Lonesome Pine Raceway on Life Support
COEBURN, Va. - The Kinzer family’s five-year plan to make Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn a financial success will fall one year short, as an announcement was made Wednesday that the family will not be operating the track in 2006.
The Kinzers are now advertising the track for sale or lease.
LPR was purchased by Kentucky mining operator J.W. Kinzer in August 2001 and opened under new management for the 2002 season. Since 2003, the track has been managed by Kinzer’s son-in-law, Morris Copley.
Copley issued a press release Wednesday stating four consecutive seasons of operating in the red have forced the closure of the three-eighths-mile asphalt oval, as well as LPR’s 300-foot dirt drag strip, which was constructed last season.
“Low spectator turnout and declining sponsorship dollars are the main reasons for the shutdown,” Copley stated in the release. “We are naturally disappointed that it has come to this, but a business decision has been made based on business, not on emotion. We are hopeful that a deal can be put in place for someone to operate the track this coming season.
“We are certainly going to be open-minded when it comes to leasing this place. No one wants to see a complete shutdown of such a great facility.”
News of the track closure is bad not only for local race teams, but for other businesses that supply teams and the track. But it’s especially hard news for local racers considering that Kingsport Speedway has been closed since the end of the 2002 season.
Although the nearest oval short-track facility - the four-tenths-mile dirt Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap - continues to thrive, most drivers are committed either to a dirt or an asphalt/concrete racing surface. The closure of LPR will leave about 100 asphalt/concrete race teams in various divisions in Southwest Virginia and the Tri-Cities region without a nearby venue to compete.
“I don’t know of anything they could have done differently to be successful,” said Jeff Herron, who co-owns J&J Race Engines of Bloomingdale. “There’s just too much competition out there for your Saturday night entertainment dollars, and when NASCAR (Nextel Cup) increased its number of Saturday night races, it really killed the local oval track scene. NASCAR is running more Saturday night races on TV in the summer, and naturally most people are going to stay home and watch that race on TV rather than drive to the track and pay admission to get in.
“This is going to hurt us pretty bad because we probably did 70 percent of the motors that were built for over there.”
With more than 50 years of racing experience, Clintwood driver/car owner Paul Shull has seen many track promoters come and go. He said Wednesday he feels confident that somebody will step up before the beginning of the 2006 season and take over management of either LPR or Kingsport Speedway.
In fact, Shull said he has been acting as a middle man in negotiations between Kingsport Speedway owner Joe Loven and a potential operator interested in leasing the track. Those negotiations haven’t progressed further than discussion at this point, Shull added.
“I feel like if somebody could take over Kingsport and run it right it would be a success,” Shull said. “You’ve got to be able to get the sponsors in there because without that sponsorship money you’re not going to be able to survive.”
Loven owns both the Volunteer and Kingsport speedways. Attempts to contact him Wednesday for comment were unsuccessful, but Volunteer Speedway track manager Doug Gillenwater said Wednesday there’s nothing new to announce at this time about the future of Kingsport Speedway.
LPR’s 2005 Late Model champion, Brad Housewright of Kingsport, joked Wednesday he’s beginning to feel like a jinx. His last track championship was in the Pro Challenge division at Kingsport Speedway in 2002, and that track closed immediately after he was crowned champion as well.
“I don’t think Morris and them did anything wrong,” said Housewright, who is building a new car for the 2006 season. “They just couldn’t get the fans in there to support the facility. Who I hate it for most is (LPR assistant manager) Karen (Tunnell), who is about to have a baby and now she’s losing her job.
“If someone takes over either track, she should be the first person they call to hire.”
Legendary local racer turned car builder and race parts supplier Roger Clendenin said he too believes someone will step up and take over either Kingsport or LPR.
“There are too many drivers out there with no place to race for both of those tracks to stay closed,” Clendenin said. “We’ve got the drivers. It’s just a matter of finding a promoter who can get the fans in the stands.”
Aside from affecting LPR’s weekly racing divisions, Wednesday’s announcement will also affect the touring series that visit LPR every year including the Hooters Pro Cup and the UARA- Stars Late Model touring series.
Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, LPR had already scheduled opening dates of April 15 for the UARA and April 22 for the Hooters Pro Cup.
Attempts to contact Hooters Wednesday were unsuccessful. UARA Public Relations Director Harold Crook said he cannot yet make a definite announcement about the series events scheduled at LPR in 2006.
Both series lease the track and bring their own officials when they appear at LPR, but Copley couldn’t be reached Wednesday to comment on whether LPR will still host either series this season.
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