No. Our much loved high banked half mile asphalt track, just west of Clinton, has been gone since 1985, with the exception of one race in 1986. Today it is covered with tall pines, and you can barely make out the old entrance off the frontage road. It lasted 17 years. So sad.
The racing was great, but the top class, late models never did catch on with a local base of cars. We depended on cars from Alabama, Louisiana, and West Florida, and when they went to bigger money races elsewhere, the fans didn't want to pay $3.00 to watch 3 or 4 late models. Most of the locals ran Hobby Cars, which were 6 bangers in late model bodies.
But, in its day we had some really great racing, especially the All Pro years. We got to see The Alabama Gang, Buck Baker, Pete Hamilton, Tiny Lund, Tony Bettenhausen Jr, Larry Phillips, Neil Bonnett, and of course, my hands down, number one, all time favorite, Freddy Fryar. Plus many other well known southern late model drivers. And Lake Speed was one of our own.
I find it interesting that although we have had numerous dirt tracks over the years, the only other asphalt track in Mississippi's history was at the Laurel Fairgrounds, in the south eastern part of the state. It died even before the Jackson track.
I also find it interesting, that the tracks at Mobile, Ala and Pensacola Fla, both asphalt, are less than 100 miles from the state line, and over the years, there have been few Mississippians race there. Of course Mississippi is the poorest state in the nation. Maybe that has something to do with all of it.
