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25 June 2008

Local media has been reporting that Rick Crawford has purchased the Famed Montgomery Motor Speedway from Bill Manful, pending whether or not the City and County of Montgomery will allow racing there. This is uncertain at the time this article is being published. There has been a date set for sometime in mid July for the them to reply. As a former car owner and Race Director at this track, I sure do wish him all the luck in the world. He is going to need it to rebuild all the burnt bridges of Bill Manful and Richard ?. I have surly missed racing in the local area since the track was closed. It seemed such a shame for a legendary track like MMS to be turned into a parking lot, which was an indication of the former owner's intentions, just to make money off of it. He didn't care anything about the racing industry around here. Drivers, owners, officials, fans, sponsors, vendors, and just about everyone else was led to believe that he was a racer who wanted to build something here that would stand the test of time. It was all a farce. In all fairness, Bill let people he hired to manage the track do him in. In my short tenure with them, I saw all kinds of waste going on. Upgrades to the parking area, $100 holly bushes around the office, maintenance tools of all types being bought and hauled off, money for a bar (no liquor license), fancy tables and chairs that are now rusting in a heap, everything except what the track needed. What the track and the fans (who pay the bills) needed was some new stands, new restrooms, better concessions, a resurfaced track, and someone who knows something about promoting a race track that isn't that easy to promote given it's location and reputation. It is no wonder Bill turned it into a parking lot. He was taken to the cleaners by a track manager who didn't know a race car from a cow and by a guy who took everything in site and hung on for every last penny he could get his hands on.

I surly hope that Mr. Rick comes in and enlist the support of some people who really know small town racing and what it takes to get the drivers and fans to come here. I hope he listens to those with years of experience at this track and quickly figures out  who the buzzards are and stays away from them. I wish him and his new staff all the luck in regaining a new and viable reputation with the local government, local vendors, and especially with the drivers and fans. People around here have poured their hearts into that track for years, only to have them smashed to bits by owners and managers who really don't know what they are doing or how to treat the very people who help them run it, buy the tickets, and the pit passes to keep the business going. I would like to announce that as a member of The Prattville Guide, we whole heartedly support Rick and will do everything we can to help him to promote his track. We just hope that he will keep the focus on the fans, drivers, and his staff. Good luck to Mr. Rick and to the Famed Montgomery Motor Speedway.

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