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| The Track With A New Attitude | By Robin Smith Miller
"Home", that is such a lovely word. They say that you can't go home again but don't tell Leroy Davidson that, he will prove you wrong.
Leroy Davidson has spent the last six years trying to regain what once was his. Davidson spent several years of his life constructing a three-eighths mile banked asphalt racetrack in Punta Gorda, which he called Charlotte County Speedway.
He built the track with his own hands, with the help of volunteers. Not being a wealthy businessman, he sold stock in his fledgling track to several stockholders but he was the undisputed president of the board of directors.
For six years, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the track, serving also as the promoter and race director. It was a learning experience for Davidson and he made his fair share of mistakes and enemies along the way.
He also experienced his share of heartaches during that time including the death of his only son, Brian, who helped him build the track.
As the years went by, the friction between Davidson and his board of directors and shareholders mounted until they were able to oust him from the speedway in 1996.
In the ensuing years, chaos reined at the speedway as constant changes in ownership and management took place. Davidson, who had married his wife, Connie, shortly before he was exiled from the place he loved the most, left Florida.
He moved to Georgia with hopes of operating a racetrack there and getting on with his life. However, he could not forget what he had left behind and he moved back to Charlotte County in a few short years.
He has spent the past several years with his sister, Mary Benson, also a stockholder in Charlotte County Speedway Inc. trying to regain control of the track from president, Glen Vanhorn.
Vanhorn's attorneys were granted continuance upon continuance from the courts and the case dragged on and on. Vanhorn eventually subleased the track to a group from Collier County called Charlotte County Sports and Recreation Inc.
Several months ago, it appeared that the long legal battle might finally be over, as Vanhorn agreed through court mediation to buy out Davidson and Benson's stock and in turn, Charlotte County Sports and Recreation Inc.would buy Vanhorn's interest in the track.
Added into the mix is the fact that the land Charlotte County Speedway sits on is owned by the Charlotte County Airport Authority, who had never approved Vanhorn's sublease to Charlotte County Sports and Recreation Inc.
At the next Airport Authority meeting, the ownership issue of the track will, hopefully, be resolved.
 All of the business deals in the making came to naught and three weeks ago, Davidson took matters into his own hands after Vanhorn signed over his interest in the track to him.
He went to the track with a backhoe and began bulldozing part of the racing surface that has been badly in need of repair for years.
He temporarily fixed the surface so the racers could get around the track better but rumors ran rampant that he was tearing up the track out of spite.
This was as far from the truth as one can get.
He took over the day-to-day operations of the track again and despite much opposition from the alleged sublessors who have basically sabotaged operations at the track as much as they legally could.
In the ensuing week following Davidson taking control of the track, they sent press releases stating the track was closed and posted the same on what was the track's official website that they owned the domain name for.
On June 22, before Davidson's first attempt to run a racing program, several of the sublessors and their employees waited at the gate to the speedway, handing out flyers that the speedway was closed and the track had no insurance.
On the other side of the road, Leroy's wife, Connie, and several employees welcomed people to the track and said there was a racing program scheduled and there was insurance for the drivers.
Davidson gave each of the 26 drivers who raced that evening a copy of the insurance binder and despite the low car count, Davidson paid the drivers a full purse.
Approximately 300 die hard race fans braved the weather and the politics to support the track they love. Past employees of the race track came to score, flag, spot, and clean the track, each happy to be home, again.
An announcer was grabbed out of the stands and the show went on.
Long time street stock driver, Randy Miller, had already decided to leave Charlotte County Speedway in disgust earlier this season. "I wasn't coming back, I was going to another track. I wouldn't have come back without Leroy here and I will leave again if another owner comes in. The politics need to be left outside the race track."
Miller is also glad to see Davidson's budding relationship with DeSoto Speedway owner, John Sarppraicone, as are many other area race fans.
It is hopeful that the mutual respect the two have for each other will lead to a racing schedule and car specifications that will enable drivers to run at both tracks without conflict.
Davidson, being the consummate race promoter that he is, already had the wheels in his head turning about how to turn his bad luck around.
He met with Lehigh Acres driver, Randy "Iron Man" Fox, the current dual limited late model points champion.
Fox has not been beaten by the competition this race season either and has won four feature races.
