Klms

[foxfire2dirtracing]

What I was referring to- ( I had a spelling error) was Sherri probably lost considerable $$ when she sold at auction compared to what she purchased it for? Just a guess.

[foxfire2dirtracing]

What I was referring to- ( I had a spelling error) was Sherri probably lost considerable $$ when she sold at auction compared to what she purchased it for? Just a guess. I think after she sold it- there were some politics used to force the closure thru eminent domain?

[GA-DIRT]

The land is worth more in Ga. I guess

[chupp n bloomer fan]

The land is worth more in Ga. I guess

KLMS is for sale for $3.2 million.

[TerryM]

I accidentally sent my previous post before I was finished. I was going to say, if Swainsboro is worth $1.2 million, then KLMS is probably worth $3.2 million -- strictly because of location. KLMS, location-wise, is a gold mine for anything that's built on it. Swainsboro Speedway sits just outside a dying little town, in a part of the state everyone is moving away from because of the dying economy. The only way Purvis sells that track is if he cuts his asking price in half. I heard he was offered 700K and turned it down. I honestly don't think he wants to sell it. I think he just got tired of dealing with it.

[0cents]

I personally never see that place selling for $3.2 million. Yes the land is right beside the interstate but all of the back of the property is pretty much swamp land.

[3 wide]

I thought the state bought a lot of that land for a new road.

[AllenK]

Those pics of KLMS are truly sad. It was the nicest track I had ever visited,and my wife and I and my parents went there in '98,'99 and 2001. The first Commonwealth Cup in '98 was the only time I've ever seen true 4 wide racing. At the time 25 bucks to see a race was pretty uncommon so we cheaped out and sat in the lower seats and got blasted by dirt. I mean filthy!

They did have time management issues. My wife and I went in 2001 for the Commonwealth Cup. We stayed in Paducah,and we got back to the hotel at 5 a.m. We drove up that Saturday morning also so that was a LONG day. We barely made it out of the hotel for our 12 pm check out time. Latest I've ever gotten home from the races including drives home from out of state.

[2muchstagger]

The guys that bought KLMS left the auction that day with the plan of trying to promote the place up to sell it back to the state for more than the $990K they paid for it. At that time, the plan was known that the I69/I24 interchange was going to take part of the property and they were hoping for a state windfall. From what I remember, the state paid them about $600K. Don't know how much money they lost promoting it. Hence, them shutting down once the state took it. They had no long term plans. I remember the vibe that some of the people I know that were there for the auction and they were not excited that day after the auction about the prospects of long term racing.

The only people that were at the auction that had any long term plans were the Tuller's. Seeing that racing is pretty much dead in the area, I don't know how long racing would have continued there anyway.

Sherri paid $1.6 million when she bought it at auction from the bank. The bank, from what I recall, had taken it from the Greer's who absolutely destroyed the reputation. Sherri was doomed to fail because the Greer's had already turned it into the "Mistake by the Lake". She tried all kinds of things to improve the surface, and ended up making the reputation worse. I remember her buying a rundown building and tearing all the sheet rock out of it and mixing it into the surface in hopes of making it retain moisture. Bad thing, they didn't remove the nails. I don't remember what series was there after that, but I remember caution after caution of drivers having flats.

The Greer's had a good thing going until the STARS sanctioning fiasco at the 98 Commonwealth Cup. It progressively went down hill from that. 97 was the first with Bob Pierce winning it. I had quit going to the CC after 2000 and several other events because of their long intermissions and late programs. I remember my cousin going in 2001 and driving home (2hrs away) afterwards that Sunday morning and getting home as the sun was coming up.

Seeing the pictures of it on the realtor site is sad. I don't see anyone in their right mind paying $3.2 million for it especially seeing the money that would be needed to fix it. Plus, as I said earlier, there are no racers left in the area. Running any profitable racing program there would be very difficult to do in my opinion.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Those pics of KLMS are truly sad. It was the nicest track I had ever visited,and my wife and I and my parents went there in '98,'99 and 2001. The first Commonwealth Cup in '98 was the only time I've ever seen true 4 wide racing. At the time 25 bucks to see a race was pretty uncommon so we cheaped out and sat in the lower seats and got blasted by dirt. I mean filthy!

