Press conference set on Super Nationals

SALEM — Dan Swindell, the owner of the Quaker City Raceway, said Monday that promoter Corey Ward “is very unhappy.”

Ward plans to have a press conference at 11 a.m. today at the Stadium GM Superstore in Salem to publicly address and answer questions about the Super Nationals he’s run at the raceway for years.

Swindell and Mayor Jerry Wolford announced Friday that Swindell would start the “Quaker City Super Nats” next year at the raceway north of Salem.

Ward, of Core Promotions of Austintown, said the event he ran drew people from 21 states, including as far away as Florida.

Swindell on Friday said Ward had not renewed the agreement allowing Ward to use the raceway for the event.

City businesses, especially restaurants and bars, always angled to attract people who were leaving the racetrack with a variety of food and entertainment.

Swindell offered the city the rights to use the new name at no cost.

Ward said he has registered the name of the Steel Valley Super Nationals, its images, copyrights and its logos that are the exclusive property of Ward Core Promotions. Ward said the name or the event has not been sold.

But Swindell recently obtained the trade name “Quaker City Super Nats” for his new event from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office. The city on Friday announced it was taking over other aspects of the what has been dubbed the “After Party.” The “After Party” has no official link with the Steel Valley Super Nationals and was held on the streets of the city.

City officials said there were concerns over where money from the “After Party” events was going. One example was the possibility that vendors were charging other vendors for spots on city property when they had no authority to do so.