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Nettie Fort Retires From SMS |
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Santa Maria, CA - 3/26/07...In the early 60's, Doug Fort, a businessman from Morro Bay, CA, had a dream. That dream, was to build a race track on the Central Coast. After researching possible locations Fort settled on a property located just north of Santa Maria, CA on the west side of U.S. 101. Nestled in a semi amphitheater of natural terrain, sheltered by dense eucalyptus trees at the top and to the back of the future location of the Speedway's bleachers, the wind protected area was perfect for a race track. Hence, Santa Maria Speedway was born, opening in 1964. By Doug Fort's side during construction, and for the next thirty-five seasons of auto racing on the 1/3-mile clay oval, was Doug's wife, Nettie. When Doug passed away in 1998, Nettie Fort took over the operation of the Speedway and continued the tradition for the next seven seasons. In 2006 Nettie enlisted the aid of Dave Swindell. Swindell, with a wealth of Short Track and Super Speedway knowledge, became CEO of Santa Maria Speedway, bringing to local race fans a program that moved quickly and efficiently and sent them on their way home between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. most race nights. That was a decided improvement over previous years when the races would sometimes go on until midnight or later. With the Speedway in the capable hands of Swindell, Nettie, at age 85, decided it was time to retire. "Dave and I both agree Santa Maria Speedway has the best Fans and Competitors in the world and want to see the tradition continue." stated Mrs. Fort. "I just want to thank everyone for a lifetime of memories." A lease was agreed to between Nettie Fort and Dave Swindell. The address
for the new Speedway office is P.O. Box 1859, Nipomo, CA
93444. Phone 805-922-2233. With Swindell at the helm,
the legacy of Doug and Nettie Fort's dream of so many
years ago, will continue.
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