Gouse, Gobrecht & The Rebirth Of Struggling Susquehanna Into Booming BAPS Motor Speedway

Column By: RUSTY RHOADES / RPW – NEWBERRYTOWN, PA – Walking into BAPS Motor Speedway and under the traditional white block-enclosed pathway to the stands still creates that same exciting chill in me that it did two decades ago upon entering the outdated confines Susquehanna Speedway as a newly licensed teen exercising my sole ability to get “off the porch” of my Grandview home.

That pathway led me right into BAPS GM Kolten Gouse, and I borrowed only a moment of his race day to finally meet in-person and then offer my highest praise towards the simply remarkable amount of progress made at the Newberrytown, PA facility he and owner Scott Gobrecht decided to breathe life back into only a couple years ago. Gouse’s pleased yet unsatisfied reply of, “Yeah, we’re getting there, bit by bit…” initially drew a sarcastic chuckle signifying his monumental understatement, but after that I interpreted it as evidence of the focus and determination existing within him.

Gouse left central PA to roll with the Outlaws at just 18 years of age, spending the better part of the next decade immersed in all things dirt racing nine months out of every year. This extensive devotion to the sport also exposes one to tons of first-hand knowledge and observations that when properly stored will create a huge source of related work experience that may make you an invaluable asset in future opportunities or positions you may seek out, much like the one Kolten is looking invaluable to at this point. “Seeing so many different facilities, seeing what certain places have that works, as well as what doesn’t work is a great additional source to utilize,” Gouse noted when I met with him after the race. “Some of the equipment we have added here for example, I can point to several tracks as the reason we now have that tiller as well.” He conversely added, “There’s a lot of good, but there’s also a lot of things seen and learned over the years on the road that you quickly learn are not going to work in Central PA.”

One of the newest upgrades to the speedway is a product of Gouse’s forward vision and ability to refer back to prior knowledge when it benefits the present. Several luxury suites were constructed upon large steel posts buried behind the main grandstands this past winter. The beautiful additions have aspects and touches throughout them that exemplify Gouse’s application of unique, useful and successful ideas he came across throughout his hundreds of race track visits. “We always wanted suites, we just didn’t think we’d be able to do them this soon”, Gouse admitted. “When we did first start to design them, there were some ideas I wanted to have in them from Eldora and Knoxville. Also Tod Quiring from Jackson (Motorplex) actually sent me all his designs, layout and everything, so again we were able to use a lot of information to make correct decisions from.”

The luxury suite project was completed as a result of successful teamwork and communication between Gouse and several different businesses and tradesmen. He specifically selected them based on an approach he always utilizes, or at least gives sincere thought to in all facility decisions. “The great thing about those suites for me is that 16 different businesses were a part of building them, and every single one of those businesses are from racing,” Gouse proudly told me. That right there is what Kolten strives to accomplish, and I could quickly see in his expression that he gets the most satisfaction and enjoyment from his work when this comes to fruition. “There’s not even one piece of any of that suite construction material that isn’t tied to racing, and that was my whole premise with this position. I wanted to be able to give back to these guys that support racing in any way possible, and they love it.”

The reason for Kolten not expecting the suite project coming to life so soon can be traced all the way back to what also provided the initial boost in shooting this rebirth sky high. Even the most optimistic of lifelong track proponents wasn’t prepared for just how great public response would be. When I spoke to Gobrecht, the intention was to provide more complimentary support and praise of Gouse from an employer/partner/friend perspective, but afterwards I immediately knew I had an entirely different story path to follow because of Scott’s genuine appreciation for how unexpectedly fast and numerous the unsolicited community supporters were flocking to the track in waves of support and service.

“I already had a relationship with Kolten through our mutual participation in The National Open Benefit and eventually his taking over of the event. His passion and ability to develop the sponsorship side of things was there right away. The relationships and knowledge he gained from years on the road only made my decision easier, and I knew he would do great things for this track and this business,” Gobrecht briefly described with respect to his confidence in Gouse.

“But by far, both my biggest surprise and greatest memory come from how after my purchase became public knowledge, the positivity and well wishes came pouring in and were 100% supportive without exception!” Gobrecht clearly pointed out. “Even more meaningful were the neighbors and other members of our community waiting at the track to volunteer their time and energy improving the place in any way possible! I was aware of pockets of dedicated supporters, but what I experienced at a point when I was pretty much on my own with the place, as Kolten hadn’t even finished the Outlaws season yet, truly was such a big boost for both myself and the track moving forward and it’s something I’ll never forget.” He was quick to add, “The amount of unpaid labor contributed by neighbors and fans investing all those hours of community service also eliminated my need to hire and pay for that initial facility-wide cleanup and maintenance! In turn, those funds could immediately be redirected to the next project and that quickly put us ahead of schedule only days into it.”

This entire real-life fairy tale and the brief timeline on which it can be told leaves me only one path of explanation. My continued shock and surprise surrounding this entire phenomenon is the proper and deserving opinion this story has earned thus far.

Scott Gobrecht is the absolute best individual any of us dirt fans could have asked for in a new track owner. Racing was dying away at another historic Pennsylvania dirt track, and instead just look at their current schedule and feel very fortunate for Scott’s willingness to step up and take a chance. And also look for him the next time you’re at BAPS Motor Speedway, he’s the one always walking around with a friendly demeanor and welcoming smile on his face. Maybe his success does have good karmic reasons.

Kolten Gouse is bar none the most accurate and great hire for this specific type of situation that I’ve ever seen in all my years following dirt racing. All his best qualities and traits matched the specific desperate needs and direction the facility had to be handled through early on just to survive, and now everything he seems to come up with only strengthens the thriving trajectory even further.

And the fans could not be any more deserving of all the thanks and praise of the entire central PA region, but moreover those in York County and specifically the community neighbors living in the small towns around BAPS Motor Speedway. Without that initial outpouring of support and service at the track to get the ball rolling, who knows where the rest of the dominos would have fallen. Instead, any dominos falling from the current BAPS situation will need a parachute for coming back to Earth.