Last year I made a visit to the then newly opened Showtime Speedway in Pinellas Park, Let's Go Racing At The Showtime Speedway, to see how things were going. At that time, after some help from State Senator Jack Latvala, Danielle and Bob Yoho managed to get a lease on the property and get the speedway back up and running. That night there were about 800 or so fans in the seats.
I readily admit it I am a stock car racing nut always have been since I was a kid. My family owned a 1/2/mile dirt track in Montpelier Indiana for a number of years. Most Sundays you will find me glued to a TV watching NASCAR.
I decided to go back for a new visit this past Saturday night where a friend and mechanic who works on my Jeep restoration project was returning to the Speedway for the first time since it closed.
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Jimmy T (Jimmy Thompson) was a major competitor at the old Sunshine Speedway in the mid 90s winning the figure 8 championship in 1994. If you have never seen a figure 8 stock car race you gotta go at least once.
I spotted the new race car in the shop on Seminole Blvd a few months back.
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Things have really changed at the Showtime Speedway. There are now almost 4000 seats most of them full on Saturday, a back stretch area for tail gating where you can get up close to the action, a new electronic scoring board, donated by a fan, and plenty of concessions.
The Yoho's operate a large body shop and commercial towing business in Pinellas Park. The Speedway is a labor of love for the sport of motor racing and it is a work in progress.
Check out the Showtime Speedway web site for information and schedules. Tickets are reasonable: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and kids under 12 are free. Speaking of kids, the place was crawling with families and young people Saturday night. Parking is free.
You can get a set of ear plugs for $1.00 at the gate and my advice is get a set for everyone because this is motor racing up close and noisy.
The Showtime Speedway is located in Pinellas Park, just go up 49th Street to 126 Avenue and turn East it dead ends at the Speedway entrance.
Gates usually open about 5:00PM racing starts at 7:00PM and runs until close to midnight.
While you're there be sure to grab a piece of JOTOS pizza, it is the best.
Reasonably priced family outings that are exciting and different are hard to come by these days. So you might want to give Showtime Speedway a try. Take the kids or grandkids, wear some comfortable clothes, and don't forget those ear plugs.
Jimmy? How did he do? He finished second in the figure 8 feature in a field of 14 cars, not bad for your first start in quite a while.
I stopped by the shop on Tuesday, The car was setting out front,not a scratch on it. Jimmy is definitely back.
E-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net, or send me a Facebook Friend quest.
