Is it the end? The rambles of racing have a long history here. Apparently, the history of who and the history of what also have some rambles here. Is the future here still running in the shadow of past performance? Or is it just the shadow of the past? There really is only the information currently at hand.
Franklin County Speedway is, again, on the verge of going dark. The most recent breath of life came at the hands of Langley Austin. His wife, Kimberly, has been right there as well. The progress has been tempered by long days and financial strain. The racers and fans that frequent the track have seen the work and they have seen the pull on resources that went into keeping the laps on.
It appears, at least for now and into an uncertain 2025, the resources have reached a limit. From Austin, it is a matter of a rock and a hard place. The operations model he has been working under has reached a spot that he can not push further. An all out purchase of the facility is beyond a current financial reach. There are questions of family and financial responsibilities that cross several lines and even more years.
This run, however, has left a strong mark on the legacy here. Luck and determination literally pulled a rabbit out of the hat. A Thanksgiving “Southern Turkey Derby” set a stage in late 2019 to move forward. The coming year pulled a twist that Langley turned into opportunity. Covid came along and everything was closing. Racing included.
But… But… But… There was ambiguity in the way things were communicated and the way things were presented. Langley was able to pull in some events that were shut down at other tracks. Racing in North Carolina was halted after some attempts to roll under the radar but the Virginia situation was open for some interpretation. The “out of the way” location and a stretch of available rulings put Franklin County in a nice spot. A “Covid Clash” event tested the waters for viability of even putting a race on the track. It worked well enough to pull the Carolina Modifieds over state lines to race. The “CARS Tour” came in. This was a big deal for the little oval in the hills.
It was big enough that Langley was able to push these little successes into forward motion. The CARS Tour came back. SMART Modifieds, Grand National, Super Stock and other touring series made Franklin County part of their schedules. This was made possible by the push and persistence of Langley Austin. For the champions night, he even had the STAR Super Stock Tour on hand as part of the show.
He expanded the infrastructure of the facility with repairs and basic maintenance. The track was patched. The lights were kept on. The buildings had floors (mostly). He brought in sponsors.
The scoreboard worked… for a minute…
It isn’t perfect. It is not “Martinsville” or “South Boston”. It was hanging by less than a thread and Langley threw some heart and hard work at it and brought it back to viability in spite of the shortcomings.
But now, he can’t, any longer… Right now. He’s brought it this far but can’t do any more with the resources available with a lease deal that, apparently, is not evolving with his investment. The race for the track championships on September 21st was, he says, his last.
Is there a chance that could change…? His own words were “not saying ‘never’… but for now…”
For now… Apparently it’s in the hands of a character in a white cowboy hat… And he’s currently distracted by a guy in a red hat…
For the “HEXED Championship Night”, all divisions went all out for final points to grab the season. There were some cautions and there were some stops and, all in all, it was a hot evening. Apparently, the markers were in the making for the last night of Moonshine Capital Promotions as the spectator drag races hit the track gate and ripped the railing off it. It was almost a prophecy…
The results for the night, the last night… as it was… (Champions in bold)
One Stop Towing Late Models:
1 – #08 Doug Morgan
2 – #25 Jonathan Hall
3 – #84 Drew Bond
4 – #54 Matthew Lawrence
5 – #83 Tyler Ashley
Mini Stocks:
1 – #16 Brittany Cockram
2 – #8 Wes Givens
3 – #19 Dennis Holdren
4 – #46 Josh Phillips
5 – #00 Gary Fitzgerald
Stock4:
1 – #7K Keyshaun Claytor
2 – #97 Gary Smith
3 – #8 Wes Givens
4 – #34 Chris Meeks
5 – #22 Josh Hinchee
STAR Super Stock Tour:
1 – #48 Alby Ovitt
2 – #60 Jeff Melton
3 – #07 Mike Cooper
4 – #10 Danny Bush
5 – #1 Brittany Cockram
Moneta Tractor & Trailer Legends:
1 – #27 Chris Lilly
2 – #11 Keyshaun Claytor
3 – #21 Rian Wheat
4 – #16 Phil Smith
Rookie:
1 – #83 Kevin Lytton, Jr.
2 – #21 Ben Short
3 – #315 Heather Fackler
4 – #23 Kent Chrisley
Photos from Franklin County Speedway – HEXED Championship Night – September 21, 2024
