Making Tracks

By KEVIN KELLY

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 12, 2000

Racing fans make their weekly pilgrimage to Sunshine Speedway where, around every bend, there's a wreck just waiting to happen.

PINELLAS PARK -- Art Calkins does not make millions.

This husband and father of three, who works as a mechanic at Cara's Automotive in Pinellas Park during the week, could be anybody's next-door neighbor.

Saturday nights, however, are reserved for his passion.

Calkins, 44, has driven a race car for the last 20 years at Sunshine Speedway, doing well enough to win seven championships, the respect of his competitors and the admiration of fans.

ML Goforth, owner of a Street Stock 40 race car, holds a new trophy: His driver just won the Figure 8 race. Goforth says he and his wife come to the Speedway for the love of racing, but that winning makes it all the sweeter.

"I think racing is important because it gives people a place to go every Saturday instead of hanging out on the streets or out roaming," Calkins said as he tightened the lug nuts on the stripped-down 1980 Cadillac DeVille he drives in the Figure 8 races at the quarter-mile track.

"It gives us all a place to go. We all know each other. It's like a bingo game. Everybody enjoys everybody else's company."

At a time when attending just one NASCAR race can cost a week's salary, Sunshine Speedway is a refreshing alternative in a crowded professional sports market.

Now in its 40th year, Sunshine Speedway is affordable, fan friendly and as pure as the bits of Hoosier tire rubber you'll brush out of your hair at the end of the night.

"I think for the show you get, it's very reasonable," said Frank Hill, who operates the track with his wife, Bonnie. "It's usually three to four hours, and we keep our show going really well. We give fans a lot of action."

Though there are no Jeff Gordons or Dale Earnhardts steering the cars around the narrow asphalt and concrete track, home-grown heroes attempt to keep an interested crowd excited on a weekly basis.

Dan Brooms, left, and Jimmy Leacock relax in the pit for a moment before Jimmy, better known as Jimbo, races car No. 13.

The allure of racing is in the atmosphere, the flash-point personalities of drivers, the sight of cars trading paint, the smell of racing fuel, the ear-numbing sounds of full-throttle engines and tires screeching to grab hold of the track in a corner.

Those were some of the reasons Ralph and Kimberly Henson and their 2-year-old son, Bryce, visited the track earlier this month.

That and the bathtub races, featuring vehicles built from actual bathtubs.

"We decided to come out and see how he does," Ralph Henson said, referring to his son, who was wearing ear plugs even before the racing started. "I hope he does like it."

Several divisions of cars compete at the track.

The most popular are the high-tech Late Model, Open Wheel Modified cars and the Figure 8 races, which cross each other's paths on a pretzel-shaped circuit that twists through the infield.

Some cars are decorated with cartoon-character stuffed animals tied to doorposts inside the car. Others bear messages hand-painted on the sheet metal: "Earnhardt for President," "Stone Cold 3:16," "Bad Cop. No Donut," and "Kiss This!"

The low admission brings out the crowd. Adults are $10, children ages 6-12 are $4.

"I can afford it, otherwise I wouldn't come," said Mike Bouchard of Tarpon Springs. "We look forward to coming out here. I've always been into cars, so that's why I come here."

Once through the gates, before finding a spot on the weathered wooden bleachers or in the family section that has aluminum stands, most stop at the concession stand for a $1.50 hot dog, $3 bag of peanuts, a Bud Light or a soda.

Eddie Mansur has spent more than 20 years building his beloved car No. 3. Mansur’s son, Tommy Tew, leans in to make sure his father and his car are ready to race on a recent Saturday night.

For an extra $1, plastic chairs minus their metal legs can be rented to make a night on the bleachers bearable.

Families, husbands and wives, girlfriends and boyfriends, men wearing Harley-Davidson T-shirts and others wearing shirts in support of their favorite NASCAR or Sunshine Speedway drivers are found among the 2,000 to 2,500 fans in the stands on a typical Saturday night.

And whether it's watching the races or finding friends for a night, kids can find plenty to keep themselves busy.

"The kids are what it's all about," Calkins said. "The kids really idolize the drivers. Whether their parents like the drivers or not, they have their own favorites."

Cow pasture was built for speed With its wooden bleachers, cheap food, rock-concert loudness and occasional drivers' feud, Sunshine Speedway is a reminder of what racing was like decades ago.

On selected nights, before the real races begin, children can ride in a race car for $1. The cars travels slowly so parents can snap pictures as their youngsters cross the finish line. Because there are no windows in the cars, the kids sit on the trunk, their legs hanging over the back seat, parade-style.

Sidewalk-chalk designs decorate the walkways around the track. The area beneath the grandstands is the perfect spot for a game of tag or hide-and-seek. Grassy patches serve as makeshift fields where kids throw Nerf footballs.

Which is not to say there isn't plenty of high-speed excitement.

With little room to pass on the track, wrecks are a given in almost every race. Survivors are rewarded modestly: $200 to $800 for a win.

Although a driver won't get rich racing at Sunshine Speedway, that's not the point, Calkins said.

"People come to see the excitement," he said. "If you don't put on a show, people aren't going to come."

Kevin Kelly covers auto racing for the St. Petersburg Times.

At a glance

Sunshine Speedway, 4500 Ulmerton Road, Pinellas Park. Admission $10 for adults, $4 for children 6-12, free for children under 6. (727) 573-4598.

Upcoming action

There's still a month left in Sunshine Speedway's season. Gates open at 5 p.m, with races starting at 7. Here's the schedule:

Saturday -- Double Point Night for feature races. Plus Allison Legacy cars.

Oct. 21 -- Regular show, Hornets and School Bus Figure 8 heat races.

Oct. 28 -- Halloween trick or treating for kids. Kids' rides for $1. Thirty-lap Street Stock Figure 8 and 15-lap Enduro Figure 8. Mini Stocks and Street Stocks.

Nov. 4 -- Leo Musgrave Memorial 100-lap Late Model championship. Figure 8's, Mini Stocks, Street Stocks, Enduros.

Nov. 11 -- School Bus Figure 8 plus regular show.

Nov. 18 -- Demolition Derby, 100-lap Enduro, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Figure 8's, Allison Legacy cars.

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