William (Bill) Donoho
Bill Donoho and NASCAR driver, Richard Petty
William (Bill) Donoho
DONOHO – the “MAIN MAN” of Nashville Racing
After being deeply involved in the Nashville Speedway since opening of the track in 1958 to now, you’d think Bill Donoho would be ready to delegate some of the duties he’s been performing during that time.
Not so. The former Asst. Chief of Police for Nashville is a busier man than ever before – keenly interested in every phase of one of Nashville’s finest attractions. If you don’t believe it, ask his partners, Paschal Young or Gil Smith, or better yet ask Speedway President Jim Donoho, Bill’s son who is a real chip off the old block.
Jim thought he kept a steady pace in several business ventures outside the Speedway before he decided to come to work full time at the race track. , but its getting harder and harder to get in a few licks of one of his favorite pasttimes, golfing, anymore.
Where is he? Bill can be heard to roar the minute Jim doesn’t put in one of father’s typical 12 – 14 hour work days, which usually cover six days a week. Sometimes Bill forgets where he was at Jim’s age, but he never loses his sense of humor.
In the racetrack, the senior Donoho family firmly believes he is engaged in a public trust.
Nashville’s professional sport starved fans have always craved action. Donoho has provided it the last 16 racing seasons. There has been a common gripe among those migrating to the city that there is no professional sports team, as such.
Racing is actually the only professional sport in town and business is booming. Attendance has grown at a steady, continual rate with bigger crowds every season.
Donoho is a gambler, not one to sit on his laurels. He had a good thing going, but decided several years ago he wanted to have the track with the highest banked turns in the world so he had it built with 35 degree banks.
Oh it was high all right and a great promotion gimmick, but so was the cost of repairing racing equipment. Drivers found a hard time conquering the treacherous turns and many vowed not to race here anymore. Nevertheless, the fans kept flocking in record numbers.
It took guts, but Donoho admitted his mistake and it turned out to be one of most adroit moves he ever made. He decided last year to become involved in another hefty expenditure, designed to reduce the track to a less cumbersome 18-degree banked oval.
Wow! Did it ever pay off!
Race drivers came here from all over the country with 90 vying for just 33 starting positions in the final race of the year, the Permatex 400. Weekly lineups were full to the delight of the fans.
The list of drivers unable to qualify for the 400 field read almost as much like a “Who’s Who of NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Racing” as the list of those who made the lineup. Record speeds were accomplished in the most exciting day of qualifying ever held anywhere. Most noteable not to make the field was Grand National star Bobby Issac.
Donoho sat back in his swivel chair, peered through the window with this trusty binoculars and watched the crowd and the action. He was smiling. Bill is not always smiling when he sits in that chair.
He may appear to be dozing if you can catch him on a mid-week afternoon, but don’t bet on it. He’s probably dreaming up some new promotion gimmick to provide extra entertainment and lure more fans to his multi-million dollar baby.
He may be rapping on the big glass window at some kid throwing cushions after a race or he may be trying to straighten out the seating arrangement in the press box.
When Donoho isn’t attending to those details, you might find him circling the pit area on his golf cart, urging Race Director, Doyle Ford to get qualifying moving faster, chiding his brother, Don Donoho, who serves as flagman, to get ther race cars moving quicker after a caution flag, or he may be consoling a driver who, through hard luck, has just dropped out of a race.
If you’re on his payroll. You’d better be on your toes. He may be looking over your shoulder one minute at the pass gate and be in the stands checking that fans are in the right seats, a minute later.
Donoho has observed gate operations the country over and prides himself thta Nashville Speedway has the tightest gate in the country.
An extremely sensitive man once he allows people to know him, Donoho presents a crude exterior, sometimes gruff, to the stranger. He has one policy for everybody. “Treat me right and I’ll treat you right,” But treat him wrong and brother, look out. He’ll give away $100, but if he finds he’s been fleeced out of a dollar he’ll track t he culprit down to the ends of the earth.
Donoho has always believed in building future fans and through the years has allowed every conceivalbe type organization to attend various racing programs for free, particulary worthy youth groups. His policy has always been that youngsters under 12 get in free.
“I’d fire my own brother if I found him letting somebody in for free without my knowledge.” says Donoho. He had done it. If the same brother asked if he could let 10 in, the reply probably would have been in the affirmative.
A veteran businessman, Donoho has been involved at one time or anotherin real estate, a loan company, a used car lot, a printing shop, Dinner Club of America, Fast Food Service, a filling station, barber and beauty shop, etc. At one time he was president of eight different corporations but now he’s slowed down to real estate and auto racing.
A member of the board of directors of the Nashville Amateur Boxing Association, Donoho gave of his time and ideas to help promote that sport to the biggest crowds ever during the 1973-74 season. Bill is also a boxing judge.
Married to the former Mildred Smith of Red Boiling Springs since 1936, Donoho has one son and a granddaughter, Jayne Allison Donoho.
Visit the race track anytime, winter or summer and the man who’ll probably greet you will be Bill Donoho. It he’s not in his office, check the backroom. He may be cutting a friend’s hair. He’s quite a guy.
Article: 1974 Nashville Speedway Offical Program
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