Jeremy Means Appointed Sunset Speedway Park Race Director And General Manager
By Ben Deatherage
Banks, Oregon- 2020 will have some significant changes as we are just mere weeks into the offseason. One of those changes is the appointment of a brand-new race director and general manager. The man stepping into that role is Jeremy Means. Means, despite the young age of twenty-seven, has taken another step in what has been a life long journey in motorsports.
“The race director position is really familiar to me,” commented Jeremy, “but it is definitely a new journey taking over the Monday through Friday side of things. I’m extremely excited for 2020 and April to get here!”
Means grew up watching Stock Car racing at Willamette Speedway, where his great uncle, Terry Bentley, and uncle, Randy Barley, shred the clay. In 2010 he stepped into the role as the flagger of the Kart program at the Lebanon facility. He was promoted to the flagger/race director of the 1/3-mile clay oval in 2013 and held that position until 2018. In 2019 Jeremy was the series director for the Wingless Sprint Series and journeyed to racetracks across the Pacific Northwest, including SSP.
“I spent a lot of time at Banks last season. I announced the first night and flagged quite a few times. They have a great crew, and I’m looking forward to working with them all. In this new position, I want to do more than just show up on race day. I want to build relationships with the neighboring businesses and sponsors in the community. “
Despite being a native of the Lebanon area, Jeremy did spend quite a few years living in the Aloha-Beaverton area.
“The first time I ever went to Sunset was about four years ago. I’m very familiar with the Washington County area, and some great people race around here. I hope to attend the Sunset Park Association and City of Banks meetings and be an active participant in the community and be the face of this great facility.”
As the 2020 schedule is being pieced together, there is no doubt that there will be some great racing to be witnessed. In fact, the Banks Bullring boasts a lot of diversity of classes from Stock Cars and Open Wheel, as well as several different types of touring groups that come into town.
“I’m really looking forward to all of the different tours that come out to race here. I can’t wait to be involved in so many big local events that the track puts on too. The Doug Walters Classic, Jim’s Thriftway 100, Firecracker 50 are some bucket list races for any fan.”
Jeremy Means is expected to attend the 2019 Sunset Speedway Park Awards Banquet to get a head start on meeting all the people that make the track so great. For any drivers with any questions, they are encouraged to call Jeremy at (541)-570-2272or email him at jeremysunsetsp@gmail.com.