Brynda and Bert Bockover
In 1988, the late George Stiles and his wife Brynda were brought to Antioch Speedway to breathe new life into the racing program and bring a little more organization to things. They had promotional success at Saugus and T Car Speedways. George had been battling cancer, but he was in remission at the time. Sadly, it came back and he lost his battle just before their first season season started.
NASCAR leadership knew they had somebody who could come in and do it the way things were being planned. This meant Brynda would be stepping into the role of General Manager. Brynda and George were a team, and she understood how things needed to run. She also had success running the concession stands.
As the new General Manager, she immediately had to deal with the critics questioning her qualifications. She didn't let that get to her. She continued to do what needed to be done in running the day-to-day operations. She would earn the respect of all involved.
As the one in charge, she wasn't hiding away in the office. She made it a point to meet with the racers when they had questions. She would also make a trip through the pits every week to talk to the races and make sure remaining purse money from the previous week was paid out. If the racers had questions, she would take time to explain things and was even accessible to the fans.
When 1989 saw a major storm plug the drainage system and flood the race track, there was the possibility that the season finale would not happen. However, she organized a crew to pump the water off the track and pack the racing surface all night to get it ready for the next show.
For 10 years, Brynda guided things behind the scenes and made sure the gates always opened. She added Modified and Hobby Stock divisions. She scheduled visiting associations representing the Mini Sprints and Dwarf Cars, and this helped establish both divisions in the Bay Area.. She and her late husband George added a new group called the NCMA to the roster in 1988. The group still exists to this day.
Brynda's work earned her national recognition as one of the top female officials in NASCAR.
Along the way, Vallejo and Petaluma Speedway photographer Bert Bockover joined the team. Bert became her partner in running the show and would take many duties, including Chief Steward and track prep man during his time.
A Speedway isn't much without somebody in charge who can handle business in a proper and orderly fashion. With Brynda and Bert, they had that.
NASCAR leadership knew they had somebody who could come in and do it the way things were being planned. This meant Brynda would be stepping into the role of General Manager. Brynda and George were a team, and she understood how things needed to run. She also had success running the concession stands.
As the new General Manager, she immediately had to deal with the critics questioning her qualifications. She didn't let that get to her. She continued to do what needed to be done in running the day-to-day operations. She would earn the respect of all involved.
As the one in charge, she wasn't hiding away in the office. She made it a point to meet with the racers when they had questions. She would also make a trip through the pits every week to talk to the races and make sure remaining purse money from the previous week was paid out. If the racers had questions, she would take time to explain things and was even accessible to the fans.
When 1989 saw a major storm plug the drainage system and flood the race track, there was the possibility that the season finale would not happen. However, she organized a crew to pump the water off the track and pack the racing surface all night to get it ready for the next show.
For 10 years, Brynda guided things behind the scenes and made sure the gates always opened. She added Modified and Hobby Stock divisions. She scheduled visiting associations representing the Mini Sprints and Dwarf Cars, and this helped establish both divisions in the Bay Area.. She and her late husband George added a new group called the NCMA to the roster in 1988. The group still exists to this day.
Brynda's work earned her national recognition as one of the top female officials in NASCAR.
Along the way, Vallejo and Petaluma Speedway photographer Bert Bockover joined the team. Bert became her partner in running the show and would take many duties, including Chief Steward and track prep man during his time.
A Speedway isn't much without somebody in charge who can handle business in a proper and orderly fashion. With Brynda and Bert, they had that.