Proposed drag strip is coming together

Afew months ago, we opined that the task for an ad hoc committee looking into the ins and outs of a drag strip for the area had too big of a job. But not only did they get the job done but they got it done early. What we had not factored into the equation was that these racing enthusiasts are crazy, and we mean that in a good way. They have been hoping and dreaming for many years of having a place nearby where they can race. And when the door of opportunity was cracked just slightly, they were all in.

What they came back with was far and away more than a drag strip, which, by the look of the tire marks in certain areas of town, already exists.

As the lead person on this, City Council Member Joni Alexander, put it, the group considered what many other tracks were doing before deciding what to include in this one.

“We looked at every top track in the United States of America and we combined every spec that they had,” she said during a roll-out of the plan. “And then we added a little bit more to it so whatever your favorite track is, they are going to have to do some upgrades to be able to compete with this track.”

The plan is ambitious. There are bleachers, as one might imagine, but also a go-kart track, motocross area, paintball field, an e-sports clubhouse (think video game area) and amphitheater, to name some of the proposed offerings.

To hear organizers tell it, such a proposal was not possible until Rep. Mike Holcomb, R-Pine Bluff, got a bill passed that put counties in charge of their own destinies when it came to racing venues. And City Council Member Ivan Whitfield gave credit to Alexander for contacting County Judge Gerald Robinson, who then made the case for a race track to Holcomb. It’s not what you know.

“Somehow or another God had a plan that some kind of way Mrs. Alexander, she knew the judge of the county and the judge knew Rep. Holcomb,” said Whitfield. “Holcomb submitted a bill that changed the game.”

So now the pieces are coming together. Organizers have lined out a general area for the venue, and we are told a price tag for the multi-purpose entertainment park will be forthcoming.

Kudos to the committee for getting the plan this far. Where it goes from here will undoubtedly come down to the question of how it will be paid for. But Alexander said she would expect the venue to attract 300,000 visitors annually, and if she’s right, that number is a good reason to think big.