Dirt Motor Sports

The Dirt Motorsports Hall of Fame comes alive this Saturday morning,  September 8th, to host a live broadcast of Joe Marotta's "Around the Tracks". This exciting event will kick off bright-and-early, with doors opening to race fans & the general public at 8:30 am. Joe's legendary voice will then light up the airwaves in the shows customary time slot, on CNY Talk Radio WFBL 1390 AM, from 9:00 am to 10;00 am.  Marotta’s voice has been heard by Central New York’s race fans for over 40 years. Back in 1948, the legendary Chris Economaki left a long time impression on 6 year old Joe Marotta. “It was my first race, the first race after World War II. My dad brought me to the New York State Fairgrounds to see the Champ Cars. The sights, sounds, smell, dust and excitement, I was hooked then and there. Chris Economaki was on the mic that race, and I remember the slang he used like “throttle jockeys” and “speed merchants”. I use those still today. I met him at Charlotte a few years ago, and we had a conversation about that race and I told him I still use his terms. That was a fun conversation.” The list of tracks Joe has announced at is as legendary as his race calls. He has called races at Fulton, Spencer, Lancaster, Shangri-La, Weedsport, Rolling Wheels (where he was the first ever announcer), the New York State Fairgrounds (since 1972, the first Super Dirt Week), Utica-Rome, 5 Mile Point, Can-Am, Lebanon Valley, Stafford, Thompson, Cornwall, Brockville, San Air, Nazareth, Pa (asphalt), Orange County, Eldora, Erie County Fairgrounds, Charlotte Dirt Track, Hagerstown, and Oswego Speedway. His weekly Saturday night stomping grounds have been at the legendary Oswego Speedway since 1992. Joe shares the microphone with another legend in the announcing booth, Roy Sova. “When I first started there, people told me there was no way we would last together,” Joe laughed. “We have a great time there, and Roy may just be best announcer I have ever worked with. We have never had a cross word, and have become great friends. It’s been a great ride, and I enjoy each and every Saturday night at Oswego.” While local race fans are familiar with the tones of Joe’s voice, they may not be as familiar with all the work he does away from the tracks. He is always on the lookout for new divisions, new sponsors, or different avenues he thinks may help the local speedways. 45 years experience on all sides of the track give Joe the unique perspective on what just the race fan or teams may find appealing.  52 weeks a year, he hosts Central New York’s most popular motorsports radio show every Saturday on CNY Talk Radio.