Racing is Hot in Henry County
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The Henry County area is not just a hot destination for top stock-car drivers‚ who make biannual pilgrimages to much-ballyhooed NASCAR events in Martinsville.
Racers of motorcycles‚ ATVs and late-model cars also find plenty of action in the region.
Oak Level Raceway in Bassett and Lake Sugar Tree Motorsport Park in Axton provide weekly high-octane competition for fans and racers alike. They benefit from‚ and build upon‚ the region’s reputation as a racing mecca.
“North Carolina‚ South Carolina and Virginia are where racing really started‚ so I guess we’re in the best place we can be‚” says David Lee Howerton‚ owner of Oak Level Raceway. His 3/8-mile dirt track holds Friday night late-model races from early April through mid-October.
Howerton purchased the 20-year-old track in March 2006‚ after it spent the 2005 season dormant. He is committed to improving the quality of the racing‚ booking the Carolina Clash‚ a touring series of super late-models‚ for an October race.
Equally important is upgrading the overall facility and fan experience‚ with the idea of making it “affordable for everyone in the community‚ and still make a profit‚” he says.
While Oak Level Raceway is on the mend‚ Lake Sugar Tree is simply building on 30 years of successful motocross and ATV racing. The facility will host the Virginia State Championships in October 2006, in addition to its regular schedule of American Motorcycle Association-sanctioned events.
More than 400 riders competed in the state championships‚ well above the 250-325 contestants typically signed up for an AMA race. The facility can accommodate up to 700 riders‚ General Manager Kevin Stanco says.
In the 1980s‚ the track held national races‚ and the operators would love to see those return. “It comes with a lot of other responsibilities‚ but at some point we’d like to handle a national event‚” Stanco says.
The races take place on a stadium course‚ a 1-and-a-quarter mile motocross track‚ and holds “hare scrambles” on a 6-mile‚ cross-country course. These races attract riders from all over the eastern half of the United States.
The reach is even wider for Lake Sugar Tree’s motocross schools‚ taught by Gary Bailey. Riders from all over the world come to the course 12 to 14 times each year to learn the intricacies of starting‚ turning‚ jumping‚ safety and other tech niques from one of the most respected names in the sport.
“People in the sport call Gary Bailey the ‘Professor of Motocross Instruction‚’” Stanco says.
The Bailey family has a long association with the track. Gary’s son‚ David Bailey‚ a three-time national champion‚ purchased the track from original owner Avery Mills. Bailey later sold it to Gary’s brother‚ current owner Bob Bailey.
Story by Dan Markham
Photo by Bolt Photo
