PGS and AIRPORT

[gary laplant]

http://www.abc-7.com/story/21474295/...es?config=H264

[tccaz]

I don't know the details in their lease but I do know that if you rent a building and do upgrades while you are there you cannot remove anything attached to the building.

[dd38]

I remember at one time when my EX was in Real Estate the thing was "Anything that was Screwed, Glued or Implanted stays and cannot be removed".

[scottgarrity07]

I hate to say this, but in my opinion this is a brilliant business move. By removing the infrastructure from Punta Gorda Speedway it makes it extremely unattractive to a potential new lessee. With the rules that have been set up at Full Throttle (Punta Gorda rules) it appears that Kevin would love nothing more than to have each and every competitor from Punta Gorda to transplant themselves to his new track. Without anyone willing to bid on a gutted Punta Gorda, the racers have no choice but to go to Full Throttle to race as there is no other Speedway south of Full Throttle with Punta Gorda shuttered. Even if someone did bid on Punta Gorda, they would have to replace all of the infrastructure that is being removed in addition to adding new grandstands (which will have to happen either way). A protracted legal battle (which is sure to happen) will just assure that Punta Gorda is closed that much longer. Racers wanna race, so they will make the trek up I-75 and race at Full Throttle. Mission accomplished. Even if Kevin loses the legal battle, all he has to do is give back the stuff he removed and pay his lawyers. By then a long, long time will have passed and the car counts will have been secured at Full Throttle.

[Matt Albee]

It's been said before but bears repeating i guess, Kevin and Mike really need to learn how to read leases. They seem to have overlooked everything possible.
Makes me wonder how many things they neglected to pay attention to in their purchase agreement with John.

[chevyj31]

The bleachers and the lights were there before Williams?? Seems he is just trying to delay the new lease holders from moving in to quick. I am sure now the airport is going give someone a good deal on the new lease. I hope both track can stay opened.

[MOE #15]

Psg

Hope PGS opens soon

[linda]

It amazes me how people can judge and make comments when they do not have the facts straight. First of all, Kevin is not in any trouble with the law for taking what belongs to him. People forget he wanted to continue to run PGS but it was the greed from the airport that already had their minds made up that wasnt going to happen. First of all, does Gary Laplant forget ALL THE THINGS that he took from PGS when kevin bought it from Bobby? He wasnt even the owner and took every single thing he put into the place, including a wall that was put up in the concession because he paid for it, that's right, tore it down and left a mess. Took all the speakers, took all the garbage cans and benches because he said he bought all that stuff from Lakeland?? Kevin let him take it all. Kevin bought the track and had to replace many many things to just open. ALL THE CONCESSION EQUIPMENT, was either broken and unsafe or RAT INFESTED. Kevin got rid of it all, pressure washed the entire place, spent a lot of money to get rid of the rats that were running all over the place, bought ALL NEW EQUIPMENT for the concession and much much more to run a clean safe place. Twenty lights were burnt out on the light poles around the tracks racing surface, I know because the electrician bought not just bulbs but fixtures and had a bucket truck there for days to fix all the lighting. Had to buy all new speakers to replace the ones that were ripped out all around the track by gary laplant, New fencing to push back the pit area because the new road took away over 50 % of fan parking. I worked at the track for 2 full years and saw all this for myself first hand. Kevin bought a building for his Legend series that was at PGS as their home track because there was not one building on the property that didnt leak or was safe enough to keep his Legends in. Bleacher boards that were bought by the truck load every week to replace the old broken ones that were there and unsafe. I could go on and on and that is not my point to this, every owner through the years has sold and bought the track. Kevin bought it and put the most amount of money into it and the airport wants to run it. Why didnt the airport buy it from him???? they pretty much said thanks for making this a great track, now we will take over????????????? DO YOU REALLY THINK HE WANTED TO DO THIS????????? the airport wanted him to walk away with NOTHING and give them everything he worked and paid for. Yes I am angry, I have been going to that track since day one and have worked there for many years and saw some owners get away with a lot and the one person I saw do everything the right way gets the worst end. Kevin is not taking everything, just what he paid for. The airport forced his hand and he bought another race track because he knew that they wanted it and now they got it. It is a sad day but the airport did this and now “some” who did far worst, think he is the bad guy??? kevin saved Punta Gorda Speedway and now he is saving Desoto, the only difference is, he and Mike own it and no one can take it after they make it the best track in the state, what they wanted to do PGS., sorry about all this being long but yea I am mad, this whole thing stinks.