Davidson had decided to put a bounty of Fox's head. Any driver that could beat Fox would win a $500 bounty in addition to the regular purse.
Fox is all for the idea and all for Davidson being back in command of the speedway. "I love that he's back, he is the master of promotion."
Fellow driver and Boston Red Sox legend, Mike Greenwell, now turned stock car driver, who came to try to win the bounty on Fox, has been involved as a car owner and driver at Charlotte County Speedway since the day the gates opened is also glad to hear Leroy's back. "He deserves it, he built this place and he knows racing."
Kevin Sweet, crew chief of his brother, Chuck's, limited late model said "I don't know Leroy very well but from most of the drivers, I have heard nothing but good about him. They say he treats his drivers fair and that is all we ask for."
The evening began with the Thunder Truck series and the crowd cheered as Cheryl "The Pearl" Weaver, current champion, made her way to the front and held her ground despite, John "Taz" Garrett sitting right on her back bumper for most of the race.
The last thing she said in her post-race interview was "Thank you, Leroy!"
The Weavers are also one of the founding families of CCS and have seen a lot of comings and goings through the years.
"The thing with Leroy is, you can yell at him about something and he will listen. At least you know he is listening. He will make this track a family place, again." Weaver said.
 Davidson has always placed heavy emphasis on his racetrack being an affordable family evening out. He was distraught that the playground he built for the kids was dismantled.
It seems the insurance company says families of unsupervised children made many injury claims. He says he is looking into getting some type of supplemental policy so he can reopen it.
He also plans on rebuilding the Junior Fan Club and will have stock car rides for the kids soon.
During Saturday night's racing program, Davidson spent the evening observing the inner workings of the track and decided to make an incognito stop by the concession stand which is currently being subleased to an outside vendor.
He bought a hot dog and soda and was appalled when he had to pay $4.50 for it. The hot dog looked and tasted like it had been recooked and cost $2.50.
His 20 ounce soda was $2. Needless to say, plans are in the works for the speedway to take over the concessions again and, hopefully, offer $1 sodas and $1.50, at the most, hotdogs.
Hopefully, an old menu favorite "Sloppy Leroys" will also return.
As to the beer concession, he may lower the prices for it but his philosophy on that is "I want to make it affordable but priced high enough where people won't get drunk . This is a family place."
He said it was apparent people didn't buy the high priced concession stand food on Sunday morning when the people came to clean up the track from the night before.
They finished cleaning up all the empty cans and wrappers in an hour. Six years ago, it took two days to clean the track up after a race night.
The wife of pure stock driver Dennis Hale, Linda, stated, " Everything's changed in the past two weeks. Morale is up and people want to race again. Gone are the days of the $4.50 hamburger!"
Davidson had decided to run all seven regular divisions on June 29 with a special 50-lap Florida Mini Stock Challenge race, as well as lower the gate admission for people to better able to afford a night of racing.
With a much better car count and more people in the grandstands, it looked to be a good night of racing.
Fans were treated to several good races before Mother Nature intervened.
Sixteen open wheel modifieds took to the track and despite a caution marred 35 laps, the front-runners put on a good show for the fans.
Past dual open wheel modified champion, Chris Turner of Naples, won a hard fought battle and dedicated the race to his fallen friend,
Cavin Councilor, who perished in an airplane crash in Naples with two other men on June 19.
Councilor, an ARCA regular, began his auto-racing career in the street stock division at Charlotte County Speedway at about the same time, Leroy Davidson left Florida.
The pure stock class saw Scott McDaniel take the win over Wayne Wilson and Chuck Stevens. The man who had led the points race when Davidson returned, Conrad Molter, had a bad luck evening and finished last after his car broke.
 Twenty-eight Florida Mini Stock Challenge drivers took the green flag for their 50-lap race.
Charlotte County Speedway's own Frank Welch was credited with the win after making his way through the field in his race truck and taking the lead as rain drops began to fall on the track.
Steve Russell, candidate for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit State Attorney, stood on top of Welch's rig, cheering him on as the rain continued and the field of cars were pulled into the pits.
Davidson's dilemma with the weather one shared by all race promoters at some time during their racing season, the dreaded rain out.
In the end, Davidson made the decision to call the races completed, meaning rain checks would not be honored since half of the evening's program had been completed.
