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Volunteers are necessary part of Princeton Speedway By DAWN SLADE The Princeton Speedway has roughly 30 employees, plus ambulance personnel keeping the track and the races going. But the speedway also has volunteers, quite a number of them, in fact. About 35 firefighters, pushers, pullers, and concession stand personnel volunteer their time at the track. 4-H Members The 4-H members man the concession stands, making tasty treats for fans, pit crews and drivers. The monies raised go to 4-H clubs throughout the county. Pushers/Pullers The pushers and pullers are volunteers who stand by in the infield with their own tow trucks and push trucks, watching and waiting for the next vehicle to crash or die on the track. Once that happens, they either push or tow the vehicle off the track and back to the pit area. "Theyíre a necessary function of the race when vehicles break down on the track," speedway manager Jay Rittenour said. Roger Zdenek is one of the pushers. Heís been volunteering his services for 25 years, along with Valerie Eiswald. The two say they do it for the fun of it, which is true for all the volunteer pushers, pullers and firefighters. They all say they enjoy the races, which is one of the main reasons they spend their free time helping out. Dave Miller, who brings a Scottie & Sons tow truck to the track each week, says he enjoys volunteering and helping out. "Plus, the kids have fun," he says of 12-year-old Joey and 15-year-old Dayna. Roman Schermerhorn and Travis Wood also help out with the other Scottie & Sons tow truck. Another volunteer, Scott Daniels, has a bumper on his Bronco that allows him to push cars off the track quickly and out of the way. In all, there are two tow trucks and four to five push vehicles every Friday night at the track. "Thereís no glory to that job," Rittenour said of the pushers and pullers. But those who volunteer have an excellent, 360-degree view of the race. Firefighters Surprisingly, the speedway is not required to have firefighters at the race track, but for the past five years - theyíve been there. Typically, two or three Princeton Fire and Rescue personnel are on hand each Friday night. Firefighter Randy Cook has been volunteering for the past five years, along with Brad Hodgson. And Eric Leider has been at the track for the past four seasons. Cook, who grew up in the Princeton area, says he was born and raised on racing. For him, it was only natural to help out at the track. So, has he had to put out any fires? "Occasionally - if we can catch them. Theyíre going around the track, theyíre on fire and they donít stop!" Cook said of the drivers. There have been a few crashes which have led to injuries, and Cook recalls one driver having to be taken away by helicopter. But, Cook says his most memorable Friday at Princeton Speedway was, "The night there were six rollovers." The volunteers put in roughly five hours each Friday night and in return, they get to witness some racing thrills. "I certainly do appreciate their efforts," Rittenour said of the volunteers. "We couldnít do it every week without them."
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