By Donna Fellows
Lakeland Ledger Correspondent

Lakeland, FL -July 31, 2008- What began as whispered rumors more than a year ago became reality Wednesday when USA International Speedway President Billy Martino confirmed that the Lakeland racetrack had been sold.

USA International Speedway will close down after Saturday night's races.

"It's gonna be our last race," said Martino of this weekend's FASCAR Sunbelt Super Late Model Caddy's on the Beach 125.

An emotional Martino said the track had been sold but that specifics regarding the sale, including the purchasing party and amount, would not be disclosed until the official statement is made Monday.

According to the Polk County Property Appraiser's Web site, the speedway was bought in May 2007 by USA International Speedway Holdings LLC, which is based out of Clearwater, for $6.2 million. The track sits on 47 acres and has a taxable value of just less than $2 million.

Corporate agent Thomas C. Little and track owner Anthony Amoco, both of Clearwater, could not be reached immediately for comment.

The sale stunned many in the racing community, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and Lakeland native Joe Nemechek.

"Really?" asked a nearly speechless Nemechek when told of the news. "That's awful. I can't believe that. That's a shame. I would have never thought that."

Nemechek recalled fond memories of his hometown track.

"Lakeland Speedway, when they reopened that place, we ran the first race there," Nemechek said regarding the first race after Lakeland Speedway was renovated in 1995 and transformed into USA International Speedway. "My brother John and I, we raced a lot of races there and won a lot of races there."

Martino said the track would be torn down and that warehouses would be built on the site.

"It kind of happened fast. It wasn't planned," Martino said. "The current owners had a chance to get out and with no potential sponsors, it was probably a good business decision."

Martino said that after the death of Robert Brooks, founder of the Hooters of America restaurant chain and the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, Hooters decided to take their marketing in a direction that lessened its focus on racing.

As a result, the speedway lost its primary Hooters sponsorship and the number of USAR Pro Cup races scheduled at USA Speedway was cut.

"We had about a year to prolong this and make it work," Martino said. "The highest use for this track is just not racing."

In the end, the economic reality forced USA Speedway's owners to sell.

"We can't seem to put in enough fans to support it. We can't replace the Hooters races," Martino said. "We're not going to lower our standards in an effort to salvage it."

Martino added that there won't be any extra festivities during this weekend's race to celebrate the track. He said they plan to go out silently with the final race.

"It's emotional for me," Martino said. "I've been here for 25 years. I've tried hard to keep it alive. … It's the end of an era. It's the last checkered flag at USA International Speedway."

There are still three events on the schedule at USA Speedway after this weekend's race, including a FASCAR race scheduled for September and a USAR Pro Cup race in October. Martino said that both will be rescheduled and moved to other sites.

An auction will be held at the speedway August 9. Fans will be invited to bid on pieces of Polk County racing history. Martino said that everything, down to the pens on his desk, would be for sale. The only possible exception to that might be the concrete slab that is dedicated to the Nemechek family. Martino said the slab would be given to the Nemechek family if they wanted it.

"That's pretty cool that they even thought about that," Nemechek said, adding that he wasn't sure how moving something like that would even be possible.

[ Joe Vanhoose, motorsports writer for the Ocala Star-Banner, contributed to this repoort. ]


Have an opinion on this story? E-MAIL KARNAC to send a letter to the editor!