However, on July 13, on an evening already full of racing action including the SARA Limited Late Model series, fans and drivers will have an added bonus.
The sportsman, street stock and road warrior division will have double feature races that evening. On July 20, the limited late model division will have their double feature and a second chance to get the bounty on Randy Fox's head.
Davidson has many other issues to overcome right now including figuring out how to get people the right phone number for the speedway to gain information.
It appears, the sublessors put a seasonal hold on the official track phone number that has been used since the speedway was open. When that number is dialed, callers are told the line is temporarily out of service. That was one of the easier issues to overcome, however.
The new phone number for the speedway is 941/575-7767. Their new email address is ccs@nut-n-but.net.
Earlier in the week, the one of the sublessors had removed all of the tires, parts and souvenir items. Luckily, Davidson could depend on several good friends from the past to help him out.
Bob Mitton, of Hole Shot Engineering, returned to the track so drivers could get parts and racing fuel. Mitton, who has long been absent from the speedway, was one of the people who helped build CCS.
He is the person who put up all the track lighting along with a myriad of other projects. Red Mills, who sold tires for many years and is well loved by all, brought his family owned business back to the track, as well.
Due to the running of the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway, the track will be closed on July 6. This will also give Davidson some breathing room to resolve issues with the sublessors and make more improvements to the track.
Hopefully, he will be repaid by a full field of drivers, who will start their points season over on July 13 and a grandstand full of enthusiastic race fans.
With his signature toothpick in his mouth, endless cup of coffee in one hand and track scanner in the other, Davidson paced the scoring tower on June 29.
The fans never heard him being called on the loud speaker or someone come over the scanner saying "is Leroy near a radio?" He was right there in the midst of it all, easily accessible, doing what a real racetrack owner/promoter does.
Two things were easily discernable from the last time he had paced his tower over six years ago. He was there more to observe and resolve problems than to direct the show; and he wore sunglasses all evening.
The sunglasses were a result of eye surgery earlier this year that causes light sensitivity, not avoidance.
"If anybody thinks I am wearing these sunglasses to avoid looking them in the eye, they are wrong. I am not afraid to look anyone in the eye because I don't have anything to be ashamed of."
-Robin Miller
Related Articles:
A Race Track: Is It Worth The Price?
Charlotte County Airport Authority In Confusion Over Speedway's Fate
Field Of Dreams: A Decade Later
Full Finishing Order:
Thunder Trucks
37 Cheryl Weaver
22 John Garrett
8 Mike Bialecki
88 Gene Pack
44 Raymond Tucker
16 Wally Smith
85 Michael Macho
14 Randy Layman
56 Bob Charette
93 Shawn Wade
9 Ray Scott(DNS)
Open Wheel Modified
94 Chris Turner
25 Scott Klieber
31 Kurt Riley
49 Christine Gibson
55 Dan Atwell
12 Eric Rudd
2 Kevin Brickley
6 Kevin Williams
125 Bill Brewer
5t Rick Tuggle
18 Sean Lemaster
63 Phil Morrison
74 Jeff Dalva
8 Kent McLean
v1 Terry Vaughn
99 Mark Moniz (DNS)
Pure Stocks
19 Scott McDaniels
4 Wayne Wilson
74 Chuck Stevens
77 Dennis Hale
36v Brian Verhaagh
15 Clint Snyder
68H John Hanuschik
55 Conrad Molter
Florida Mini Stock Challenge Series
Completed 36 laps before rain stopped the racing.
96 Frank Welch
7x Clint Foley
05 Rick Sirmans
65 Joey Catarelli
70 Marty Neikens
2 Corbin Gibbs
02 Wes Pyburn
40 Dennis Valdez
31 David Russell
68 Johnny Allen
42 Eddie Lowery
99k Jason Kuykendal
45 Joe Irwin
98 Jeff Davis
112 Justin Edwards
12 Terry Westcott
14 Tina Reiner
71 David Moskwa
88 AJ Anderson
5 Glenn Travis
82 Jimmy Warren
30 Robbie Storer
66 Donnie Lockard
99 Jamie Kennedy
03 Richard Buetter
98x Tommy Gainer
24 Chris Thornton
46 Gary Green
27 Larry Goolsby
For More Charlotte County Speedway news Click Here!
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