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Ken Adams Names Chad Cathell As New General Manager of Georgetown Speedway

• To Leave Full-Time Job At Dover Motor Speedway To Focus On His Hometown Dirt Track -
  Ken Adams Names Chad Cathell As New General Manager Of Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway

By LEN SAMMONS
Chad Cathell has been named by Georgetown Speedway ownership co-partner Ken Adams to be the new General Manager of the Delaware operation. The 33-year-old is a fourth-generation member of his family involved in race track promotion.

“I am truly excited and deeply honored by the trust and confidence that Ken has placed in me. Becoming a General Manager has been a long-standing goal of mine, and the opportunity to contribute to the continued revitalization of the Georgetown Speedway is a privilege,”?said Cathell, a resident of Georgetown with his wife Paige (10 years in 2025), son Mason (five), daughter Delaney (two).
Chad will be assuming many of the duties of Brett Deyo following his departure after nine years promoting the speedway. He understands the importance of the speedway not only to Adams and the Melvin Joseph family that built the speedway in 1949, but to the local racing community. “There is always a level of pressure to perform, no matter the role or the environment, and being in a leadership position at a facility that holds such deep significance for the Joseph family certainly amplifies that,”?said Chad.
“However, I believe that when you are working in a field you’re truly passionate about, the pressure becomes more of a motivator than a burden.”

Chad’s great-grandparents, Bill and Juanita Cathell, got the family involved in racing when they built a dragstrip on land off Route 13 in Delmar, DE in 1963. His grandparents, Charlie and Joyce join them and a half-mile speedway, now known as Delaware International Speedway (DIS) was opened two years later. That facility is now promoted by Chad’s father, Mark and his wife Denise.
When Chad’s dad moved south to pursue his own promotional effort in drag racing, his education in race promotions was widened.

“I’ve had the privilege of growing up in the motorsports industry, with a strong foundation in both drag racing and short-track racing. My early experiences were primarily with US 13 Dragway and DIS, but my family’s relocation allowed me to broaden my perspective and gain hands-on experience at notable venues.”
He spent time at southern drag ways such as Coastal Plains, Bristol and Bulls Gap, but returned in the summer to work with his grandparents. “Those summers were invaluable - I would spend countless hours running around the facility, playing, helping, and learning about the family business.”

In 2011, Chad returned to Delaware full-time to support his grandmother Joyce who was struggling with health issues. “During that time, I wore many hats - from facility maintenance, event coordination, and marketing, to assisting with race directing, timing and scoring, and even announcing,”?said Chad of how he helped his grandfather at DIS.

Chad started racing at the age of eight, but not on the dirt track, but the drag strip. He continued to compete until 2022. After nearly two decades he retired from competition to prioritize growing his live streaming business with his business partner Wayne, to spend more time with his wife and children, and a full-time job at Dover Motor Speedway, “Professionally, I’ve spent the last two and a half years at Dover as a Business Development Executive,”?Chad added.
“This transformative role has allowed me to work directly with top NASCAR teams, sponsors, and industry leaders.”

Over the past few years, Chad supported DIS and Georgetown with their timing and scoring whenever his schedule permitted. Chad’s company also provided, and will continue to do so in 2025, live-streaming services to DIS for the last two years, both through Flo in 2023 and privately via DIS’s 302motorsportz.com in 2024.

“My background combines a lifetime of racing experience with a strong foundation in business development, marketing, and event management, all of which will be valuable as I continue contributing to the motorsports industry as General Manager of Georgetown Speedway,”?said Cathell. “My primary goal is to ensure that every detail - whether it’s facility maintenance, social media, marketing, sales, driver meetings, or on-track operations - receives the attention it deserves.”

A 75th anniversary schedule has been posted with a Friday, March 28th opener, featuring the Modifieds, Super Late Models, 602 Sportsman, RUSH Late Models, Charger and Vintage cars.

“I believe Georgetown can naturally elevate to the next level. I will focus on improving every area, fostering stronger relationships with staff, drivers, and fans, and optimizing the overall experience for everyone involved,”?said Chad, who will be leaving his position at Dover working for Speedway Motorsports to focus his efforts on Georgetown’s success. “This was not an easy decision, as I hold Speedway Motorsports in the highest regard and am deeply grateful for the opportunities and experiences I’ve had with the company,”?said Chad.

“However, I believe that to be fully successful in this new role and to make the greatest impact at Georgetown, I need to be fully invested—both personally and professionally. To do that effectively, I need to be involved on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that I can give the role and the facility the attention and dedication it truly deserves.”

Chad has been working in the background with Adams to produce an aggressive schedule which includes the return of the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series for the Melvin Joseph Memorial on Friday, April 25th.

Deyo’s Short Track Super Series for Modifieds and Sportsman will be back, but with one less appearances. Gone is the March STSS opening weekend, the first appearance for the series won’t be until Tuesday, August 26th for the annual Blast at the Beach.

The STSS then returns for the only two-day show, the season finale Mid-Atlantic Championship races on Friday and Saturday, October 31st and November 1st. The STSS will be joined at the finale by the Fall Clash Super Late Model Series at the two-day event.

The Super DIRTcar big-block Modified series makes its first stop since 2008 on Tuesday, May 13th for a 75-lap, $10,075-to-win race. The annual Camp Barnes Benefit races will be held on Thursday, July 31st. Delaware racing legend Bobby Wilkins passed away this past year. Georgetown schedule includes a Memorial night for him on Friday, October 17th.

Sprint cars will be featured often sanctioned by the wingless USAC East Coast and the winged United Racing Club 360s as well as the MASS 305s.
Schedule cards will be available at the Georgetown display at this weekend’s PPB Motorsports at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA on Friday and Saturday.

