Raymond Shepard
After having served previously as race director at Spring City Raceway and most recently at Wartburg Speedway, Raymond Shepard will work with the Kyle family in that same role at I-75 Raceway during the upcoming 2015 season. The Sweetwater, Tenn. track, formerly known as Murphy Speedway, reopened during the latter half of 2014 after having been shut down for the better part of a decade.
Shepard left Wartburg saying that a difference of opinion with the ownership of that facility caused them to part ways. “I just felt like I needed to move on,” the 41-year-old said in an exclusive interview with InsideDirtRacing.com.
Shepard says word of his departure from Wartburg opened the door for his new position.
“They found out I had left Wartburg and they gave me a shout,” Shepard said of his initial contact with the Kyles. “They asked me what I was going to do this year and when I told them I wasn’t for sure, they offered me the chance to come down there and run the show for them. I’m really appreciative of them for giving me this opportunity.”
The Kingston resident quickly got to work at his new job.
“Me and Tim(Kyle) sat down and went over the rules, the pay structure and the schedule a couple of weeks ago,” Shepard explained.
I-7 Raceway reopened in 2014 after being closed for eight years.
The part-time driver believes his past experiences on both sides of the sport offers him perspective that will serve both racers and track ownership well.
“I’m a racer myself and I’ve learned a lot on both sides as far as being a racer and the business side of it,” he declared. “I feel like we’ll be able to put our minds together to come up with things. The Kyle family has been racers themselves also. It means a lot that they have big races for the lower classes because a lot of times they don’t get those chances. You’ve got to have the Late Models but we’ll have some good races for the lower classes.”
And Shepard intends to continue in his own driving career along with his duties as a track official. “I’m still going to on Friday nights at Cleveland and play with my Late Model a little bit then work at I-75 on Saturdays.”
I-75 is set to begin its season with a pair of practice sessions on March 7th and 14th while racing action will officially begin on March 21st.
