East Lincoln Speedway could be Evernham outlet

THATSRACIN.COM OPINION

By David Poole

dpoole@charlotteobserver.com

Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008

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At the final race of the 2007 season, I stopped in the garage at Homestead-Miami Speedway to talk to Ray Evernham and he told me he was going to cut way, way back in 2008.

“I am burned out, I guess,” Evernham said that day.

One of two things could have happened. Evernham could have found he missed racing too much to stay away, or he would have discovered there is life beyond those walls and its pull would grow even stronger.

Evernham probably came to more races than he thought he might this year, but he has sold off most of his ownership in Gillett Evernham Motorsports and, at age 51, is talking openly about retiring from big-time auto racing.

That doesn't mean Evernham is through with racing. It looks like he's going to go ahead with plans to purchase East Lincoln Speedway along with his partner Bob Mack.

Evernham has been looking into that for months. He went there for the first time to see someone drive in one of the track's weekly divisions and that piqued his interest. He loved the family atmosphere and the grassroots level of racing.

And who knows? If he completes the deal, maybe one of these days Evernham will look down onto the track and see a young driver sling his car too deep into the corner and be surprised to see him make it out on the other side. Rick Hendrick did that with Jeff Gordon one time, and not to long after that Gordon and Evernham were writing NASCAR history.

***

Given all the positive press Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo got for taking a homeless guy to see a movie, it would be wrong not to acknowledge what driver A.J. Allmendinger did last week.

Allmendinger called into a morning radio show in Indianapolis on Thursday to donate more than $6,000 to fund wishes for two Make-A-Wish Foundation children. One will be going on a Disney Cruise Vacation as a result of Allmendinger's gift.

Allmendinger's manager lives in the Indianapolis area. He also challenged other drivers who live there to make donations to help the Make-A-Wish cause.

***

Allmendinger doesn't have a ride for 2009. Neither does Joe Nemechek after Furniture Row Racing bought out his contract last week.

The team had announced it would not run a full schedule next year. “Our contract with Joe for 2009 was for a full schedule and we're not able to fulfill that part of the deal,” team President Joe Garone said.

***

Pardon me for a bit of breaking news, but it appears that Friday will be a very big shopping day. It's the day after Thanksgiving, you know.

It'll be a big day at Lowe's Motor Speedway, too, as souvenir rigs from dozens of NASCAR teams will be parked near the track's main entrance for the 16th Blow-Out Sale of racing merchandise.

LMS also will be selling tickets to its 2009 events, of course, and any fan who buys at least $50 in merchandise or tickets or donates at least $25 to Speedway Children's Charities will be allowed to make three laps around the 1.5-mile track in their personal cars.

Fans can pick up ride cars beginning at 8a.m. when the sale opens. They will get a sticker with each $10 purchase and when they have five stickers they can redeem that at the speedway's gift shop for a ride voucher. Cars will make the laps in groups behind one of the track's pace cars. The event will end at 5p.m.

Speedway Children's Charities also will begin its Christmas tree sale Monday across from the main entrance. The lot will be open from 9a.m. to 9p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 Sunday through Dec.20.

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