Bill ‘The Old Man’ Hoskinson Takes a Leap of Faith With New Plates & 28’s Class at Edgewater Sports Park
It’s not every day that someone walks up to a track owner on the first week of October with a crazy idea for an event, wanting to fill a track weekend three weeks later. Most, if not all, track owners would send that person packing. But it is not every day that someone like Bill Hoskinson spends a day with Rob Weinle, one of the owners of Edgewater Sports Park in Cleves, Ohio.
It was one of those gloomy, rainy days. In fact is was the day following the winds from hurricane Helene that had made its way into the southwestern Ohio valley. As Rob took Bill on a tour of Edgewater they found themselves parked at the quarter mile marker. It was less of a sale pitch that Bill made and more of pouring of his soul to the current state of heads up street racing, small tire competition, and track racing programs in general.
Bill outlined his thoughts on how to bring back the interest and especially those grass roots type racers that had parked their cars for years after being tired of fighting the losing battle against those that call themselves “street racers,” many of those that were not and could never be legal on the street. To many, the fun was just gone. Bill spoke of memories of his racing, of traveling with his boys and racing together, in meeting other racers and sharing those moments of success and failure. Had the racing family become just a bunch of individuals, or could the fire be relit?
The conversation turned a bit dark as Rob and Bill discussed the state of track operations and even if there would be a future for Edgewater. Rob spoke of the hidden costs of keeping the track open, grounds and building maintenance, insurance, taxes, rising utility costs and so much more. If it wasn’t for the family heritage with track ownership over the last 60 years, Rob stated that it would be more profitable to sell off the natural resources as a gravel pit. Bill reflected on the number of recent track closures all over the nation and laid out how he thought his event could be profitable and build a foundation for future growth.
Rob listened with intent, taking on a big race event like Bill had planned in such an extremely short amount of time to prepare would stretch resources to their limit. What would happen if only a few came, would fans be willing to see what all this talk is all about, would the weekly racers be willing to give up a race weekend, or better yet, would they take part? He knew that this would be enough to keep himself awake for many nights, plotting all the intricate details that would be necessary to make it all go smoothly. He had organized many events before, but somehow, this felt so different.
It was there, with the rain beating on the roof of the truck, that they both knew they had to take the leap. Had street racers closed the book, or were there more chapters to be written? There was only one way to find out. Bill’s vision of a “Plates & 28’s” race was about to hit the beams.
As soon as Bill returned home he immediately went to work. He penciled out some basic classes and rules. And then he did what he had recently found himself good at, firing up the camera, sitting in his “Old Man’s Garage” in front of his many loyal YouTube followers and lighting the fuse. At first there was just some rumblings in the background, comments on Facebook were positive but guarded. Each night Bill laid out more and more, he listened to the racers, he adapted, rewrote, and mostly he saw his vision coming to life! The 60-foot may not have been much, but once the boost came up there was no choice but to aim straight with the hammer to the floor.
Thursday October 24th was a normal Tune & Test evening at Edgewater ahead of Bill’s event. One by one racers that hadn’t been to the track in several years or had never been to Edgewater Sports Park trickled in. Friday was Bill’s advertised “Lifted and Lowered” event showcasing the bookends of the car community including everything in-between. Car show, burn-out contest, trick-or-treating for the kids and testing for those racing on Saturday was the plan. ith some rain showers early in the day things seemed a bit bleak. ut has the sun broke through, the cars, trailers, motorhomes, and fans of all sizes starting filling the gates – and they kept coming, and coming, and coming. ars were lined up along the pit roads waiting to see long time inspector John Sears at the rech booth to make sure they met the safety qualifications.
