Update On Punta Gorda Speedway

[carolwicks]

who cares?

the fact is that Kevin and Mike now own and operate the track. IFFFFF bobby owns 10% it is irrelevant but the deal with the airport is between Kevin and Mike and the airport...NO ONE ELSE...
If you could see how hard and willing Kevin and his crew have been working then everything else would not matter. The track will be run professionally and honestly.
I stopped by last night and I was amazed at what a few people have done in such a short time. By race night it will have an entirely new concession that has been stripped bare and scrubbed clean! the hump between 3 & 4 has been redone... the trash removed, the offices cleaned and sanitized... new people have been interviewed....
The most important thing for us to keep in mind now is that our short tracks are in trouble and if we dont support them we will be looking for a new sport that cannot compete with racing!
Please don't judge PGS by what you have witnessed in the past. Move forward with us and at least give us a chance. 10% of nothing is still nothing... Rumors have always been a problem. The thing to do is go racing at PGS and judge for yourself by observing and then make up your mind. As I have said before... the track owes us NOTHING but a good show and drivers who are treated fairly and honestly... the business end is none of our business.
That is the answer to the BIG question. I have also asked you guys to move forward with us... don't bother looking back because the past is the past and I am not insulting Bobby or Gary. I am simply looking ahead to a bright future at PUNTA GORDA SPEEDWAY !!! "THE PLACE TO RACE" !


Carol Wicks aka OZ

Thank you !

[TINYTIMDSS]

Well said Carol I am looking forward to going back to work at Punta Gorda Speedway.

[Rick Williamson]

the fact is that Kevin and Mike now own and operate the track. IFFFFF bobby owns 10% it is irrelevant but the deal with the airport is between Kevin and Mike and the airport...NO ONE ELSE...
If you could see how hard and willing Kevin and his crew have been working then everything else would not matter. The track will be run professionally and honestly.
I stopped by last night and I was amazed at what a few people have done in such a short time. By race night it will have an entirely new concession that has been stripped bare and scrubbed clean! the hump between 3 & 4 has been redone... the trash removed, the offices cleaned and sanitized... new people have been interviewed....
The most important thing for us to keep in mind now is that our short tracks are in trouble and if we dont support them we will be looking for a new sport that cannot compete with racing!
Please don't judge PGS by what you have witnessed in the past. Move forward with us and at least give us a chance. 10% of nothing is still nothing... Rumors have always been a problem. The thing to do is go racing at PGS and judge for yourself by observing and then make up your mind. As I have said before... the track owes us NOTHING but a good show and drivers who are treated fairly and honestly... the business end is none of our business.
That is the answer to the BIG question. I have also asked you guys to move forward with us... don't bother looking back because the past is the past and I am not insulting Bobby or Gary. I am simply looking ahead to a bright future at PUNTA GORDA SPEEDWAY !!! "THE PLACE TO RACE" !


Carol Wicks aka OZ

Thank you !

That's why the question has been ask more then once about Bobby TO STOP ANY RUMORS! And still they will not say yes or no. Carol the business end can and does effect the track at times. Like it's effecting Punta Gorda Speedway right now! And with no responce from them about Bobby. You have to think he IS still part of it in someway big or small.

[carolwicks]

lets just say....

Bobby has NOTHING to do with the operation of PGS... do you really think Kevin and Mike would put all this hard work and money into a business they thought they could lose? Do you think the airport would ? Kevin and Mike have already spent alot of money improving our track. they would not do that for Bobby!
IF and I say "IF", because we may not ever know... IF bobby owned 10% it would have to do with the monetary end of the business and that isnt our business. our business is seeing a good show and the drivers business is to be able to afford the costs and to be paid what they earn... the staff are entitled to fair labor laws... that is ALL PGS owes us in any way. why cant people accept that?
how would you guys like us to come to your place of business and ask you personal financial questions about how you operate. You would tell us its none of our business...
if you all are that interested then do your research at the airport and city hall... dont bother coming on here and asking people who could really care less or dont really know the facts about Kevins personal business...... and another thing you might want to know. There are people who come to this board "fishing"... they really dont care about the answers. they have fun with them... keep that in mind because IF bobby owned 10% it would not affect the operations you are concerned about.
i hope this subject is done... PLEASE be supportive and for once wish Kevin and Mike a huge success and find out for yourselves things about our great little race track on May 29th! it is really heart warming to get the calls coming in from drivers who want to come back and race.. drivers who left a few years ago that are awesome on and off the track! we need to support them.!
and just for the record... Bobby Diehl came to CCMP because he had a dream... unfortunately his dream became a nightmare. Part of it due to the fact that Bobby didnt have the extra money to back up his dreams. then we had 3-5 weeks of rain. not to mention the many many people who stole from him! Oh yes... people he trusted week after week stole ALOT of money!!! The $8,000 a week upkeep still needs to be paid, rain or shine, and the money wasnt there. Gary and others tried to help... things just got progressively worse. They just got in over their heads. in this time of recession, it has happened to millions of people. how they handle the problems is what counts. fear and desperation can lead to very poor decisions... Bobby sold the track and that was a very good decision for himself and all of us.... so thats where we are at now and i have no intentions of gloating over the fact that Bobby and Gary failed in their attempts to be successful at CCMP....I revel in the fact that we still have a track to go to and I pray for Kevin, Mike, Greg and all the people working so hard to make this dream come true!. AMEN!

[sunshinestateracing1]

Well Said

Well said Carol I look forward to being at PGS and look forward to the new begining and see a lot of my favorite drivers have fun and race. Sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun. Lets put the past behind us and GO RACING...

[eagletai]

Well Said, Lets get this behind all of us.... I like that little track. Hopefully optimistic. We will see. new owners be open honest and frank..

[Bobby Diehl]

Carol alway put its in the right light.

I would like to thanks those who had tryed so hard to make CCMP work. I have removed most of my personal things yesterday. The Camper Trailer is the only thing left. I will say that leaving was hard. But, as Joe Gibb's stated in his book "When one door closes another opens". I will always love the Sport and have learn alot. Meet alot of new Friends. Looking forward to the future in the Sport just not sure in what capacity.
For now I will be teaching "Bicycles to NASCAR" at a ESE (Exceptional Special Education) Center for troubled Middle and High School. The Racing is my passion. Oh yea!!!! Congrats to Aric Almirola. He won his first Camping World Trucks on Friday at Dover. I was blessed to have him and "The Man of Steel". David Steel as my Student Asst. David was my back in the 90's. Arric was with us in 2001. Maybe there is another in my future. Thanks for all thoses who supported us. PGS is looking better every week. Alot of very hard work is being done. Mike and Kevin will make it a GREAT Short Track to race at. But it's realy GREAT to have them all (Tracks). We need to support all of them. Without your support the Sports will die. I hope this answers those question being asked. Good Luck to PGS. For those who race or the Fans that fill the stands. It will be a first class track.

Till later. See yah!!!!

[Edm]

For now I will be teaching at a ESE Special Ed Centerl.

Are you sure its not the other way around?