HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Huntsville Speedway owner Martin Pierce has found a way to bring new changes to the legendary quarter-mile asphalt track and keep it open this season.
Pierce, who now works and lives in Steinhatchee, Fla., has found a way to keep the short track open without making the 500-mile trek to Huntsville every other week.
Martin Pierce prepares for another racing season at Huntsville Speedway.
“I’ve taken on an investor to help me run the track,” Martin said. “Birmingham’s Bruce Roberts will not only help me run the track, but he is also helping me remodel the facility. We have already started to redo the VIP booths and we have ordered a three-sided $20,000 scoreboard.”
Pierce had planned to open the Speedway on April 19 with a Southern Superstars 100-lapper, but canceled the race to provide more time to remodel the track. The opening race will now be May 3 and will still feature the Superstars.
The race will be on Friday night for the first time in seven years, but the Speedway hasn’t decided to stay with Friday nights instead of racing on Saturday nights.
The 32-year-old Roberts is known throughout the South’s racing circle and has tried to buy several tracks, including tracks in Orlando, Fla., and south Georgia.
Roberts even raced at Huntsville Speedway in the Super Trucks last season.
“I really like Huntsville Speedway,” Roberts said. “I wanted to get back involved in racing because I just love it. It’s in my blood. I’ve been involved in drag racing, open wheel racing and street stocks. I’m no stranger to the people who race in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.”
Roberts owns several concrete plants in the Alabama and Mississippi, along with a trucking company and several other businesses.
“Having Bruce brings new blood to the track and it really helps me with my new business in Florida,” Pierce said. “My wife Dawn and I are running a fishing camp that includes cabins, a bar and a marina and we are loving it. We are also so much closer to our children and grand children. That eight-hour trip to Huntsville each way gets pretty old fast.”