Looking back at the last 12 years
at Eddyville Raceway Park

    13 years ago I was talking with Scott Gardner about the sale of ERP by Carl Moyer. I was hoping Scott would buy it and I would help run the track. Scott insisted that I needed to be involved with the ownership and this was the start of something I had never dreamed of. I had been involved as a racer and working at the track at different times and levels but never thought of owning the track. Then a few years ago when Scott was moving on to run the IHRA I bought out his ½ and I and my wife became the sole owners.

The last 12 years have been the most rewarding thing I have ever done but also sometimes very stressful. ERP has an amazing history, sponsors, racers, and the employees have been so great to work with. Last year it was so neat to bring on my son Kyle to a full time position at the track as he is just as passionate about the sport as I am. We have taken an already great facility and done a lot of things that needed to be done to keep the facility up to the level everyone expects from a race track such as resurfacing the track and shutdown along with a whole bunch of smaller items that are always needed. I still have many other items on my bucket list to keep moving this place forward. The biggest challenges with running a race track are the weather and the finances which are directly affected by the weather plus lots of other factors. Our two big events have become great events and our bracket programs for the most part have grown, the no prep events have been a great addition to our schedule, and most everything is moving forward. The biggest challenge has been on the financial end of things some of which has been self-inflicted by doing the major improvements, but also by the continued increases in operating expenses such as utilities, insurance, etc. Overall things are doing well but there is always room for improvement.

Looking forward to the future of Eddyville Raceway Park

    I turned 65 this past year and have no interest in retiring but am ready to reduce my work load and having the sole financial responsibility. I have decided that I will offer the track for sale or bring in a potential investor but only under certain terms which includes keeping the dedicated staff (including myself) and that the person would have to share my goals for the future of the track, and have a desire to continue doing improvements to the facility. I have no interest in selling or adding an investor if these goals do not match up as we have a growing business that shows continued promise that I will not jeopardize.  I also understand there are areas that certainly could be improved upon and would be open minded to work with some new ideas.

We are working on several improvement projects this fall and have several others planned for next spring which will go on regardless of what happens. For 2018 we will be instituting a modest increase in entry fees probably $5 for most classes, to help cover all of the increases in costs to operate the track. I don`t think these have changed for more than 12 years.

We are also currently working on the schedule for 2018 so if you have any input for us about the schedule, the entry fees, or interested in talking about being an investor or in purchase of the facility please contact me at manager@eddyvilleraceway.com, call or text me @ 641-780-3534, or come and visit with me at my shop in Pella (call to see if I am around)
Potential investors or buyers may also contact Scott Gardner at office@GardnerRTC.com as Scott will be assisting me in this matter. I look forward to being involved in Eddyville Raceway Park for a many years to come in one capacity or another.

Thanks,
Gerald Kramer