Friday night lights out

Published 10:02 pm Monday, June 29, 2009

Unlike so many years in the past, if you go to North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth on a Friday night this summer, the stands will be empty. The track — known for its trademark smooth Georgia clay — will be absent of race cars. The lights will be off. The parking lot, once filled to capacity, will be vacant.

That’s because the speedway’s weekly schedule is sporadic at best this season.

Instead, local fans wanting to get their weekly fix of watching racing veterans like Dalton’s Gary McPherson — owner of 16 NGS point titles — are having to travel to tracks in Chattanooga, Rome, Cleveland, Tenn., and Woodstock.

So what happened to the weekly schedule?

The answer depends on whom you ask.

NGS track promoter Monty Morrow, who took over the track’s lease three years ago from Harris Sutton Chevrolet, says it’s because of a lack of ticket sales he attributes to the declining economy.

“There was a significant dropoff in attendance from 2007 to 2008,” Morrow said. “The economy has put a hurting on this area like everywhere else.”

But the economy doesn’t seem to have the same impact on Tennessee’s Cleveland Speedway, another track promoted by Morrow. Cleveland’s weekly schedule is going strong and that’s prompting drivers and fans to question whether NGS’ problem is the economy or a conflict of interest for Morrow.

Don Anderson, owner of Carpet Discount Center in Dalton, is an avid racing fan and has attended races at NGS for nearly 20 years. Not only does he go to tracks at least twice a week, he’ll also watch races on television and watch repeat showings after recording the action.

“I can’t get enough racing,” he said. “And most of my friends are the same way.”

Anderson has a different take on last summer’s NGS attendance numbers than does Morrow.

“I disagree with (him),” Anderson said. “They always had a big crowd. It was off last year, but not as much as they say and not enough to cancel the regular season. They own the Cleveland track and I don’t think they’ve got the time to spend on two tracks. I don’t see how they couldn’t have made money (last year) with the number of people that showed up.”

Even Morrow admitted taking on the NGS in addition to his responsibilities at Cleveland Speedway has been strenuous.

“It’s definitely a full-time job,” Morrow said. “And it’s definitely hard to please everyone. Emotionally, mentally and financially, it’s hard to accomplish (running two tracks). I don’t want to drive anyone away, but at times, I can’t do it all.”

And for Morrow, when something has to give at one of the tracks, it has been NGS coming out on the short end of the stick. Before curtailing this season, the first dent put in the NGS races came when racing was switched from Saturday to Friday.

McPherson, who now races regularly at Dixie Speedway, saw first-hand the effects of the change.

“NGS has never been good for a Friday night race,” said McPherson, who has raced for 25 years. “They tried it and now it’s to the point where no one goes. A lot of those fans are working 7 to 7 at the carpet mills, and it’s hard for them to get to the track. That’s what really hurt them. Ten years ago, you couldn’t get in the place because there were so many people there.”

Cleveland Speedway holds races on Saturday, though, and racers who travel from various areas of the Southeast to both tracks understand the switch and don’t have a problem with it.

“The same guy owns Cleveland, so he’s not going to mess up his Cleveland crowd,” said Skip Arp, a racer of 30 years from Georgetown, Tenn., who has raced at both tracks. “That’s a problem for the fans, but for us it’s better because we can race both nights.”

Still, racing on Friday at NGS has been inconsistent this summer. The popular Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, which has stops all over the east, was held on June 12 as the first event in more than two months and the next special-event race isn’t scheduled until Saturday.

Morrow believes it’s easier on cash-strapped fans to not race on a regular basis, allowing them to save up for the special-event races.

“The general hope is to give the fans a better bang for their buck,” Morrow said.

Anderson questions who’s really getting the better of this summer’s abbreviated racing.

“They’ve got two tracks and not enough time,” he said. “Cleveland is his bread and butter and always does good on Saturday night, so if he can just have a few good races here (at NGS) and make a good lick, then that’s what he’s going to do. There’s no telling what they made on Lucas Oil. That place was packed.”

Morrow’s current strategy for managing both tracks may not work for fans like Anderson, but some racers have hardly noticed the difference.

Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., has been racing off and on at NGS since the mid-90s and is currently on tour with the Lucas Oil Series. He is fifth in the point standings.

“It hasn’t affected me any,” Cook said. “The only time we go (to NGS) is for a big show. When we were there (June 12), there was a big crowd. That’s the way it’s been every time I’ve been there.”

But fans in Chatsworth notice eerie silence at NGS on most Friday nights and aren’t so happy about having to visit other tracks to see racing.

“There’s no question I’d rather see a race at NGS,” Anderson said. “I’ve got so many friends I’d meet there. We’d take a grill and tailgate and talk to each other and have the biggest time. It’s sad you can only go there once every four or five weeks.”