Many will be disappointed if race track closes

Editor:

Re Richard Hogue's March 10 letter, "Racetrack closed; fight against noise

continues":

CSRA International Speedway, formerly Gordon Park Speedway, is not there to

only increase one man's wealth. There are quite a few of us who look forward

to a Saturday night of good, old-fashioned fun with our friends and

families, once a week from April until October. Six hours per week is not an

excessive amount of noise.

My uncle and stepfather lived on Parham Road for many years, and neither of

them were ever disturbed by the racetrack noise. As a matter of fact, the

train passing though several times per night is a much more offensive noise

and will practically wake the dead!

Regretably, there may be a few local residents who do have a problem with

the noise, but at the last race, there were 3,000 racing fans who had a

really good time. Also, during intermission, children of all ages played

games, had foot- and bouncing-ball races and won prizes. Contrary to popular

belief, we aren't all red-necked, beer-drinking, uneducated lowlifes.

As a matter of fact, quite a few people enjoy the sport of dirt-track

racing. This particular track has been in use since the 1940s. It closed

briefly but was reopened by Ralph Newman and the Weeks brothers. There is

nothing else like it in our area.

It's sad to think we may have to drive an extra hour to get to the Modoc

Speedway or an hour and a half to get to I-20 Speedway in

Batesburg-Leesville. It is also an unfortunate truth that the Augusta area

will lose quite a bit of business if that happens, because there are many

drivers who come from different areas to race here. Those people will rent

motel rooms and dine in restaurants elsewhere if CSRA International Speedway

remains closed.

There are many of us who will be disappointed if our track is closed, not

just the owner. Hopefully, we are not all ignored because of a few hours of

race noise each week. If the track disappears, there is no guarantee that

the local residents will be any happier. Who knows what would take its

place?

Briggette London

Augusta