Motors Brewing stepped up to the plate to guarantee a $2000 prize to the winner of a ladder style burnout contest of 32 maximum entries. JaxWax showed up with car show trophies nearly as tall as their trailer. It was on! The car show filled the east lanes of the pits with many bringing in treats for the kids. And the kids came with their families, prepared in their favorite costumes. People were talking, smiling and having an honestly great time. Then the excitement hit, the burnout cars were called to the lanes – 18 cars signed up, many with as many spare sets of tires as it would take, filed into the lanes. A beautiful little red truck, a gorgeous ’65 Nova Gasser, a blown Rat Rod, a jacked-up pick-up, several grocery getters and a couple of absolutely crazy burnout ready competitors were eyeing the prize. Time after time, side by side burnouts filled the air and choked the crowd, who after each round, voted for the winner with their screams and applause.
Once the smoke settled after each round, the JaxWax t-shirt cannon went silent and the piles of rubber were scraped from the burn-out box the racers took to the track to get some passes in preparation for the following day. Amazingly enough the crowd never left their seat or place on the fences. Side by side, heads up racers in the Index and Street Car classes were launched down the track until the final hour. Somehow, under the lights the cars seemed to have a whole new dimension, the whole place felt different, wildly electric.
The sun rose on the chilly “Plates & 28’s” Saturday morning as engines fired and motored into the staging lanes for the mandatory two-hour cruise. Racers that had to make the journey, racers that didn’t have to, but wanted to join the adventure, and a handful of cars that just wanted to see what the fuss was all about, nearly filled the staging lanes. After the checkpoints were confirmed, the drivers and passengers climbed in and engines roared to life. One by one they filed up the hill, off the track grounds and onto the streets. For those that were standing by and wishing them well, the hair stood on their arms knowing that this area had really never seen this much horsepower turned loose on the city streets all at once.
As the drivers returned from their cruise they noticed what many had never seen, long lines of spectators and parking areas full of cars, all to see them race! As they decompressed after their drive, somehow getting the car prepped for the racing was no longer a burdensome task. Maybe it was being part of something special, or seeing Bill’s smoky burnout on the bridge connecting Cincinnati to Northern Kentucky, or finding out that not one of the cars failed to return, in some way they each felt lighter, happier at the track than they had been for many years.
Bill Hoskinson, like any other event promoter, was concerned if anyone would join in on this last-minute event. Working with a prize package based on 100% payback is only enticing if there are a large number of entries. Knowing he needed to fill the pits, Bill reached out far and wide to friends and racers highlighting his vision. With the positive feedback he received from those that committed to attend, Bill knew that he was on the right path. His tireless efforts were validated with just days remaining prior to the event as a few sponsors offered small tokens of support. Sick The Magazine had already stepped up with their promotional efforts, Strange Engineering, H.A.R.M. Mufflers, Bunker Hill Fab, and Hanlon Motorsports sweetened the pot with a little prize money as well. The NHRA even stepped up with custom Wally’s for the Index winners.
As the sun started its slow decline into the western sky, the stands filled with anticipation of racing that fans had not seen in years. The cars were called to the lanes – 13.0, 11.50, and 6.50 Index, Stick Shift class, Daily Street, Modern Street, Nostalgia Street, Retro Street, and, of course, the headliner – Plates & 28’s. Well, over 250 cars went to battle well into the chilly night air.
What really set the event apart was that everyone, racers, crews and fans alike were all smiling. Racers talked to anyone that would listen about coming from many states away. Heard over and over was how much everyone liked the park-like atmosphere of Edgewater and the expansive grounds that allowed for camping and up-close access to all the action. Even standing in the lines for concessions, no one complained. There were spectators of all kinds and ages (as one gentleman was proud to state) 92 years young as he stood holding hands with his great-grandson of five years old, all to see what all the commotion was about. Memories were made and past memories re-lived.
It was standing for the invocation prior to the National Anthem that it was pointed out to Bill that this may be his calling, his purpose. Bill was already absorbing the feedback and planning in his head for next year. Imagine what, with six months of planning could be possible. How to, as Bill put it, build something bigger and better on the footers they had just dug? Stay tuned as the ink on this story dries and the new page is being written.
This story was originally published on November 7, 2024.
The post Bill ‘The Old Man’ Hoskinson Takes a Leap of Faith With New Plates & 28’s Class at Edgewater Sports Park first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
