dwc43
08-01-2010, 03:04 AM
I'm pretty sure by now that our NASCAR asphalt track is done and gone. I included a newspaper article below. I don't care much for Duck River Speedway, but really liked Winchester and the F body hooked up good over there. When Duck was good, Nowlin owned it and worked it right, now he owns Winchester and most of Ducks cars are going over there for now.
After and accident at Duck, it has been leased by 3 new owners. THey are fixing some problems there. And from what I heard there first race the track had been prepped right for a change.
May dust off the old Road Runner and take it back to the dirt at Winchester if I like the rules.
Trio has high hopes for Ducktona
Thursday, July 22, 2010
By DANNY PARKER ~ dparker@t-g.com
(Photo)
Timmy Orrell, one of three leasing Ducktona Speedway for the remainder of the racing season, replaces a light in a bathroom.
(Submitted photo)
[Click to enlarge]
Two weeks ago, things weren't looking terribly bright for Ducktona Speedway.
Early that week, track fixture Sam Pugh had an accident with the water truck that led to an ankle injury. Jimmy Nowlin's reopening of Winchester Speedway drew racing fans to Franklin County that Saturday.
Not any one incident or occurrence caused it, rather a combination of things, but Ducktona co-owners Jim Hastings and Tim Smith chose to close the gates on the dirt track in Wheel to get their feet under them with hopes of flipping the switch back on in August.
Hastings and Smith have been pivotal in a vast amount of improvements made at the track, among those being the creation of a safer, more family-like atmosphere that all can enjoy.
But, after 14 years of running a business, there are always going to be bumps in the road, and the duo is all but burned out.
Ready to grab the torch with both hands is a trio of Bedford County men -- Ricky Epperson, Timmy Orrell and Brian Riddle.
"I've just been in and out of racing and, for me, I've just always wanted to do something like this," Orrell said. "When the opportunity became available I kind of jumped and called Ricky because I didn't want to do it all myself.
"Then Brian Riddle is the one that kind of got it going. He wasn't scared to take a chance."
They leased Ducktona for the remainder of the racing season on Saturday.
"It was pretty short notice, but we felt like we needed to get the track back open if we were going to do this deal. We didn't want it just sitting," said Orrell, who started racing in Wheel in the mid-80s.
While Riddle isn't a mud-slinger like Orrell or Epperson, his role in the partnership is equally as important. Among his many duties will be overseeing the concession stand.
(Photo) Pat Green does work with a tractor to smooth out earth around the grandstands at Ducktona Speedway this week.
(Submitted photo) [Click to enlarge]
The current schedule contains eight more races, including a $10,000-to-win 75-lap feature in the Southern Regional Racing Series on Sept. 4.
What happens with ownership of the track come October is anybody's guess at this point.
"We're not out to make big money or nothing, but we definitely have to make a profit," Orrell said.
Roughly 50 miles separates Ducktona and Winchester Speedways. The two coincided for years until the Winchester track went bankrupt before last season. Nowlin, who once owned Duck River, has a lease with an option to buy.
There's hope that both tracks can remain open after the 2010 season and both thrive. Since Winchester is hosting one of is largest races of the season on July 31, the people at Ducktona decided to schedule for the day before with the thinking that fans would prefer to have an option to attend both.
"It's like a new restaurant opening, people are going to go try it, but they'll be back," Orrell said. "(Winchester) doesn't scare me. Duck River always draws so many cars regardless, it has since I've been coming down here since I was 7 or 8 years old."
The Duck isn't in need of a full-fledged facelift but could use some touching up. A team of people, including the managing partners, have worked late hours all week in hopes of doing just that.
Among the changes are new lights in the bathrooms in the pits, grading around the grandstands, touching up the paint where needed, adjustments made with concessions and the assembling of a handicap deck for fans.
The gates open Saturday at 4 p.m. The drivers' meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. It will be a chance for drivers to get a feel for how Orrell and Epperson plan on doing things.
"We're both racers and we know what's right and what's wrong," Orrell said.
