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EDITOR'S NOTE: The following story originally appeared in The Post-Journal in July 2016 on the eve of the 60th anniversary of Stateline Speedway. With the 61st anniversary of racing on Kortwright Road in Busti scheduled to be celebrated tonight, a decision was made to rerun the story from last year as seen through the eyes of someone who has called Stateline a second home for nearly 60 years.
BUSTI -- By his estimation, Randy Anderson made his first trip to Stateline Speedway in the late 1950s.
"I was still in single digits in age," the Lakewood resident said with a laugh. "My father owned a gas station at the time Stateline opened in 1956 and he supplied wrecker service to the track in the early years. … Eventually, I got to go up there as well.
"I guess that started my addiction."
To this day, Anderson, a retired school teacher, can still "taste" the french fries, served in a cone-sized cup, covered in vinegar and ketchup.
"That was like a five-star meal," he said.
And, to this day, Anderson experiences another sensory experience when he's at the track.
"When you're there, it's the sound," he said. "You feel it through your whole body, and when you get a little dust in the air, you can see it, feel it, and if you open your mouth at the right time, you'll be able to taste it."
Imagine then Anderson's excitement as he looks forward to tonight when the third-mile oval on the Kortwright Road celebrates its 60th anniversary.
"It's historic," he said. "There aren't a whole lot of tracks in the United States that have been in continuous operation for 60 years."
Oh, the stories it could tell and the drivers it has hosted.
From Squirt Johns, Bobby Schnars, Skip Furlow, Ron Blackmer, Sammy LaMancuso and Dick Barton to the more contemporary successes of Rob and Max Blair, area racing enthusiasts have turned out every Saturday night from April to September since the Eisenhower Administration.
"Stateline Speedway is hallowed ground," Anderson said. "You can't even begin to count the number of drivers who have competed at Stateline over the years. When you add in the mechanics who helped those drivers, the sponsors of those drivers and the families of those drivers... To some people it's their whole life."
Anderson also noted the economic impact the track has had on the surrounding area.
"With the tax money that has been generated, the people who started businesses related to racing and the vendors who have to supply products to the concession stand, you can't begin to count the list of people affected by Stateline Speedway," he said.
One of those impacted has been Anderson, who along the way been a spectator, a member of Barton's race team and now the track historian.
"I feel like I'm helping to preserve the history of the sport," said Anderson, who is also the president of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame. "It's something that mimics the mission of the (CSHOF), which is to honor and preserve the sports history of Chautauqua County. In a narrow sense, I'm honoring and preserving the racing history of Stateline Speedway."
On Thursday, Anderson expects to see the largest crowd at Stateline this summer. It will also be its largest-paying event, with the Super Late Model feature winner going home with more than, $6,000.
"I expect you'll see some cars Thursday night that you wouldn't normally see on a Saturday night," he said. "Those cars will be attracted by the large payout."
Fans will be attracted, as they always have, by Stateline and the racing action they'll witness.
"They go for the thrilling side-by-side, man-to-man competition," Anderson said. "That's why I return week after week. It's the competition. It's so exciting to me to see guys out there competing so hard. What those guys do is no easy task. If it was easy, everybody would do it. To be successful, that's a whole other subject."
Here's to 60 more years.
"(Stateline) is a very special place in the sports history of Chautauqua County," Anderson said. " … It's hallowed ground."
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Tonight's 61st anniversary celebration will be highlighted by a 61-lap, $6,100-to-win Overhead Door of Jamestown Super Late Model special event. Rusted Nuts RUSH Pro Mods and Wellington Log Home Street Stocks will also be in action.
Races start at 7:30 p.m. and gates open at 5:30 p.m. General admission is $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and veterans and $10 for children ages 11-15. Children 10 and under are admitted free.
Many fan giveaways are planned. No extra tickets are necessary. Everyone will be eligible with his admission ticket number.
Pit admission is $35. No one under 14 is admitted inside the pit gates.