KAUNEONGA LAKE, NY — Located fairly close to a number of residential properties, Bethel Motor Speedway applies to the town board every year for a license to operate.  The permit for 2018 permitted cars to operate on the track on Saturdays from April through early November, on Sundays from July through September and on one Thursday per month from May through September.

According to the Town of Bethel Supervisor Dan Sturm, this year, George Van Arsdall, Jr., the speedway’s general manager, has requested expanded hours of operation for 2019. Sturm said the biggest requested change is for the facility to operate “from 12 noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, so the cars can get some track time; so they can fix and test the cars, one at a time during the week, so that they’re more prepared for Saturday racing.”

Sturm said that, according to Van Arsdall, Jr., the track would like to become certified by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), which will help them advance their brand. Van Arsdall, Jr. said without the track time on Tuesday through Friday, the track can’t become NASCAR-certified. Sturm said he’s still researching the matter to determine if that is the case.

The issue will be the subject of a public hearing on Wednesday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Dr. Duggan Community Center in White Lake.  Sturm said, “On the bright side, in the past we didn’t have public hearings, we just gave them their permit every year. So we encourage this.” Once a year, the track asks for what it wants, there’s a public hearing, the board hears arguments for and against the proposal and makes a decision. In past years, the board has been cautious about expanding the hours of operation too much because of previous opposition from neighboring residents. 

In a letter to Sturm and the board, Van Arsdall, Jr. wrote that the present limited hours combined with last summer’s excessive rain had caused the track to lose tens of thousands of dollars in 2018.  He wrote, “In 2020, we are looking to become a NASCAR ‘Home Track,’ an actual NASCAR track in Bethel’s own backyard, drawing greatly increased revenues to the local business market from travelers and racers from all over North America.  The fore-mentioned mid-week track rentals is a prerequisite for such a move to this sanctioning body. 

Sturm says this year he expects to see a lot of support for the proposal.

Judging by posts on social media, there will also be some voices of opposition, who object to increased noise from the expanded hours. There is also concern that NASCAR fans will overwhelm the small Kauneonga Lake community.
Stephen Metts, a resident of Smallwood who lives about four miles from the track, says he can plainly hear the cars when they are racing.  He works from his home, and he’s is very concerned that the noise will negatively impact his work.  He also noted that many residents of the area are in Florida in the winter, and won’t have the opportunity to weigh in on the issue.

A story about the public hearing will appear on www.riverreporter.com on February 28.