By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The late Jody Deery, who ran the Rockford Speedway into her mid-90s, will be honored this weekend as a NASCAR Home Track Hero.
Advanced Auto Parts has been putting the spotlight on difference-makers at NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks around the country throughout the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. It said Deery, who died in June 2022 at age 97, was the fitting choice as the Rockford Speedway wraps up its 76th and final season.
“Jody was a leader in the short-track racing industry,” Advanced Auto Parts wrote in its selection. “Her contributions to racing, fellow promotors and racing facilities can’t be measured; she always stood her ground as a positive influence for other women to be involved in a sport dominated by men.”
Deery’s name will appear on Ryan Blaney‘s No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang on Sunday during the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway.
The honor comes as the Speedway hosts its final scheduled event this weekend. Racing at the historic short track concluded last weekend, and this Saturday and Sunday is the final Steals & Deals swap meet and car show.
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Jody and Hugh Deery are legends in the local racing community. They took ownership of the Speedway in 1966, and after Hugh died in 1984 Jody carried on as its owner and operator with support from her children. All eight of the Deery children — Gunner, Ted, Jack, Susan, Tom, Brad, Chuck and David — had roles at the Speedway over the years. Susan and David ran the business after Jody retired in 2020.
Jody Deery became the first woman to win the prestigious Auto Racing Promoter of the Year Award in 1994. She was known for her generosity off the track, too, and that lives on after her death.
She willed that St. James Catholic Church and the Catholic Diocese of Rockford get an ownership stake in Deery Properties, the company that will redevelop the 76-year-old race track.
She also gifted a combined $320,000 to 16 local nonprofits and organizations.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas