What Has Happened To 311 Speedway?

[jimbo43]

I see where races are cancelled with no explanation the crowds are way down as is car count. How long before Bobby Johns just completely destroys 311 speedway. He needs to be outta there as owner or 311 may be history im afraid.:Doh:

[w1ck3d0n3l0st]

right now it has been said bobby has been having health problems so has canceled the race.If it is true then who is to blame him track is very stressful.

[bleweyez19]

If the owner is having health problems then he is not at fault but surely there is someone that can shed some light on the subject.

[mike69]

all the little cry babies here finally got their wish now they're mad about it.

i'm waiting for one of these Einsteins to step up buy the track and show us how its done... it might take 2 or 3 Einsteins to do it but i'm sure they will find a way. with all these internet wizards here it would be the best thing going i'm sure.

[Californiakid5]

all the little cry babies here finally got their wish now they're mad about it.

i'm waiting for one of these Einsteins to step up buy the track and show us how its done... it might take 2 or 3 Einsteins to do it but i'm sure they will find a way. with all these internet wizards here it would be the best thing going i'm sure.
im sure by now if all had the money we would have done bought this track anybody would. i went ot 311 one time for the Stacker 2 race and thats the last time i went back

[mike69]

im sure by now if all had to money we would have done bought this track anybody would i went ot 311 one time for the Stacker 2 race and thats the last time i went back


WHAT?????????????????????????????? is this rambling :icon_beerchug:

[Racerfan20]

i think that everyone should just leave 311 alone for a couple of weeks and hope for the best......yes, 311 is close by and that may be the closest place togo, but what if you was in the position that Bobby Johns is in.....if the rumors are true......this talking stuff is not getting any where.......All we can say basically is.....Good Luck to "The New 311 Speedway."......another thing that we can do is keep Bobby Johns and 311 in our prayers and wish the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:blue10: Thanks & Good Luck:blue10:

[Cutie]

i think that everyone should just leave 311 alone for a couple of weeks and hope for the best......yes, 311 is close by and that may be the closest place togo, but what if you was in the position that Bobby Johns is in.....if the rumors are true......this talking stuff is not getting any where.......All we can say basically is.....Good Luck to "The New 311 Speedway."......another thing that we can do is keep Bobby Johns and 311 in our prayers and wish the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:blue10: Thanks & Good Luck:blue10:

I agree totally. My thoughts and prayers are with him if he is having medical problems.

[straight8]

as far as bobby having health problems, can't say for a fact. Here is one fact I know for sure. Called bobby 2 weeks ago about renting the track to test a new car, he called me back last week, never mentioned his health, but he did mention a 1000.00 [thats right] fee to rent the track for half a day. I honestly hate it if he is having heart problems, but that would mean he actually has a heart.

:wings_dry:

[jimbo43]

Granted he cant help it if he's having health problems and its a big job running a track especially a dirt track. But ever since Bobby Johns took over there has been some kind of controversy and the way he has ran the track so poorly running off alot of the fans and teams.

I know for a fact he bought radio ads for his track awhile back with a local radio station in Martinsville WHEE and I talked to the station owner about it Bill Wyatt and he said he never paid for his commercials.

So he makes it hard to hav compassion for him. I just wish we had someone like Mike Johnson or Jerry Friddle & Gene Robertson to run 311. When Jerry Friddle & Gene Robertson ran 311 it was the best track around to watch races at.

[Dirtguru]

Just remember when you talk about past owners they used to run it. Ever think about why they aren't running it now? I think with the hard economic times ahead it would be hard to find someone to run it like everyone would like to see it ran. But then again even during good economic times that would be impossible. I heard the asking price for 311 is 1.5 Million. Maybe someone on hear has that knows how to run a race track will have been smart enough to have made the money to by it.

[LM3]

Hey Jimbo43,
Thanks for the comments about the good old days.
Sure miss you guys and was thinking about some of the races we had up there.
Take a trip down memory lane and go check out rickschwalliephotos.com and pull up the 2004 races at different tracks.
There is one in there in April that was the last big one we had.
Check out the drivers, cars and all the fans in the stands.
WOW that was a blast!!!!!!
Sure miss seeing you guys and hope all is going well

Thanks again bud,
LM3 ( Gene Robertson X-promo new 311)

[jojoracer]

1.5 mil invested safely would return you about $500.oo
a day, it would be hard to make that on the track, you'd
have to really love racing...... It's my understanding that
Log Cabin is still for sale for only $ 750,000, and with that
purchase I understand you get the gold mine thats under
the track as well....as for 311 It'll be back one day hopefully
soon. As far as I know thats the first time the track has
been closed since opening over 30 years ago.

[jimbo43]

I was wondering if the old log cabin track was sold or not. In my opinion Satch Worley wont get 750.000 dollars for the track in that kind of shape. He should ask for 500.000 and he might get it sold.

It's a shame the track was let get into such a shape. I still think if the right racing man who had the cash to buy it and fix it up right. It could be a race track again but then your talking basically redoing the whole track and that would cost several million.

[Cutie]

as far as bobby having health problems, can't say for a fact. Here is one fact I know for sure. Called bobby 2 weeks ago about renting the track to test a new car, he called me back last week, never mentioned his health, but he did mention a 1000.00 [thats right] fee to rent the track for half a day. I honestly hate it if he is having heart problems, but that would mean he actually has a heart.

:wings_dry:

Geez Louise.... $1000.00????? That is abot ridiculous!!

