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By Robin Yasinsac-Gillespie
Photo Dave Dalesandro
If you have spent any time over the last four decades with promoter Lyle DeVore then you weren’t surprised when it was announced that DeVore will be receiving the 2024 Leonard J. Sammons Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Auto Racing.
The recognition will take place during Hall of Fame ceremonies on Wednesday, July 10, at the Northeast Dirt Modified Museum and Hall of Fame on the grounds of Weedsport Speedway in New York.
“I was extremely surprised—I know some of the past recipients of this award and I am quite honored to join that group,” said the 51-year-old DeVore, promoter at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY.
In his younger years DeVore spent a lot of time holding “racing classes” from a bar stool at one of the local pubs in town. The popular party-boy was going to show everyone how it’s done—he was going to run a race track—and despite the eye-rolls, he was relentless with his plan and ideas. Or was it passionate?
Over the last two decades he has shown all of us, earning respect from racers and fellow promoters alike. He went from picking up garbage under the grandstands at Albany-Saratoga, at the age of eight, to being the number one promoter in the country—ironically, at that same speedway.
He was determined as hell. He clearly knew what he wanted.
“When I was in eighth grade the guidance counselor asked me what I wanted to do for a living and I said I wanted to run a race track. He looked at me dumbfounded because he didn’t understand what I was talking about,” recalled DeVore, whose school locker was lined with C.D. Coville photos.
His role model was his dad Stan, who left us in 2016.
“My dad taught me that if you work hard, you can achieve your goals,” claimed DeVore. “My dad brought me to the races at a very early age and I fell in love with it—and I still am! I just wish he was here to be part of this, but he knows what’s going on.”
At 13, DeVore was operating the water truck at C.J. Richards’ Champlain Valley Racing Associations Speedways (Albany-Saratoga and Devil’s Bowl). He continued to learn from the veteran Hall of Fame promoter.
DeVore went off to attend LeMoyne College, majoring in business management, but never took his eye off his ultimate goal. In 1993, he took it upon himself to attend the RPM Promoters Workshop in Reno, hoping to get his name out there and make industry connections. He met Alex Friesen whose family owned Ransomville and Lancaster Speedways outside Buffalo, NY. Like DeVore, Friesen was full of ideas and big plans—they worked well together. When Friesen partnered to buy Fulton and Utica-Rome speedways in the winter of ’95-96, Lyle relocated to Syracuse to manage those tracks for him.
After Friesen’s sudden death in 1996, DeVore found himself back in the Albany area. Lebanon Valley’s Hall of Fame promoter Howard Commander hired him in 2000. When Commander took control of Albany-Saratoga in 2012, DeVore was back home.
“I feel fortunate because I was able to learn from three of the best in the business who had three different methods of running their race tracks,” DeVore said of mentors Richards, Friesen and Commander.
“C.J. instilled the basics in my brain—how the business worked, how the track worked, the officials’ side, the maintenance side. It was kind of like setting the foundation for my future,” he explained.
Prior to his death, Friesen was on fire.
“I learned a lot of the marketing and promotional side of it from Alex,” said DeVore. “He was a great motivator and he could generate ideas. His strong suit was that he made everybody want to work for him.”
Consummate businessman Howard Commander gave Lyle a monetary game plan.
“I learned about success from Howard,” he said. “I not only learned a lot about track preparation—I learned the unit price of a hot dog and how you relate that to the profit margin. He’s so intelligent with finances and that’s a very important part of this business.”
In 2012, DeVore had to pinch himself—talk about a dream job! Commander was securing the popular Albany-Saratoga Speedway from a retiring Richards and he was putting DeVore in charge.
“That place holds a soft spot in my heart. It was a great gesture on Howard’s part,” said DeVore. “He had faith in me and I am grateful for the opportunity.”
DeVore’s biggest headache? Where to park all the cars that keep showing up every week to compete at the Malta oval—an average 140-150 cars on a typical Friday night.
That was even during the COVID pandemic when all racing was in jeopardy or shut down. Taking a risk, DeVore kept the track open, with full purses and closed grandstands, through the ordeal. For his efforts, he was named ARPY’s 2020 National Auto Racing ‘Pandemic’ Promoter of the Year (without fans).
Sadly, DeVore was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2021. Despite three surgeries and 34 rounds of chemotherapy for his Stage 4 liver cancer, he hasn’t skipped a beat.
In 2023, he was named the 47th annual National Auto Racing Promoter of the Year in Daytona, FL.
Refusing to submit to his illness, DeVore is up on that grader every week, making sure Albany-Saratoga is the best it can be.
“You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with,” DeVore believes. “I don’t have the stamina I used to have so my wife [Marcy] picks up a lot that I used to do. I’m fortunate to have her by my side for all of this. Everybody on our team understands what I’m going through and they don’t hesitate to jump in and do whatever they have to do so every Friday goes as planned with no hiccups.”
Lyle DeVore did it—everything he said he was going to do in his life and then some.
“I’m fortunate that my folks [Stan and Carole] put me through college and believed in me,” said DeVore. “I’m proud of myself for not giving up or losing sight of what I wanted to do. There have been some bumps in the road, some big bumps, but I couldn’t ask for anything more. To me, this is called the American Dream.”
