By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
Columbus Speedway is returning with a bang.
Nearly 13 months ago, Gary and Jerry Nickoles, owners of the oldest active dirt track in the state, announced the track was closed indefinitely due to a lack of lessee. That indefinite status stretched the entire year until Nov. 12, when new promoter and Golden Triangle native Rod Taylor held the first slate of races at Columbus of the 2016 season.
After an entire offseason of restoring the track, making connections and brokering deals, Taylor has pieced together a loaded slate for an uncommon day-race Saturday.
Columbus will host features in Super Late Model, Nesmith Crate Late Model, Nesmith Sportsmen Late Model, Nesmith Street Stock, Factory Stock, Mini Stock and Hotshot/Buzz division, a four and six-cylinder class comprised mostly of front-wheel drive vehicles. The driver’s meeting begins at noon, and hot-laps begin at 1 p.m for the Winter Classic.
“I originally was going to run the five classes that we want to race weekly,” Taylor said, “but the more I thought about it, the Super Late Models really needed to be involved to give them an opportunity to be on the track in the early portion of the season. That was one thing I put out on Facebook and got good response from it.
“Super Late Models have not been here in almost 24 months. The fans and everybody are ready to see this place come back to life.”
Facebook has been a key component in Taylor’s marketing and relations strategy, where he engages fans and community members regularly and fishes for recommendations on what to add to the track. It’s a fresh slate for a facility that’s been in dire need of renovations and upgraded amenities, and Taylor is open to new ideas, like running weekly shows on Friday. Hattiesburg Speedway is the only other track in the state that does. The decision was born out of both necessity and creativity; Magnolia Motor Speedway, located on the other side of Lowndes County, and Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian are established tracks that run on Saturdays. Instead of competing for race dates with both tracks, Taylor opted instead to appeal to the growing number of drivers who compete in NeSmith-sanctioned divisions, like Crate and Street Stock. The strategy will allow those drivers multiple opportunities to earn series points at least two of the three tracks.
“I think it’ll help a lot of those guys who are chasing points,” Ray said. “But the bigger issue (running on Friday) may be getting out at a decent hour. Some people have work on Saturdays, and the one time I was at Hattiesburg racing in the (Mississippi Street Stock) State Series, we ran late.”
Taylor has scheduled 30 race nights for 2017, including two Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series Super Late Model points races, Kajun Mini Stock Association features and a pair of KMSA go-kart races.
The anchor event, the World of Outlaws $10,000-to-win Super Late Model feature, is slated for March 24. Taylor is confident the track can draw enough interest to make the massive investment into renovation and promotion pay off.
“To me, hard work is already paying off,” Taylor said. “Looking at the place, all the effort that everyone has put forth in trying to bring it back to life, with all the painting that’s been going on, trying to upgrade it through the offseason, and to look at it now, from where it was in October, gosh, it’s finally here.
“I’ve gotten a lot of response from teams in different states: Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee – I’m really optimistic we’ll have a great turnout this weekend.”
$500-to-win in “Buzz” class
It’s rare to see a Nissan Maxima whipping around a dirt track in Mississippi, but that’s what Rodney Davis will field in the “Buzz” class on Saturday.
The class is run regularly at Talladega Short Track (Alabama) and is viewed as a beginner’s class, similar to the Factory Stock division Magnolia created two years ago.
The class doesn’t have a weight-limit, and the requirements are set wheel-bases for four and six-cylinder cars, all of which must have a roll cage, safety belts and fire extinguishers. The front-wheel drive cars will compete in a $500-to-win race.
Davis will field his 1999 Maxima Saturday – he used to drive a 2004 Kia Spectra.
“Now it’s not a beginner’s class … some guys take it pretty serious,” Davis said. “Last week they had a race in Georgia for $12,000 to win. It’s a lot of fun. Most cars are granny grocery-getters.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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