On Tuesday we broke the news about Tom Fox resigning as the Director Of Racing Operations And Competition At Stafford Speedway.
For me, as the guy, covering Stafford Speedway every week, this news was not anything I wanted to hear or write about.
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Ed Yerrington, anybody remember that guy? Not just the picture of the champion at Stafford but Jack Arute’s right hand man for so long as Stafford’s General Manager. While an aging Jack rode around on his golf cart on race night more a regal presence it was Yerrington that was responsible for pretty much everything on race night and what a unique figure he cut. 50’s era slicked back silver hair, western themed shirt, tight jeans with a big old western type belt buckle and cowboy boots. Not a diplomatic bone in his body he ruled with an iron fist all with Arute’s approval. Including the brief foray managing the Waterford Speedbowl for a time. He’s the forgotten man these days I’d suspect because of lingering hard feeling by Mark Arute. Jack for the longest time not thinking Mark had the skills to run the operation and while learning the business having Yerrington ahead of him in line. Now that the tracks thriving under Mark he and the rest of his clan have proven to be arguably the best management team Stafford ever had. This is all conjecture on my part but a Stafford watcher for a really long time in part guided by what I observed first hand and what Ben Dodge has offered on the subject. In a sport known to honor people all the time I’m convinced Yerrington has never been honored at the track for the pivotal roll he played, (including the roll out of the SK’s as the premier division that nearly killed the track), mainly because of lingering hard feelings.
Tom Fox cut from the same cloth as Yerrington only in a different era has molded his management style to conform to the times. No nonsense but willing to take the time to listen and explain his positions which combined with his racing knowledge like Yerrington is the perfect model for what you’d want in a racing director. Not just that but a guy that as soon as Creepy Bruce was charged in 2017 he first tried to convince the guy to step away from the track and then when he didn’t resigned. So much the better for Stafford who have enjoyed what he brings to a race program without the Speedbowl distraction ever since.
This convoluted tail of a connection between something that happened at the Speedbowl with a vague link to Fox and it being the reason for the retirement more a symptom of our love of conspiracies these day in place of facts. I could imagine stepping back more a function of over a decade in the saddle and just getting weary of it. Perhaps exacerbated by some of the antics of the entitled younger generation of male drivers that at times act out in inexplicable ways. Hard enough making racing decisions and now add these mercurial scamps to the mix could very well have been the proverbial straw.
So we have the really old racing management style represented by Ed Yerrington, the older generation by Tom Fox and the current and future generation of management in Mark, Lisa, Paul and David Arute. Buy that connection or not all I want to do is transition to David for the sole reason he’s the most public and interesting Arute as far as I’m concerned these days.
After 60 plus years following and for a time participating in local short track racing what I’m always on the prowl for is something new. David Arute Racing on Youtube is something new and important for a host of reasons. I wrote it off initially as a mildly interesting vanity podcast that only a family member in a family business could get away with. Admittedly jealous of a guy that was wasting so much time setting up a camera, showing himself doing any number of routine and problematic functions at the track, showing his racing endeavors at the end then having to edit and produce all the video. Painting, fixing a toilet, mowing the infield grass, playing with a Crown Vic or pulling the old Ford truck out and getting it to run. A diverse outside job mostly. Physically demanding at times, diverse requiring advanced problem solving skills everything from the mundane to the technically challenging. The dream job for many of us where you could make a good living, have the hours fly by then end your day racing and not even have to leave the same location.
That’s the superficial, selfish view but as the episodes clicked by found myself looking forward to each new one what would David be doing this time? This last one really important in my view for any number of reasons.
If you’re going to be putting asphalt down I’m thinking no track could have people more qualified to manage the quote process then Mark and Lisa Arute. Engineers by trade that worked in the field no fooling them with shortcuts I’d imagine. What they decided to invest in as the next big capital improvement told a story as well. No not the track resurfacing, David documenting much of the activity in his fun loving and entertaining way. The project a massive asphalt area described by David as something Cleetus McFarland may have suggested as the next step. McFarland has no schedule out for 2025 I could see but if the Arutes are going to spend a crap ton of money to do burnouts you can bet McFarland will be back. That being the primary motivation but then David explains it presents other opportunities as well so we’ll need to stay tuned on that.
I can’t imagine anything more worthless then spending ungodly amounts of money for cars doing burnouts but also know I’m not the person to judge. Whatever the Cleetus McFarland show is or is not it packed the stands mostly based on pure showmanship. Maybe not unlike stock car racing in the 50’s and 60’s when people packed the stands not to see good racing but to see young men participating in a dangerous sport, escaping spectacular wrecks on a regular basis. Is jumping a family van really that much different?
Something is afoot at Stafford. They’re doubling down on their house divisions and the advancement of Cleetus McFarland type shows as well it would appear and that’s where David Arute Racing is so important. Going on 4000 subscribers the latest podcast producing 8000 plus views. David providing a behind the scenes view of what it takes to put on the show at Stafford as well as clues on what may be coming. Want to know what he spent to participate in a MMTTS race at the Speedbowl he’s done that as well. To grasp how new and different that is perhaps imagine Creepy Bruce allowing that at the Speedbowl.
Maybe some day Stafford will give Ed Yerrington his do honoring his contributions to local racing. The current management team about as ideal as any track could have if there was a competition they won. Constant improvement from the evolution of the schedule and ability to anticipate the next best opportunity like mod tour opens, SRX and McFarland then move on to the next thing when they peter out. Things come and go but the track always evolving and now David Arute not only entertains us with his perpetually positive view of everything he gets involved with at the track but gives us clues on what’s on the horizon as well. If he’s connecting with younger potential fans which I suspect he is then that simple little podcast becomes a priority and not an interesting sidelight.