Arleta Voyce passed away Tuesday. She was a long-time employee at the Knoxville Raceway. She started working at Knoxville Raceway in the concession stands in 1966. In 1976 she was hired as the office manager to do bookkeeping, handling of tickets and scoring on race nights. She essentially ran the racetrack operations behind the scenes and served there for a total of 45 years.
There will be a Special Tribute on Arleta on Live Track Side tomorrow night in the final segment of the show around 5:45 p.m.on KNIA 95.3 FM and 1320 AM.
Danny Lasoski all-time 410 feature winner at the Knoxville Raceway tells KNIA/KRLS News, “She treated me like I was her grandson, I mean you know I never met this lady before but she was always, she was not like I’m Arleta, I’m running the ticket office or running anything here. It was Arleta, like Danny you be careful out there you be sure you pay attention to what you are doing. That was the relationship we had and I thought the world of her.”
Terry McCarl the defending 360 Knoxville Raceway Track Champion and multiple 410 Track Champion tells KNIA/KRLS News, “She was an amazing woman in a lot of ways. I mean really helped anyone who hung around the office or behind the scenes a little bit. She was really the glue I think that kept everything together and she was a strong willed and smart lady. I used to go to lunch with her a few times and I loved her so much and what a great person and what a great loss for all of us.”
Arleta was inducted into the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame in 2011. After she retired, officials at the track always kept a parking spot open for her by the office or the elevator.
There will be a visitation at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum on Friday, May 19 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. and a funeral service on Saturday May 20 at 2 p.m. at the Crossroads Gospel Church in Knoxville.