Track Owner Rolls Dice On Big-Money LM Event

By John Clayton
Staff Writer

Golden Isles Speedway owner Frankie Lloyd wants to build something — a southern-fried Eldora or Manzanita among the palm trees, marshes and salt-air breezes of Georgia’s Gold Coast.
The SuperBowl of Racing, a 10-night series of dirt-late-model races paying $10,000 to the winner each night, is expected to be one of the building blocks for his four-tenths-mile clay oval just outside of Brunswick, Ga. The event begins with UMP-sanctioned races Jan. 23-26, Jan. 28-29 and Feb. 2 and mixes in O’Reilly SAS-sanctioned races Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Practice will begin at 5 p.m. each day.
Another $10,000 will go to the driver with the best cumulative point performance over the course of the week.

IF YOU GO
What: SuperBowl of Racing
• Featuring dirt late models • $10,000 to win each night • $10,000 to point champion
Where: Golden Isles Speedway (four-tenths-mile dirt track), Brunswick, Ga.
When: Jan. 23-Feb. 2
Grandstand tickets: $25 per night
Pit Admission: $35
Entry fee: $100 per night, but $500 for all 10 nights if paid by Nov. 30, 2007 and $750 for all 10 nights if paid by Dec. 31, 2007

“I’m trying to build something with my boys that would be the equivalent to an Eldora, an Ice Bowl or a Chili Bowl,” Lloyd said. “I want my track to be the same way. We’ve done a lot of work and spent a lot of money… I want this to be a premier race track, and short tracks have to do something big every now and then in order to survive because the Saturday night programs, I’ve found, aren’t enough to make you survive.
“I think it’ll do well. If I don’t lose a whole bunch of money, it’s something we’ll do every year.”
Lloyd said he expects as many as 100 super late-model drivers to participate in the SuperBowl of Racing and figures to capitalize on the fact that so many teams make the annual trek to Florida each February for the Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park and the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. It is the fourth SuperBowl of Racing, but the first of this magnitude.
The stop at Golden Isles, which is a 20-minute ride off I-95 between Savannah, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla., is one that drivers have made in the past, but this is the first time they have so much to gain. It’s also the first time that Lloyd, who bought the track with his family three-and-a-half years ago, has so much on the line.
“It’s a gamble in a sense — race drivers will come and race if you pay the money and treat them half-way fair,” said Lloyd. “A lot of drivers approached me last year and asked if I’d put on a good show for them… It’s not a gamble from the aspect of getting cars, but it is a gamble in terms of getting people, but we’ve been promoting this thing since February of last year.”
Since taking over the track, Lloyd said he has worked diligently to make it more race friendly for drivers as well as fans. The paperclip track’s length has been shaved from five-eighths of a mile to a four-tenths-mile and widened to 90 feet to encourage passing. Among the upgrades to the facility is a VIP suite and 85 RV sites with hookups.
“We’ve given a lot of consideration to the racer’s well-being based on the feedback and insight they have provided us over the past few years,” said Lloyd. “A tremendous investment of resources, manpower and dollars has been poured into upgrades and improvements for the race teams and fans alike.”
Driver Ken Schrader, who has consulted with Lloyd on the changes to the track, said the improvements are remarkable from a driver’s standpoint.
“Golden Isles has been known for its high speeds, yet the track’s new configuration will make the racing even more competitive without taking such a toll on race engines and the race team’s budgets,” Schrader said.
In addition to the visiting super late models headlining the show, support races during the SuperBowl will include hobby stock, limited sportsman, open-wheel modifieds, crate late models and three-quarter late models.
The list of super late-model drivers committed is already impressive and includes Scott Bloomquist, Shannon Babb, Billy Moyer, Earl Pearson, Jr., Freddy Smith, Jimmy Owens, Dennis Franklin and Chris Madden.
NASCAR veterans, including Schrader, Bobby Labonte, David Reutimann and Kenny Wallace, have also committed.

INTO THE NIGHT: The drivers in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series make their way around Lernerville Speedway in April. (Joe Secka/JMS Pro Photo)

“This is a fantastic opportunity for teams to race for early-season wins and a whole lot of money,” said Pearson, who is from nearby Jacksonville, Fla. “Everyone in the industry is anxious to be a part of this huge event… I’m just really glad that it will give me a chance to race on familiar ground against all of the biggest guns in the sport in such a high-dollar event.”
Ticket and entry information can be found by visiting www.goldenislesspeedway.com or by calling (912) 778-3767.

Golden Isles Is Just The Beginning

The SuperBowl of Racing at Golden Isles Speedway will kick off a very busy and extremely lucrative month of racing for dirt-late-model racing’s top teams.
After 10 consecutive $10,000-to-win events at Golden Isles, the traveling circuit will head on down the road to East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, where they will take part in the 31st Winternationals at the third-mile dirt track.
The Lucas Oil Dirt Series will sanction events Feb. 4-9. The first three nights will pay $5,000 to win, while nights four and five will offer $10,000 to the winner and the Feb. 9 finale will offer $12,000 to the victor.
Next, the late-model contingent moves across the state to Volusia Speedway Park in Barbville for six more nights of racing during the 37th annual DirtCar Nationals. UMP will sanction events Feb. 11-13 and Feb. 15, while the Feb. 14 and Feb. 16 races will run under the World of Outlaws Late Model Series banner.