Sullivan hired as organization's administrative
assistant and opens up new WISSOTA office

By Kirk Holmes
© All The Dirt! Racing News

DASSEL, MN - Callie Sullivan is no stranger to what it takes to run an organization as large as the WISSOTA Promoters Association, Inc., having held jobs from promoter to point director during the past decade.

On February 1, Sullivan officially began her duties as administrative assistant for WISSOTA, a job that may take up more of her time but in the long run will help WISSOTA run more efficiently.

Sullivan and her former husband, Dennis Terning, promoted Fiesta City Speedway from 1995 to 2004 and once again in 2006. She has also been the national point director for the WISSOTA Midwest Modified division since its debut with the sanctioning body in 2001 and served as the point director for the WISSOTA Late Model division over the past two years.

Sullivan and her husband Craig Sullivan were also co-directors of the Tri Star Engine Supply WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series in 2006. It is still not known who will fill that position in 2007.

Among Sullivan’s new list of duties, which she will perform mostly from her office in Dassel, MN, are general bookkeeping, accounting, various secretarial jobs and tracking points for all six divisions. She will be in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The telephone number is (320) 275-9922 and the fax number is (320) 275-9923. Her email address is callie@wissota.org.

Sullivan’s new post could be compared to a cook preparing for a chili contest: she’s had most of the ingredients around for years, but now it’s time to throw them all together.

“It’s going to be a lot more work than the race track, especially with the six classes,” she said. “In general, it’s the same things I’ve been doing for the last 12 years.

“We are in the process of selling our ownership in (Fiesta City Speedway, 80 miles from Dassel) because with family and everything, I had to stay closer to home. My only way to stay in racing was to get more involved in WISSOTA.”

The WISSOTA Promoters Association has made a host of positive steps forward in the past year and Sullivan believes adding the new position to assist the board, promoters and drivers will be key to continued growth in the future.

“I really believe with this one central phone number, I hope we are going to bridge that gap even more; the gap between the race tracks and the drivers,” she said. “It’s no longer the mom and pop deal, it’s big business.

“This is the hardest working board; I’ve been involved with many, but this is the hardest working group. Hopefully with a full-time person they will be able to spend more time on marketing and other decisions.”