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All American Speedway bringing families together in return to NASCAR sanctioning

NASCAR Home Tracks

Cole Moore has been racing super late models at All American Speedway for about five years, and with the track returning to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series this year, he’s excited to now get to compete for a title, and bragging rights at home.

Moore races at the track against his dad, John Moore, who raced at the speedway the last time it was NASCAR sanctioned.

“It’s awesome. A lot of people think that we’d race each other clean but we actually race each other really hard,” Cole Moore said of racing against his dad. “We can trust each other to race hard and not wreck each other. It makes it very entertaining I think for the crowd.”

All American Speedway, located just 20 minutes from California’s capitol in Sacramento, is a third-mile track that hosted NASCAR K&N Pro Series West events from 1977-1982. Promoter Bill McAnally began renting the facility in 2008, and he’s hosted late models and two K&N races a year ever since. The county-owned track was recently bought by an events company that had no knowledge of racing, so McAnally signed a long-term contract last April that would allow him to host weekly races.

This year, All American will be sanctioned by NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for the first time under McAnally. They’ll host 14 races, starting on April 13 and ending on November 2.

McAnally won the 1990 NASCAR Winston Racing Series championship at All American in 1990. He credits winning that championship at the Roseville, California, race track with helping him to be able to move up in the world of racing and get bigger sponsors.

Now, as a promoter, McAnally is trying to give that same opportunity to other young drivers at the same track where he grew up.

“I think it’s fantastic to be able to give our local racers the opportunity to have the same direction that I had followed to race for a weekly championship now and a state championship and a national championship,” McAnally said. “It’ll give them recognition not only locally but statewide and nationally.”

The 21-year-old Moore lives about 10 minutes from the track, and plans to race there as well as in the SRL Southwest Tour. While he’ll travel quite a bit this summer on both tours, there’s nothing like seeing a packed crowd at his home track.

“I think it’s been awesome since Bill has taken over the track. There’s been an extreme amount of fans that show up,” he said. “He literally sells out the crowd every night. I’ve been racing for a long time and it makes it a lot more fun when you’re racing in front of a full grandstand, especially if it’s your hometown and everybody knows you.”

All American averaged about 3,000 spectators a race last season, and McAnally said the community has really embraced what they’re trying to do to keep it successful.

The Moores join a growing list of drivers expected at the track this season. The speedway finished last year with 82 cars after starting the summer with just 30.

“I know it’s going to be some good competition,” Moore said. “Word travels fast. There was good racing there last year.”

All American is the only weekly track in the Sacramento area, with the closest other NASCAR sanctioned track nearly five hours away. McAnally said he’s happy he can not only provide a place for local drivers, like the Moores, to get the chance to race in front of friends and family, but also provide them with NASCAR’s insurance, publicity, and awards.

The track has even partnered with NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, whose KH Management team will provide a cash award to weekly racers.

“Somebody like Kevin Harvick that came out of NASCAR weekly racing and used the NASCAR ladder to go regional racing and then national racing, it shows our local racers that they can follow his footsteps,” McAnally said. “For him to want to share that and to want to keep track of what’s going on at our weekly track in Northern California says a lot for what he’s given back. And the racers notice that and it creates a lot of excitement that a NASCAR Cup champion cares enough to support the local racers and wants to give back and help continue it growing weekly.”

Beyond the winnings and championships though, All American will most importantly be a place drivers can get on the track, and maybe even strengthen a family bond.

“It’s obviously thrilling for us to race against each other, especially at home on the home track in front of our family and all the friends watching,” Moore said. “We really have a good time. I’m smiling from ear-to-ear every time we’re out there together.”

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