Canaan Valley Speedpark

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Canaan Valley
Cvsp110.jpg
Location Davis, West Virginia
Track Type Davis, West Virginia
Length {{{length}}}
Turns {{{turns}}}
Races Mr Bee's Potato Chips 250
Track


Canaan Valley Speedpark is a 0.44 mile short track outside of Davis, West Virginia. It was first constructed as a 0.25 mile dirt track in 1992. The track rarely used and was declared property of the public in 2006. The infield was rented for parties, concerts, and sometimes the actual racing surface was utilized. In 2011, all grandstands were removed and full demolitions were planned for late 2012. After 2 years of moderate success in the AERS, Nathan Smith purchased the track for the low price of $40,000.

Re-Creation[edit | edit source]

Turn 1, showing the change in tack surface

Smith said in interviews that he "just wanted kids who grow up here, like I did, to have a chance to pursue their dreams. I know not everyone wants to drive cars for a living, and I'll donate in other ways down the line, but I feel this will be a great step." Unexpected donations from locals and some businesses gave Smith the sufficient funds to completely re-design the track. Plans for a half mile track with 18 degree banks in the turns had to be scrapped because there was not enough space between the National Park lands and residential areas. The final plans were implemented in January 2013, and the current track was completed on December 16, 2013. The track is 0.44 miles long with 10 degrees of banking in the corners. The track is very unique as the inside half of the racing surface is asphalt with 8 degrees of banking in the turns, while the outside is concrete and is slightly higher banked. The fastest line is the middle, or lowest line while having all 4 wheels on the concrete surface. However, this wears tires more quickly and makes passing difficult.

AARO events[edit | edit source]

2014 Mr Bee's Potato Chips 250[edit | edit source]

The first major event at Canaan was the 11th race of the 2014 AERS season. Tim Averell nabbed the pole with Kody Lachner on his outside. Nathan Smith at his home track started 3rd and his teammate Carson Crompton in 5th. Averell and Smith were able to pull away during a long green flag run. A debris caution flew on lap 82 and pit stops followed. What also followed was long string of cautions. Juveno, although 4th before the yellow, stayed out. One of the yellows involved the Smith Motorsports teammates and seemingly dropped them out of contention. Luckily for them, many cautions were still to happen. And Smith found himself in the lead on the restart and he held off Juveno to win his first career race, at his home track, and retake the points lead. Barry Juveno finished 2nd and Tim Averell after falling 2 laps down finished 3rd.

ALNT - GoMart 125[edit | edit source]

The GoMart 125 will be the penultimate event on the 2014 Logitech National Tour schedule.

Future Events[edit | edit source]

The Canaan Valley SpeedPark will likely be a staple in the AARO for years to come. It is confirmed to a 2015 AERS race and The AAPT and Pennzoil Trucks may also be joining them, along with the LNT's yearly race

Notes and Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • The track is referred to with many different names; Canaan Valley Speedpark, Canaan Valley, the Bullring, and CVSP.
  • CVSP is one of few permanent tracks in the world with 2 different materials used for the racing surface.
  • Nathan Smith sold the track back to Tucker County after construction to "Avoid any cheating conspiracies in the future". This was of course long before an AERS race was announced and after winning many accused him of cheating.
  • Like Grand Detour's backstretch, there is an opening in the inside wall after the pitlane. Unlike Grand Detour however, the immediate vicinity is heavily crowded with people and residential vehicles. See: Ricardo Blanco. We're working on fixing that.
  • The track is called Piqua Fairgrounds in nr2003.