same after he graduated from Reed High in the late 1970s and also won a season championship

"I've had a lot of fun out here," said Hedrick, who was at Champion to take a tune-up for his trip this coming weekend to Madera, Calif., for a stop on Davey Hamilton's SRL Wild West Late Model Series. "Racing is addicting. It's awesome. You don't spend this much money without looking forward to it."

Kynett changed the name to Silver State Raceway after he bought the facility in 1985 and then changed the name to Champion Speedway after he returned as general manager in 2001.

Ah, but there are signs of progress on the southern end of Carson City. With the rise of property values, it is only a matter of time before the track is closed and the land sold to make way for development, according to Kynett.

"I'd like to urge the fans to attend the races on Saturday nights because this could be the last year for a full season of racing out here," Kynett said. "We will finish out this season and there is still a chance we could be back again next year, but that's not certain."

It opened as a dirt track in 1963. Asphalt and lights were added a year later. The closure of the track would certainly mark the end of an era.

"Forty-two years, that's a long time," Kynett said. "You have to figure, in 1963, the population of Carson City was 16,000, maybe less. In those days, people came out here because there was nothing else to do on Saturday nights.

"The day it closes, there will definitely be tears in my eyes," Kynett said.

n Contact Dave Price at dprice@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-1220.