Stockcars: Raceway celebrated as NZ's best

The popular Paradise Valley Raceway collected a top award during the Speedway New Zealand Awards Night at the weekend. Photo / Stephen Parker

Rotorua's Paradise Valley Raceway picked up one of the highest honours at the Speedway New Zealand Awards Night in Wellington.

The event was held on Saturday in the capital to round off the 2014-2015 speedway season.

The local stockcar venue won Speedway of the Year: Club Promoted Venue as well as two other awards on the night.

There is two categories for Speedway of the Year with the other one being the Private Promoted Venue.

Rotorua drivers also featured as finalists. Bryce Steiner was one of three finalists for the superstocks competitor of the year, Keith Spanhake was in the stockcar category and Craig Jones in the production saloon section. Rotorua Stock Car Club life member John Viles was given a special award for services to speedway.

Rotorua Stock Car Club run the events at Paradise Valley Raceway and secretary Sonja Hickey said it was very special to be awarded Speedway of the Year. The local speedway has won the top award on six occasions since 2006.

"On an ordinary race night we have 81 people who make things work, from the cleaners to the gate staff to the security as well. Without them all doing their job as well as they do, we wouldn't be able to operate as well as we have," she said. "That's the key to winning this award, we have a great team."

The team at the TWS Paradise Valley Raceway also received an award for Promotional Event of the Year (the TWS NZ Stockcar Teams Champs), and Track Website of the Year.