Old race track

[flvideo]

Jim and I went to Bartow this morning and coming back we went looking for a old track we had heard about. I think it was called Sand Mountain Speedway.
Its just south of Ft meade off 17. I had to climb thru a barbwire fence and walk 1/2 mile one way to get those pictures. Jim wouldn't go with me, he said your gona get arrested fo trespassing. It didn't say no trespassing it said stay out. I think theres a difference. Ole well I made it. Thanks Bob..

[OLD STYLE RACER 2]

How big is the track. Doesn't look like it would take long to get that place into shape by the few pics. Anyone know why it closed down? when?

[Trash Inturn4]

google -'Sand Mountain Speedway' there is a web site with track information and aerial views

[OLD STYLE RACER 2]

Thank you!

[Boneman]

Its a track that never really opened. Although it was built in just the last few years, persistant problems with zoning, building permits, etc. killed this project before it could run its first auto race. I understand that they did a little racing with 4 wheelers and maybe bikes.

Thank goodness we have our government to protect us from another pesky racetrack.

[flvideo]

It looked like an old dolemite mine that was abandoned. I can imagine racing on it on a motorcycle the way it is. I'd say it at least 3/8 mile or maybe a little bigger. The one shot tha I took shows a flag stand. I talked to a friend that lives in Ft meade and he said that the county came and inspected what was there and discovered the guy had never gotten any kind of permit to do any of the work he did. He built a fence around the whole track and had bill boards on the back straight. Built a press box, put up caution lights. Gene, my friend said that he contacted Mike Stedem a couple of years ago for some sponsership. Gene, Mike and the city manager went out there to look at what was there. They guy told the group that he had bleachers on the way and they ask him about lighting and he said that was on the way too.
It never happened. If some one had the money and the inclination that would make a good place for another track. Jim told me today that he saw an article in the Speedsport News a couple of years that that track was going to host the nationals. Obviously that never happened. That discussion on the way to Bartow was why we went looking for the old track. Heres a few more pics. One shows the bill boards, one the what looks like the pit ticket booth. Bob...

[billy badd]

flvideo, go to Sandmountainspeedway.com and then click on enter. I couldn't get it to come up hot. A couple of years ago the All Star Sprints were supposed to run there. Of course it never happened. billy

[flvideo]

Billy thats what Jim saw in Speedsport news I guess. Thanks I'll try the web site and see what I get. Bob........

[flvideo]

Thanks Billy, I got some good pics fro that site. I didn't find the ariel some one mentioned. But heres a few of those pics. I guess they really did race there. Looks like they are having fun. Bob........

[OLD STYLE RACER 2]

Looks more like a practice,instead of a race.
Looking at those sprints in the corners, it certainly looks more like sand then clay..... MAYBE thats where the name comes from? lol

[flvideo]

Yea old style, its deffently sand and real fine sand at that. I can't remember what the stuff thats left after dolamite is mined is called, but I think thats what it is.
On the site Billy found talks about motocross and atv races in 2005. It also has a part of the site called dirt cars an those pics were there. Bob......

[rjb2]

The guy that owners the property used to race asphalt and got hirt in a racing accident. He was in the dirt sales business and wanted to put in a track because he loved racing. He permit and county zoning problems to get the track off the ground. He did run quads and bikes on the track back in 2004-5 If I could remember.
He was going to run the spirits and then the county soning changed that

[flvideo]

Yea RJB, thats kinda what I heard. The county, according to my sorces, gave him 6 months to run the ATVs and Quads and after 6 months if he had stuff together they would see about permitting it. He also ran some sprints and cars kinda like ledgend cars. Its too bad he couldn't get it together, its out away from most civilization and theres a lot of property there. I think I saw on his old web site that there was 40 acres to ride on. That ain't all the land in the world but its pretty big. Is there clay on the track? From outside the fence it looks like silaca sand. It'd be fairly easy to get something going if you could get the county to cooperate, had the money. According to the guy I talked to yesterday the county was willing, he just had to jump thru their hoops, and he couldn't I guess. Bob........