They did have time management issues. My wife and I went in 2001 for the Commonwealth Cup. We stayed in Paducah,and we got back to the hotel at 5 a.m. We drove up that Saturday morning also so that was a LONG day. We barely made it out of the hotel for our 12 pm check out time. Latest I've ever gotten home from the races including drives home from out of state.

Right when Sherri took it over I went. I think it was the Commonwealth, supposed to be on a Saturday. Think I took off Friday and drove down. Around 6-7 hours from where I live in Ohio.

Well, it rains out Saturday. To this day I think they coulda got it in. It was well banked, rain ran right off it.

So Sunday, get there at like 10:30, dusty in qualifying, mod guys after late model qualifying refused to run. So they reworked the track.

Just an absolutely beautiful place, nice track. Needed better clay and a totally different reputation with the local community.

That curfew crap they had was ridiculous. Especially when you’re literally next to the highway.

Anyhow, back to the race I went to. So I figured starting at like 11-12, they’d surely be done by around 6-7. Oh no, 10:30. So, while that’s not bad, when you been there 12 hours and booked a room in Louisville, it’s an issue. I truly don’t remember most of the drive. Wife and I were exhausted when we got there. It coulda been a roach motel and we wouldn’t have cared.

Shame of it is, Francis got Scott on the last lap, last turn. Wife had already went to the car, and I was definitely done. Just sad.

So much potential, and looking at it now, dang is it in bad shape. Dunno who’d buy it, especially for 3 million. Sad to say, but doubtful it’s a racetrack. Especially when some have mentioned not many racers there now.

[STRONGERTHANDIRT]

Might make a nice sports complex or outdoor concert venue...racetrack, no.

[foxfire2dirtracing]

Twomuchstagger

Chipped and bloomer fan

Great post-Thank you!
Last time I was there-it was a 3 day show: 1. Kentucky Lake 2. Paducah 3. DuQuion, Illinois. Paducah got rained out but we got K Lake & DuQuion in on Sunday. That place was a big flat race track.

[AllenK]

Right when Sherri took it over I went. I think it was the Commonwealth, supposed to be on a Saturday. Think I took off Friday and drove down. Around 6-7 hours from where I live in Ohio.

Well, it rains out Saturday. To this day I think they coulda got it in. It was well banked, rain ran right off it.

So Sunday, get there at like 10:30, dusty in qualifying, mod guys after late model qualifying refused to run. So they reworked the track.

Just an absolutely beautiful place, nice track. Needed better clay and a totally different reputation with the local community.

That curfew crap they had was ridiculous. Especially when you’re literally next to the highway.

Anyhow, back to the race I went to. So I figured starting at like 11-12, they’d surely be done by around 6-7. Oh no, 10:30. So, while that’s not bad, when you been there 12 hours and booked a room in Louisville, it’s an issue. I truly don’t remember most of the drive. Wife and I were exhausted when we got there. It coulda been a roach motel and we wouldn’t have cared.

Shame of it is, Francis got Scott on the last lap, last turn. Wife had already went to the car, and I was definitely done. Just sad.

So much potential, and looking at it now, dang is it in bad shape. Dunno who’d buy it, especially for 3 million. Sad to say, but doubtful it’s a racetrack. Especially when some have mentioned not many racers there now[

CNB,that's a long day!

The '98 race was on Halloween,and I remember kids dressed up in costumes. Matter of fact,they had a Halloween costume contest. Some woman dressed as Earnhardt,moustache and all,won it. Bill Frye's oldest daughter,who's married now,was wearing a Tigger costume IIRC. That race went 75 laps before they had a caution. I think that's the longest green flag run I can ever remember seeing.

[50Dixon50]

We went to KLMS several times great racing great facility sad deal that it's not open hopefully someone will buy it and open it again
I remember we went there once it was so very cold there a lot of people had small heaters by their feet we just wrapped up good and enjoyed the racing once we started watching the race didn't notice the cold
If someone does open KLMS again Guaranteed we will be there

[STRONGERTHANDIRT]

Would be difficult getting a permit from the county after all the complaining they have had in the past. The locals don't want it there, never have, never will. Plus, the cost to get it back in shape would be outrageous.