|
 CRANDON, WI - Veteran off-road racetrack executive Clifford "Cliff" Flannery has been named Vice President and General Partner of the Lucas Oil World Series of Off-Road Racing (WSORR). Flannery has been the guiding influence behind the success of the legendary Crandon Raceway for the past 37 years.
Flannery will be responsible for WSORR track relations, staffing, and maintenance, as well as strategic planning and growth of the series. It will be a task he is very familiar with having served as president of Crandon Raceway since 1978, coordinating the 600 track workers and volunteers who host the most successful short course events on the off-road calendar. Crandon Raceway is often described as the "Daytona 500" of off-road in motorsports circles and annually attracts thousands of race fans to the small northern Wisconsin community.
"When it comes to experience in terms of off-road track preparation, maintenance and operations, the story starts and ends with Cliff Flannery," said WSORR President and General Manager Doug Davis. "He's been doing this for 37 years and no one else in the off-road short course business can say that. His knowledge will prove to be invaluable as WSORR grows as a member of our track evaluation and acquisitions team," Davis added.
In addition to constructing Crandon Raceway, Flannery has built an off-road racetrack in Billings, Montana and will design the new Lucas Oil off-road facility in Wheatland, Missouri. Flannery is a lifelong resident of Crandon and received much of his knowledge of road and track construction during his 40 years working in the family business- Flannery Trucking, specializing in road building and concrete.
"We've been doing this for a long time now and I'll put our World Championship races, our track, our people up against anyone and any organization," said Flannery. "I'm excited to be a part of the new World Series because we think we can take the excitement and success we've had at Crandon to other racetracks in the series. With Doug Davis and Jake Flannery already on-board we have great leadership and I know we will put together an experienced, enthusiastic team capable of making off-road fun again and the type of blockbuster entertainment for the rest of the country to see that we've been enjoying here in the Midwest for many years," he commented.
Flannery received the Lions Club Melvin Jones Fellowship Award, the highest honor attainable in the community service organization for humanitarian service. He was presented the award during the 2006 Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run Races with his wife Kathy alongside. Flannery thanked Kathy for her support over the many years during his labor of love, as well as the many track workers and volunteers, racers, sponsors and fans who make historical Crandon Raceway a success.
In fact, Flannery's father-in-law was one of the individuals who started the races at nearby Bark River, Michigan another track with a long history of successful Midwest off-road racing that will be featured as part of the 2007 Lucas Oil World Series of Off-Road Racing. "We have a very close relationship with the Bark River organization," said Flannery. "They are a great group of dedicated off-road enthusiasts who, like us, have a lot of pride in their track and their races. If you treat them right, they will treat you the same way. It's the way we feel about Crandon Raceway. After 37 years, the people of Crandon, the drivers, fans and the sponsors all deserve a say in our destiny and this relationship with WSORR will make sure that happens," he added.
"When you are genuine and have the best interests of the sport in your heart, you earn the respect of those around you and that is how others see Cliff Flannery," said Davis. "One of Cliff's jobs with the World Series will be driver relations because of the reputation he has in the off-road community. But this isn't a one-man show, this sport isn't about Cliff Flannery, Doug Davis, or Jake Flannery. It's about Herman Barnum and Marty Coyne, Jeff Vernig and Evan Evans, Carl Renezeder and every single one of the racers who will compete in the WSORR, this is their show," commented Davis.
|
