By Jack Smith
Includes commentary
The long awaited change in ownership at Charlotte County Motorsports Park has finally come to pass. In a press release this afternoon, the speedway announced it will experience a rebirth under a new name and new ownership.
The release from the new management is as follows:
As of 11:00am on Friday 05-07-2010 the airport authority has approved the sale of CCMP.
The new owners Mike Chase & Kevin Williams now own and will be operating Punta Gorda Speedway LLC. They are committed to making the speedway a first class facility. They have named Greg Roeback Speedway Coordinator.
To set the record straight there has been no restoration of any kind at CCMP since we last raced on April 24th, 2010.
Moving forward the new owners have a plan in place to start the clean up and preparing for the Memorial day grand opening of Punta Gorda Speedway on 05-29-2010. We would like to welcome everyone to our grand opening of Punta Gorda Speedway for fun, prizes and great racing atmosphere. A full schedule will be posted soon.
The classes that will be running opening night 05-29-2010 are as follows: Open Wheel Modified 50 lap feature event Pro 4 Fab 4 Road Warriors Mini Cups Legends Bandoleros
PUNTA GORDA SPEEDWAYS NEW FAN FRIENDLY FRONT GATE PRICING IS AS FOLLOWS: ADULTS $10.00 SENIORS $8.00 KIDS AGES 11-17 $5.00 KIDS 10 & UNDER FREE WITH PAYING ADULT
-End of Release-
Fans will be greatly pleased about the new grandstand seating ticket prices. A $10 is much more inline with today’s economy and the south Florida demographics. Kevin Williams is a very successful businessman with a deep passion and personal and family invovement in the Florida racing community. Greg Roeback is a professional all down the line.
Outgoing promoter Bobby Diehl, though he made many mistakes, some of them frightful, gave his heart and soul to the speedway over the last several years. While many will pick his tenure as owner of the speedway apart over the next months, we think it wise to remember how hard he tried, doing the best he could. When the final chapter is written and Charlotte County’s race track has gone the way of Hialeah and Sunshine, Bobby Diehl will have proven to be a positive influence on the Charlotte racing community.
We wish the new ownership and management the best and encourage fans statewide to support the new effort.