Catoosa amends motor speedway ordinance to allow more racing time
Catoosa County officials have agreed to a change in its motor speedway ordinance that will allow an extra 30 minutes of racing each day for local racetracks.
During the Dec. 15 Board of Commissioner’s meeting, several members of the racing community showed up to plead their case as to why more time would be beneficial.
County Attorney Chad Young explained that local racers and track owners were petitioning for 30 minutes extra each night.
“This is a proposed amendment to our motor speedway ordinance,” Young said. “Currently, the ordinance allows racing to occur until 11:30 p.m. on any given night, and under certain limited circumstances, three times per year, an extension can be granted until midnight.”
Young said the proposed amendment would be to al
low racing to occur on any night up until midnight, and allow the limited extension three times a year to go to 12:30 a.m.
“Essentially, we would be just shifting everything by 30 minutes in our existing ordinance — all other provisions stay the same,” Young said.
David Duplissey, owner of Boyd Speedway, said he’s encountered instances where the time limitations played a factor during his career promoting races.
“We’ve had several instances where we were right in the middle of a race and it would get to 11 o’clock or 11:30, and the police officers would show up, and you can’t just stop a race right in the middle of the race,” Duplissey said.
Duplissey explained that sometimes extenuating circumstances like wrecks or bad weather delay races, which can cause an event to run a little longer.
“Sometimes things are just not in our control,” Duplissey said. “You’ve got people who’ve done paid their money and want to see the race, want to see the finish, and we have an officer standing there saying it’s time for you to close.”
Duplissey also explained that the final race of each night is the featured contest for the biggest monetary payoff, and that the current time constraints sometimes put that race in jeopardy.
“People travel to see these races,” Duplissey said. “We’re trying to put on a show and if we have to stop in the middle of a race, it’s just not good business.”
Long-time racer and local garage owner Cotton Perry explained that the races mean a lot to both the racers and spectators.
“I think 30 more minutes would help the spectators, the racers, and the promoter,” Perry said.
Commissioner Jeff Long said that in addition to the petition from Boyd’s, he recently received similar calls from racers at a local drag strip with similar concerns
about how the time restraints impact races on occasion.
Before the vote, Long asked for a show of hands from people in the audience, to gauge how many folks where there in support of the speedway, at which time approximately two dozen people raised their hands.
Ultimately, the change was approved with a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Chuck Harris voting no.