A World of Outlaw Sprint or a WoO Late Model event could be in the track’s future after they successfully worked with the parent company, the World Racing Group, in bringing there DIRTcar series to Georgetown this season.
“Ken has been in discussions with Steve Francis (WoO LM Director), and while it didn’t come together for this year, we are very open to the possibility moving forward,”?said Chad.

“Our goal is to bring premier sanctioning bodies like the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Late Models to Georgetown whenever we can. There is also a significant interest in hosting a 410 Sprint race at Georgetown, which is why we’re continuing to make improvements to the facility to ensure it’s ready for such an event,”?said Chad. “Ken met with Brad Sweet (High Limits) late last year, and he expressed interest in the possibility. He plans to survey the property when the series heads to the Northeast in 2025. We’ll continue working closely with Brad and the High Limit team to pursue the opportunity and, hopefully, bring a major 410 Sprint event to Georgetown in the future.”

Adams, the grandson of Melvin Joseph and homebuilder James Parker formed an investment group to purchase Georgetown Speedway at the end of 2021. Great improvements have since been made, but Chad said there is still much to do. “Ken has some fantastic ideas and plans for the continued enhancement of Georgetown. This winter, we are looking to make further upgrades to the sound and lighting system. Additionally, we are planning to install a new scoring tower and VIP booth.”

Extra attention will be given to the dirt racing surface.
“Ken has discussed the addition of new clay to further enhance the racing surface, which is a crucial part of maintaining the track’s quality. Our goal is to apply it as soon as possible, allowing time for the new clay to properly integrate with the existing surface,”?said Chad, who expects that Jamie Friesen will return to manage the surface.

Rules for regular divisions will generally continue to follow the STSS guidelines, with some minor adjustments.
“We anticipate having the full set of rules available for review both online and in person at the Motorsports show this weekend,”?Chad added.
While many of the special events will be held mid-week, the schedule list regular events to be held on Friday nights.

“Friday nights will remain the primary focus at Georgetown, with some exciting mid-week and Saturday night specials added throughout the season. This has proven to be a successful formula in recent years, and my goal is to continue building on that foundation, offering a balanced schedule that provides variety while maintaining the consistency our fans and competitors expect,”?said Chad.
“Ken and I carefully evaluated all available options for the season and considered various factors in making our decision. By scheduling on Fridays, we can draw both top Northeast drivers, like Godown and Pauch Jr., as well as local talents such as H.J. Bunting and Jordan Watson.”

Chad said they are in the final stages of finalizing the Modified purses, the Sportsman will structure will mirror of that used at DIS last year.
“We’re looking to offer a competitive purse that will fairly compensate the entire field from first to last,”?he added. “The Sportsman will see a slight increase in the total purse reflecting our commitment to supporting the drivers and making the racing experience even more rewarding.”

Chad, who took over as race director during the latter part of last season, will return to that position. Pete Wortman and Cody Belote will share announcing duties. Tanner Hollis will return as the flagman and Dan Fiedler the Tech Director.
Chad said it looks promising that Georgetown will continue its partnership with Flo-TV. However, if that plan doesn’t come to fruition, he is fully prepared to handle the pay-per-view coverage in-house through his own streaming company, Diamond State Digital.

Look for strong ties between Georgetown and DIS with Chad working closely with his father.
“I speak with my dad almost daily, and we are closely aligned on ensuring consistency across rules, procedures, and other key areas. Moving forward, we are eager to expand this collaboration further,”?said Chad.
“My goal is to strengthen relationships not only with DIS but also with Bridgeport and New Egypt Speedway.”

Delaware racers supported events at DIS last year in bigger numbers than they did at Georgetown. It’s an issue, Chad hopes to resolve.
“There are a variety of factors that contributed to Delaware-based drivers primarily supporting DIS last year, and one of my goals is to help address and reverse that trend, especially given my strong relationships with many local drivers and teams,”?Chad informed.

“While we certainly want to continue attracting teams from NJ and PA to ensure a diverse and competitive field, it’s important to also focus on rebuilding local support.”

The once questionable future of racing in Delaware at both tracks scared several local teams into selling out.
“I believe the efforts of my dad at DIS and Ken at Georgetown are helping to create a more stable and consistent environment for racing in Delaware,”?said Chad.

“As teams see the ongoing commitment to the future of these tracks, I’m hopeful that it will encourage them to reinvest in the sport and return to racing locally. Our goal is to demonstrate that there is long-term stability and opportunity, and I believe that will help rebuild the local support.”

Adams owns the Super Late Model team raced by Ross Robinson on the LOLMDS so he obviously loves the division. But car counts in both the Supers and limited RUSH crate Late Model division have been slumping in Delaware.
“Increasing car counts in the Supers and RUSH Crate Late Models will come down to consistency. I believe we can create an environment that both racers and fans want to participate in,”?said Chad. “If we maintain that level of excellence, I’m confident it will encourage the next generation of drivers to enter these divisions and help grow the Late Model ranks back to full fields.”

The 2024 champion, Ryan Godown will have his No. 26 Modified on display in the Georgetown display at PPB Motorsports show this weekend and both Chad and Ken are looking forward to meeting fans and drivers. A new 75th Anniversary logo will be unveiled and special shirts available, parking spots and season passes will be available.

“The one thing I want to accomplish most at Georgetown this year is to establish a consistent, high-quality experience for racers and fans, week in and week out. Whether it’s track prep, race procedures, fan engagement, or competitor support, creating a reliable, consistent, and top-tier environment will set the foundation for long-term growth,”?Chad finalized.

“By focusing on consistency, we can build trust and excitement around the facility, attract more competitors, and ensure everyone who comes to Georgetown feels part of something special.”

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