by Steve Swogetinsky / staff writer
The Meridian Star
May 04, 2006 12:12 am
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It has been a little more than three months since Rodney Wing purchased the old Whynot Speedway property and started working to turn it from a forest back into a dirt track again. But the wait is nearly over.
The legendary Whynot Speedway re-opens Saturday night with a full slate of races. The gates open at 4 p.m. There will be a ribbon-cutting at 5 p.m., and the races get under way around 7 p.m. with five divisions hitting the track: Pure Streets, Minis, the Modifieds, the “Stormpay.com” Crate Late Models and the Cruisers.
A few weeks into the project, you might have thought Wing had gone into the lot clearing business. The old track had not been raced on in several years and the land was covered with trees and brushes. But with a lot of help, Wing has it cleared off. The buildings have been repaired, the bleachers have been restored, and there has been a lot of painting going on. Wing said they have used at least 400 gallons o paint.
“And that’s not an exaggeration,” he added. “This is something that I‚m never going to be satisfied with. There will always be things to do. But we are ready to start racing. If the weather holds out, we should have a good show.”
You can expect this track to be good for the drivers. Wing, being among the top Late Model drivers in the state when he is competing, knows what drivers are looking for in a track.
“We have brought in some good dirt and we will be setting the track up like they do at the Magnolia Speedway (in Columbus),” Wing said. “There will be multi-lane driving and it should be very competitive.”
The tentative schedule has the track open for races every Saturday through October. Wing said special races will be added later in the year. Check out the speedway website at whynotmotorsportspark.com.
Snow at Talladega
I didn’t get see much of the Talladega Nextel spring race this year. It rained out on Sunday and I had to work Monday. I did see a few minutes when I went to Bill Gordon’s barber shop during lunch for a much-needed hair cut.
For a brief time, it was great to see a black car whose driver was named Earnhardt battling around the track. As I was leaving the barber shop, he spun out. But I saw later that Dale Jr. came back and was headed for a top 10 (maybe better) finish when he blew an engine. Well, at least Jeff Gordon didn’t win.
I thought I would get a chance to watch the race. We tried to tape it and I hoped to watch it after I got through covering the Clarkdale- Enterprise softball game. Unfortunately, my VCR is on the blink. I discovered that when there was nothing but snow for a picture. If anybody taped the race, I would like to borrow the tape once I get a new VCR.
Back to the dirt tracks
Meanwhile, the drivers of the Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series head north for three big nights of racing.
It starts tonight at Columbus Speedway with Brown Engineering Thursday Night Thunder. The drivers in the Rebel Challenge Weekly Racing Series will be going after double Rebel Challenge points event that will pay at least $1,200 to win and possibly $1,500 to win with 33 cars or more entered. There will also be championship events for both the Tri-State Challenge Late Model Stocks and Open Wheel Modifieds that pay $600 to win and $800 to win if 30 cars or more are entered.
This is a week night and only three classes will be running with an emphasis on getting done so folks can go to work on Friday.
The Super Late Models will then run a MSCCS race Friday night at North Alabama Speedway, and another Saturday night at the Pine Ridge Speedway Baldwyn.
Don’t forget May 13 that the Magnolia Speedway with the 3rd annual Southern Showdown. The big event will feature Southern Showdown Championships in three divisions including the return of the Topless Twin 25’s for the Super Late Models plus local divisions in action. The drivers will be competing with their roofs, giving fans a clear shot at the men behind the wheels at work.
It is also possible for a driver to take home $3,500 in winnings with a sweep of the Topless Super Late Model events plus a ton of Rebel Challenge Series points. Last year‚s event saw both Rodney Wing and David Breazeale visit victory lane in front of the large crowd at the exciting event.
Steve Swogetinsky writes a weekly racing column. If you would like to contact him for comment, or have information you would like contribute to this column, please email him at swog@hotmail.com.
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