[Wilder4Racin]

is Bobby Johns the owner of 311? Would he be interested in leasing it out? Maybe the truth of the matter will surface before long and for the drivers and fans, there will be some kind of closure, be it positive or negative.

[jimbo43]

I thought he leased it from somebody and he got in big trouble for not making his payments awhile back and they almost auctioned the track off

[jimbo43]

This is a crying shame with all the great racing history and success that 311 Speedway has had over the yrs. With great owners and promoters like Jerry Friddle & Gene Robertson Mike Johnson & Jimmy Williams. Who always ran a great shows no matter if it was a weekly show or a big money race that the fans always got their moneys worth and more. I dont mean to keep harping on this but I sure do miss those days at 311.

[LongTimeDirtFan]

Harp all u want Jimbo. You are telling it like it is. Probably, Mike Johnson is the only man that could put "real" life back into that track. Remember the days when if you werent there by 6:00 that you had to sit down on the front row? Mike could do that again but it would take a ton of work and I dont know if he is up to that big a challenge. Sure wish he waS

[bigkid]

That $1000 might not be far off , concidering insurance and then the insurance might make it manditory to have an ambulance and EMT's plus the work getting the track ready. I know at the Friday night track I work at if we have a practice, we have to send in $500 before having the practice. It's just not as easy as opening the gates. I'm just speaking from the other side of things. Mike Johnson had a hand in things this year and things were getting better at 311 than the last couple of years, but with gas prices the way they are, and some people not wanting to give 311 another chance the support just wasn't there I guess. I'm not taking up for Bobby, but running a racetrack isn't as easy as alot of people think. It can be very stressful at times, wondering not how much money you will make this week, but hoping not to loose but so much.

[jimbo43]

Harp all u want Jimbo. You are telling it like it is. Probably, Mike Johnson is the only man that could put "real" life back into that track. Remember the days when if you werent there by 6:00 that you had to sit down on the front row? Mike could do that again but it would take a ton of work and I dont know if he is up to that big a challenge. Sure wish he waS
Oh how I do remember those days sellouts every Saturday night big fields of late models with not just our local drivers big names Freddy Smith Mike Duvall Buddy Smith were known to run regularly.

We always had big shows for big bucks at least 3 times a year Easter Monday July the 4th weekend and Labor Day Monday. Those were the good ole days.

[straight8]

That $1000 might not be far off , concidering insurance and then the insurance might make it manditory to have an ambulance and EMT's plus the work getting the track ready. I know at the Friday night track I work at if we have a practice, we have to send in $500 before having the practice. It's just not as easy as opening the gates. I'm just speaking from the other side of things. Mike Johnson had a hand in things this year and things were getting better at 311 than the last couple of years, but with gas prices the way they are, and some people not wanting to give 311 another chance the support just wasn't there I guess. I'm not taking up for Bobby, but running a racetrack isn't as easy as alot of people think. It can be very stressful at times, wondering not how much money you will make this week, but hoping not to loose but so much.

I certainly understand the cost of doing business, because I have owned my own trucking business for several years. The point I was trying to make is that he was not in too bad a health to want to rent the track for double what it should be. And as far as ambulance and emt's on hand, you are lucky to have that on a regular race night. As far as people "giving the track another chance" racers in general, myself included, to be so hard headed in one way, are very foregiving in other ways. 311 is a great facility, though it been poorly managed over the past couple of years. How much does it cost to mow and weed-eat in the infield? How many tracks do you go to that make it a habit of using race cars to pack the track on a regular basis? Then, when you get a check for purse money on a given night, is that check going to bounce? But, even with all this said, the gates reopen and there are cars and fans flooding in. It sounds like everyone may be guilty of giving undeserving people too many chances.:blue15:

[bigkid]

all very good points, lots of things could have been done better. But at least then the track was open, now honestly nobody knows if it will ever open back up as a dirt track, or even a race track period. Sure would be a tragic lose if we loose 311 Speedway for good. I've been going down there for 30 years myself.

[Nicole13]

Im sure everyone agrees that 311 is falling apart. I havent missed a race this season (what races there has been) & I can tell the track is going down hill FAST. I think the track is too much for Bobby to hold up. It has to be a VERY stressful job & hes up there in age & shouldnt have to deal with all the stress. I am hoping someone will buy the track & it will open back up soon. Its a good track. It just needs some improvements.I dont agree with some of the things Bobby says or does. There is WAY too much drama in the pits from some of the drivers that he obviously overlooks & that isnt right. Most people are sick of it too. I think if the track was under new managment it would be better for fans, drivers, and Bobby. I dont have a problem with him but some people just cant handle responsibilities that huge.

[jimbo43]

***** Johns leases the track from somebody they call jaybird not sure what his real name is.

[92racing]

I live about 5 miles from the track and I attended races there for years as a fan and as a EMT on the Rescue Squad. It is a shame that it is closed. From what I know and I am not putting anyone down, but there was some poor management going on. I can recall when you had to get there @ 5:00 to get your lawn chair on the top row. If anyone noticed the track had to get EMT's all the way from Kernersville to work the track. Because no department around here would do it for what the track wanted to pay.(Madison Rescue worked the track for since it opened and the EMT's volunteered their time and the money paid went to help with the equipment.) As to high gas prices keeping fans away. If you have good car counts and reasonable admissions you can draw the fans. I drive to Ace now and for $10.00 to get in I see some great racing and things are in run smoothly. Maybe someone can buy it or lease it and get things back.