Revived WVMS plans to host 2010's Hillbilly 100
Carl Short
The promotional team that plans on reopening West Virginia Motor Speedway in 2010 has already landed a big event. BDS Promotions and race promoter Carl Short announced Wednesday the 42nd annual Hillbilly 100 would be scheduled at the 5/8-mile oval in Mineral Wells on Labor Day weekend.
The last 12 Hillbilly 100s, one of the longest running Dirt Late Model events in the country, have been held at the quarter-mile Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va., which has been promoted by Daniel Patterson, Brian Ferrell and Scott Strode of BDS the past six years. Now the event, run before '98 primarily at the now-closed Pennsboro (W.Va.) Motor Speedway, moves east to the bigger facility south of Parkersburg.
"Quite honestly, the race has outgrown the facility" at the Tyler County Fairgrounds, said Short, whose event has drawn crowds that required temporary infield seating the past two years at Tyler County. "We have witnessed tremendous growth in competitors and spectators in the last two years, and it became obvious to us that we needed to find a facility capable of accommodating everyone's needs."
Said Ferrell: "Every attempt has been made to increase and upgrade the facilities at Tyler County, but those attempts have been frustrating, and unfortunately, to no avail."
Short and BDS have both promoted events at West Virginia Motor Speedway in past years. The track fits Short's desire to keep the race in West Virginia and to provide a larger facility, one that features an expansive, terraced hillside where fans can bring lawn chairs and blankets, along with closer proximity to hotels and restaurants along I-77.
With WVMS shuttered since September 2007, BDS and its promoting partners plan a concentrated effort to restore its surface and buildings along with its reputation. "When this track is properly maintained," Patterson said, "it's as beautiful as any in the nation."
Short hopes the race has found a new home. "Race fans should take this latest move as a compliment to their past support," he said. "It's a move intended to increase their convenience and comfort, and from all the positive feedback, we're all looking forward to the Hillbilly 100's future at West Virginia Motor Speedway."
The race has featured the richest one-day purse in Dirt Late Model racing in recent years with Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., earning a career-high $41,000 for his 2009 victory, sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
