Levy County Legend Gets a Facelift
By MIKE DAROZA
Sports Writer-Alachua Today
You must be doing something right if you can make even a grouch happy.
Which is exactly what Bronson Motor Speedway General Manager Tommy Dunford seems to be doing every Saturday night.
Since taking over at BMS back in August of 2001, Dunford -- along with the financial backing from new owners Mike and Jane Cope -- has not only remodeled an old racetrack, he has completely transformed it into one of the premier speedways in north central Florida.
And, even a self-professed grouch couldn't be happier about the changes.
"Everybody around here knows, 10 or 12 people had owned this track before, and not one of them seemed to be able to do anything with it," said Billy "Grouch" Myers, who attended the inaugural race at BMS in 1974, and hasn't missed many since."But, I do believe these people are doing it."
Grouch said he's been a racing fan since his days in the service back in 1949, when he was stationed in Maryland and frequented many different racetracks in the north.
From there Grouch moved to south Florida, started going to some of the tracks in that area where he became friends with one of stock car racing's biggest legends -- three-time Daytona 500 winner Bobby Allison.
On average, Bronson Motor Speedway brings in a different touring series from all over the state twice a month. Florida’s Classic Car Series made the trip to Bronson last week.
So, when Grouch moved to Bronson in the early 70s, he was already primed for racing, but never imagined it would turn out like the operation the Copes and Dunford have created.
"Their attitudes are even different; they are racers and I'm glad to see them here," said Myers, peering out over the racetrack.
"The way I looked at it, I felt that if somebody that knew what they were doing didn't buy this track, in another year or two, they'd be planting watermelons on this land instead of racing on it." "They've done a marvelous job."
What the Copes and Dunford have done to BMS is nothing short of a complete metamorphosis, and they didn't stop with the racetrack. Race fans that haven't been to BMS in awhile would simply not recognize the place. The most obvious changes to BMS are the brightly painted red and white wall and the protective chain-link fence that surrounds it.
A further investigation not only reveals a fresh coat of asphalt around the 1/3-mile high-banked oval, but the infield has been sodded over and now includes an x-shaped extension through it (for figure-eight racing), replacing the old sandy infield that was filled with sand spurs.
In addition to the modifications to the track, fans will also find new concrete sidewalks snaking their way in and around the completely refurbished bleachers that can now comfortably seat more than 1,500 spectators.
Dunford said that when he got the call from the Copes to come and help run the show, he jumped at the chance.
"The biggest thing we wanted to do was raise the professionalism of the track, and get the idea out of people's heads that this is a place where drunken brawls take place," Dunford said.
"We don't put up with any of that, especially over there in the stands where families come to have a good time."
And, as Dunford recalls, the plans didn't stop there. "He (Cope) told me about his vision of bringing bigger racing series here, putting the figure-eight in, resurfacing the track and putting a fence all the way around it," Dunford said. "We knew we could build something special here."
"We raced together at Sunshine Speedway in Tampa, and that place has always been packed to the rafters. And now, we're starting to fill the stands up every week here.
Bringing a better show to BMS meant bigger crowds were going to come and watch it. So, Dunford knew the next new addition would have to be more employees to handle the volume of race fans coming through the gates.
A crew of 30 now handles duties from concession sales to track clean ups. "We've had to learn how to deal with the crowd we're dealing with now," Dunford explained. "When we first took over, there were about 118 people in the stands and 125 in the pits coming to the races. And now, there're over 1,500 people on the grounds every week. We've had to revamp the concession stands, hire more people, everything."
The weekly show at BMS includes five racing divisions. But, Dunford said, "there's much more than the regular racing series to be seen when the fans come out. We have Late Models here on the first Saturday of every month. That's probably one of our best shows."
"We run Modifieds every Saturday night, plus we've got a great Sportsman class, Pure Stock class, Mini Stock class and Enduro class."
"Throw in the touring classes (Florida Pro Series Late Models, Dwarf Cars, Classic Cars and Fast Trucks) and we have about six classes of racing here every weekend."
"Now when somebody comes over here and spends $10 to get in that gate, they're getting every bit of $10 dollars worth of entertainment."
That just may be an understatement compared to how much things have changed in a very short time at BMS, and how much Dunford sees it changing in the not-so-distant future. "We'll have the Florida Pro Series Late Models in here later in the year," Dunford noted."But, we're not stopping there, we're looking to bring USAC sprints in here for a week in February for Speedweeks."
"A lot of people want to come and race here now."
Indeed, the new BMS has changed the way folks around the area, as well as the state, look at stock car racing in Levy County.
And, according to Dunford, new and old fans of BMS are in for a treat when they come to Bronson on Saturday nights now and well into the future.
"It's nothing like the old place," Dunford said with a grin.
"And, it's going to get a lot bigger, believe me."
"We won't be totally satisfied until it looks like Bristol with seats all the way around it."
By MIKE DAROZA
Sports Writer
Alachua Today
Editor's note: sports writer Mike DaRoza takes you inside the various auto racing facilities in the area with his four-part series, Saturday Night Speed. From the high-banked ovals of Bronson Motor Speedway, Columbia Motorsports Park and Lake City Motor Speedway, to the quarter-mile drag strip at Gainesville Raceway, Saturday Night Speed is your guide to local racing action.
For more on Bronson Motor Speedway visit the new web site.
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