Sources indicate that Pat Green will take over for Vince Madden as flag man.
Ticket prices will remain the same with it being $25 to get in the pits and $10 for general admission.
After and accident at Duck, it has been leased by 3 new owners. THey are fixing some problems there. And from what I heard there first race the track had been prepped right for a change.
May dust off the old Road Runner and take it back to the dirt at Winchester if I like the rules.
Trio has high hopes for Ducktona
Thursday, July 22, 2010
By DANNY PARKER ~ dparker@t-g.com
(Photo)
Timmy Orrell, one of three leasing Ducktona Speedway for the remainder of the racing season, replaces a light in a bathroom.
(Submitted photo)
[Click to enlarge]
Two weeks ago, things weren't looking terribly bright for Ducktona Speedway.
Early that week, track fixture Sam Pugh had an accident with the water truck that led to an ankle injury. Jimmy Nowlin's reopening of Winchester Speedway drew racing fans to Franklin County that Saturday.
Not any one incident or occurrence caused it, rather a combination of things, but Ducktona co-owners Jim Hastings and Tim Smith chose to close the gates on the dirt track in Wheel to get their feet under them with hopes of flipping the switch back on in August.
Hastings and Smith have been pivotal in a vast amount of improvements made at the track, among those being the creation of a safer, more family-like atmosphere that all can enjoy.
But, after 14 years of running a business, there are always going to be bumps in the road, and the duo is all but burned out.
Ready to grab the torch with both hands is a trio of Bedford County men -- Ricky Epperson, Timmy Orrell and Brian Riddle.
"I've just been in and out of racing and, for me, I've just always wanted to do something like this," Orrell said. "When the opportunity became available I kind of jumped and called Ricky because I didn't want to do it all myself.
"Then Brian Riddle is the one that kind of got it going. He wasn't scared to take a chance."
They leased Ducktona for the remainder of the racing season on Saturday.
"It was pretty short notice, but we felt like we needed to get the track back open if we were going to do this deal. We didn't want it just sitting," said Orrell, who started racing in Wheel in the mid-80s.
While Riddle isn't a mud-slinger like Orrell or Epperson, his role in the partnership is equally as important. Among his many duties will be overseeing the concession stand.
(Photo) Pat Green does work with a tractor to smooth out earth around the grandstands at Ducktona Speedway this week.
(Submitted photo) [Click to enlarge]
The current schedule contains eight more races, including a $10,000-to-win 75-lap feature in the Southern Regional Racing Series on Sept. 4.
What happens with ownership of the track come October is anybody's guess at this point.
"We're not out to make big money or nothing, but we definitely have to make a profit," Orrell said.
Roughly 50 miles separates Ducktona and Winchester Speedways. The two coincided for years until the Winchester track went bankrupt before last season. Nowlin, who once owned Duck River, has a lease with an option to buy.
There's hope that both tracks can remain open after the 2010 season and both thrive. Since Winchester is hosting one of is largest races of the season on July 31, the people at Ducktona decided to schedule for the day before with the thinking that fans would prefer to have an option to attend both.
"It's like a new restaurant opening, people are going to go try it, but they'll be back," Orrell said. "(Winchester) doesn't scare me. Duck River always draws so many cars regardless, it has since I've been coming down here since I was 7 or 8 years old."
The Duck isn't in need of a full-fledged facelift but could use some touching up. A team of people, including the managing partners, have worked late hours all week in hopes of doing just that.
Among the changes are new lights in the bathrooms in the pits, grading around the grandstands, touching up the paint where needed, adjustments made with concessions and the assembling of a handicap deck for fans.
The gates open Saturday at 4 p.m. The drivers' meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. It will be a chance for drivers to get a feel for how Orrell and Epperson plan on doing things.
"We're both racers and we know what's right and what's wrong," Orrell said.
Sources indicate that Pat Green will take over for Vince Madden as flag man.
Ticket prices will remain the same with it being $25 to get in the pits and $10 for general admission.