CATAWBA, N.C. – Mountain Creek Speedway owners and promoters Adam and Rebecca Stewart have hired longtime motorsports broadcaster Derek Pernesiglio.

Pernesiglio has joined the management team at Mountain Creek Speedway as Director of Public Relations and Promotions.

“We want to push the track to the next level,” said Stewart. “We know what it takes to put on a show and run a regular program, but it takes more than putting on a show. We want to increase brand awareness of the track and wanted to bring in a professional like Derek to champion Mountain Creek Speedway and our competitors.”

“I’m excited about it,” said Pernesiglio, a longtime contributor to the SPEED SPORT brand. “Adam and Rebecca are really great people to work with. They understand the balance of family time together and racing.”

Pernesiglio brings a resume with 20 years of television broadcast experience, working with networks including Fox Sports, NBC, MAVTV and CBS, serving in every role from cameraman to on-air talent.

“Money isn’t the biggest issue,” Stewart explained. “Rebecca and I would love to elevate the track and grow it into a popular place for families to come race.”

Pernesiglio’s hiring comes on the heels of speedway upgrades, which began near the end of last season. New renovations include expanding the pit area, a new timing and scoring tower, adding progressive banking, new bathroom facilities and a bigger victory lane.

“When I saw the improvements and renovations taking place, I thought ‘this is going to be something new and exciting, but not out of the realm of duties I’ve done before,’” said Pernesiglio. “Adam and Rebecca are serious about turning Mountain Creek Speedway into one of the premier dirt tracks in the region. I’d like to thank them for having faith in my abilities to perform the job.”

Some of Pernesiglio’s duties will include increasing the speedway’s media and social media presence, digital content creation, video production, marketing and creative concepts.

Along with improvements there will also be a split schedule, with the track running flat karts on Saturdays and outlaw karts Sundays.

“The first thing we needed to do was shorten the nightly program, then get on a schedule and stick to it,” said Pernesiglio. “Last year, we raced on different days of the week which left many competitors repeatedly checking their calendars. We think the Saturday-Sunday program will be better by avoiding overlapping dates and partner with our neighbor tracks in the area to increase the popularity of the sport.”

The Mountain Creek season begins Saturday, March 20 for flat kart racing and Sunday, March 21 for outlaw karts.

The track will also be available for testing and practice days throughout the year.