[Rick Anges]

Linda don't worry about what people say you know what is really going on. I applaud Kevin and Mike for stepping up and making a go of it at Desoto/Full Throttle. Although I have never met either Jack had nothing but good things to say about them and the way PGS was run. And as far as you, you have been in this game for many years and know you can't let people who are not in the loop bother you.
Looking forward to seeing you guys opening night!
Rick

[jason]

Linda and Rick

Well said Rick. Linda you have every right to be angry. I know we all are. We just need to push forward and not play into the B.S. FTS here we come. Its going to be one fun ride!

[Pun33]

Don't need to hear all the he said she said and good or bad dealings.

All I need to see is Desoto open, with an owner that cares and will do what it take to bring back the glory of the track.

and Yeah, guess I'm getting a car to race again......;-)

[chip]

Does anyone remember the movie the "Jerk "

[chevyj31]

When leaseing property, just because you paid for something, may not mean you own it, and can take it with you. Please copy and paste the lease on Karnac, and we can all stop the speculation of what is right or wrong, because it realy depends on how the lease is written. End of story! Period!!!

[Tonka]

For a business that is supposed to open in a month or so its amazing there are no records of sale, permits etc. anywhere on manatee county official websites......makes you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Osmosis Jones]

Hi! Welcome to KARNAC!

"It amazes me how people can judge and make comments when they do not have the facts straight."

You do understand what social media, message boards are for, don't you?


"does Gary Laplant forget ALL THE THINGS that he took from PGS when kevin bought it from Bobby? He wasnt even the owner and took every single thing he put into the place, including a wall that was put up in the concession because he paid for it, that's right, tore it down and left a mess. Took all the speakers, took all the garbage cans and benches because he said he bought all that stuff from Lakeland??"

followed by:

"they pretty much said thanks for making this a great track, now we will take over????????????? DO YOU REALLY THINK HE WANTED TO DO THIS????????? the airport wanted him to walk away with NOTHING and give them everything he worked and paid for"

Do you see the contradiction here?....kind of a goose and gander type of dilemna. You really can't make the same argument for both sides.

No one is saying that Kevin didn't make great strides in cleaning up PGS when he took over.....although....all we kept hearing on KARNAC, when Bobby had it, was about all the hard work and fixing up he did when he was at the helm...who was it that posted all that stuff?...it sounds so familiar now.....anyways, to keep saying he "saved" PGS is to really keep saying he "failed at saving PGS" because, and I think you can agree, he is not there anymore. if it were truly "saved" it would not be closing up and leaving the racers no where to go but to his new place just up the road. Now before you get all huffy and puffy and call me a hater, think for a minute. Did I lie? Because regardless of what the airport has done to cause the business decisions he made, to keep saying he is the saviour of PGS and Desoto is a little pretentious, don't you think? You keep yelling at people for jumping to their own conclusions and "hating" on Kevin before he gets a chance to prove himself.....well you're just doing the same thing from the other side of the coin. You can't predict the future of Desoto Speedway any better than anyone else.

I haven't heard ANYBODY come on here or FB or anywhere saying, "I hope he fails miserably so I can laugh and say TOLD YA SO!"....so chill out already.
I haven't heard or seen anybody saying how great it was at PGS before Kevin arrived (well, except a few but her posts get kinda loopy after a while) so don't worry yourself about what former promoters or employees post about PGS and what is happening. Unless, of course, you are indeed intricately involved with AND have been present at AND are authorized to comment on ALL the legal contracts and dealings between Kevin, his partner Mike and the Airport Authority. If you weren't. then you are just speculating like the rest of the folks who judge and comment without really knowing all the facts.

You sound like a passionate person who really enjoys racing and being involved at some level with the/a racetrack. Don't let emotions make you post stuff that can be debated on a message board unless that's what you intend to happen. There is probably a good reason most promoters and and owners stay clear of these message boards. Some of the posts can be pretty maddening if you have an especially thin skin. It's easy for others to make judgements and throw stones on a message board but not so much when it's their butt writing the checks. Most of them wait until they are crusty and decrepit like Uncle Don before they come on here and piss in everyone's Wheaties for fun.

In the end, this is all just another form of racing entertainment.
If you just remember that one fact, then you'll do just fine.


OJ