New management to keep Franklin County racetrack open

One of the nation’s grittiest and most characteristic racetracks has found new life entering the 2025 season.

Franklin County Raceway, nestled in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, will remain open under the management of Virginia businessman Timothy Meadows.  Meadows is a former competitor at the 3/8-mile track who picked up the lease after longtime promoter Langley Austin stepped away earlier this year.

What was the primary reason Meadows decided to take over?

“The history of the track and not wanting it to be closed down,” Meadows told Short Track Scene.  “I’ve got a lot of support saying, if I had something to do with it, they would support me.  A lot of people really love racing and love that track.  I’ve owned racecars, I’ve raced a little bit, was never real competitive or anything like that.  Racing is just something that gives you that feeling that, when you start going on Saturday nights and there’s a chance it’s going to be gone, it gets to you.  So we’re going to get there, swing as hard as we can, and make this work.”

Franklin County is one of the most unique racetracks in the country with a ton of character.  First opened in 1969, the high-banked track is a throwback to the days of racing’s past.  A night at this track in Callaway is a nostalgic experience.  The aged surface, which has not been repaved since its opening, has plenty of bumps that test a driver at speeds surpassing many more modern, flatter surfaces.

While Meadows is planning to make upgrades and repairs, he says keeping the character of the track is a goal.

“The upgrades are going to be mostly cleaning up the bathrooms, getting them in good order, getting them so they look clean for the ladies, that kind of stuff,” Meadows explained.  “We’re going to fix some things, put a fresh coat of paint and stuff like that.  We’ll clean it up, make it look better, trying to get some sponsors about new caution lights, scoreboard, or find a new innovative way to have a scoreboard this year.”

A press release announcing the track management change, and the rebrand to Franklin County Raceway, also noted that the PA system would be upgraded and infield drainage issues will be a priority as well.  Meadows has already helped out in upgrading the facility under Austin’s tenure, sponsoring the tower when it was town down and replaced.

“My wife owns a haunted attraction in Elston and she’s just as much involved,” Meadows noted.  “She’s my everything.  Last year, the tower needed some upgrades so we made a deal and sponsored them getting the tower fixed, which is why it was called the Hexed Haunted Attraction Tower.”

Growing up, Meadows went to the Pulaski County Motorsports Park complex and Martinsville after that, which got him into racing.  He hopes that he, himself, can get the youth interested and involved at Franklin County as well – a goal of many short track promoters who find their audiences getting older as more kids become consumed by technological advances.

“We’re losing a generation of kids to computers and we’re trying to come up with some innovative ways to get those kids back interested and get them back out to see some racing,” Meadows remarked.  “The majority of people that come out are middle-aged Americans who just come to enjoy a race.  You do see kids but you don’t see as many teenagers.  When I was a teenager, there were hundreds of teenagers there.  Now it’s middle aged adults.”

In the past, Franklin County has done kid’s bike races before the feature racing program, something Meadows said he intends to keep alive in some capacity.  Other area tracks, such as the Fayetteville dirt track and New River All American Speedway in North Carolina, have also started running Juice Box electric kart races.

Meadows also talked about the comradery in short track racing and at Franklin County, which certainly has a reputation for excitement.

“There’s some drama but, if you’re racing, there’s gonna be drama,” Meadows stated.  “At the end of the day, it’s still a family.  Brothers and sisters fight all the time but are still family.  It’s a nice place.”

Limited Sportsman, which Limited Late Models are typically called in Central and Southwestern Virginia, will be the headline class along with Mini Stock, Stock-4 (U-CAR), Super Street, and Legend Cars for select events.  The season opener is slated for Saturday, April 5 and a full schedule, which will also feature some special events and touring series, is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

“We don’t want it to fail.  We want to just keep a legacy alive.”