Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407160024
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
What came to mind?
Taylor said he decided that he wanted to "bury the hatchet" between himself and Franklin County Sheriff W.Q. Overton after a number of incidents that have put the two at odds since Taylor took over ownership of the track in 1978.
So Taylor is going to bury that hatchet in the grass on the infield of the track. The July 30 burial ceremony will kick off a weeklong anniversary celebration at the ]-mile speedway.
A tent will be put up for "dignitaries" invited to the event, Taylor said, and the hatchet will be buried in the middle. Taylor also said he plans to have some type of marker made for the burial spot, but he hasn't decided what the inscription will say.
The promoter said he hopes to buy the hatchet at the hardware store owned by Franklin County Supervisor Wayne Angell, just down the road from the speedway.
Taylor said he's going to formally invite board members to the ceremony at a supervisors' meeting Tuesday night.
He also said he has invited Roanoke Mayor David Bowers. And, of course, Overton.
The sheriff, however, said he's going to decline the invitation.
"I don't have any hatchet to bury with Whitey," he said, "but I've got a job to do."
Overton said the event is nothing more than a publicity stunt.
"Whitey has been doing a pretty good job running the speedway this year," Overton said. "But I'm not going up there [July 30]."
Taylor stood outside the log press box at the speedway Friday afternoon, carrying a cordless phone in his pocket as he talked about changes made recently at the track. The phone rang repeatedly. Two rebel flags flapped gently in the breeze at Turn 2.
"There's been 25 years of turmoil here," he said. "Now, let's have 25 years of peace."
Taylor said he's trying to foster a more family-oriented atmosphere at the track, where drinking has posed problems. Sheriff's deputies and Alcoholic Beverage Control agents served more than 50 alcohol-related citations on one night at the track last year.
Recently, a supervised playground for children and a chain-link fence surrounding the facility were finished.
In June, Taylor was granted a license to sell beer at the track. A 16-ounce cup of beer costs $1.50.
"It costs less to drink ours than to buy a carton of beer and some ice," he said.
After the crackdown on drinking last year, no alcohol was allowed at the speedway until the beer license was approved.
"[The no-drinking policy] cost me a couple of thousand fans a night," he said. "We've got a mixed crowd now, and things are working well."
Taylor said the license has allowed for better regulation of beer consumption and has cut down on troublesome behavior. Drinkers are asked to sit in the stands on the back stretch of the track where the beer is sold, and 10 security guards are on duty at every race.
The changes at the track are far from finished, he says. He's thinking about changing the name to Callaway Speedway, and he also says he'd like to start flying a moonshine flag at the track.
"Some people don't like it," he says, "but that's what Franklin County is known for: racin' and moonshine. And I don't know which one comes first."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB