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Speedway closing may hamper businessman

• The closing of the Albany Motor Speedway could have a ripple effect on local businesses.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — The vote by the Dougherty County Commission to require would-be Albany Motor Speedway owner Tim Pafford to erect a 25-foot berm at the track as a condition to allow the racing of vehicles other than Legends cars was a blow to the man who has twice managed the local track.

But the loss of potential revenue Pafford and businessman Bob Brooks must endure does not compare to the potential devastation the vote likely will have on restaurateur Bill Farnsworth.

In announcing that the track was being shut down late Monday afternoon, Farnsworth said the vote by the commission puts his Beef O’Brady’s restaurant in Lee County that has been open just over a year and the one that is set to open soon on Westover Boulevard near Darton College in jeopardy.

“We’re talking about taking this to court, but as things are right now I stand to lose everything I’ve got,” Farnesworth said. “All of my businesses — both restaurants and the track — were tied up in this deal. It will be tough to make the payments with no income from the track.

“The only question now is if the Beef’s will bring in enough to make the payments.”

Shortly after opening the Beef O’Brady’s at 1533 Highway 19 South in Leesburg, Farnsworth bought the speedway and allowed sportsman Jerry Nolan to operate it. After initial success in drawing competitors and fans, attendance dwindled and the track was shut down.

“The bad thing is that I bought the track to tie it in with the restaurant,” Farnsworth said in a previous interview. “I would promote Beef’s through the track, but the people just didn’t come and it didn’t make business sense to keep it open.”

Pafford, who was part-owner and manager of the track in 1999-2000 and again in 2004, was contacted about the possibility of buying the track. After convincing businessman Bob Brooks to get involved in the potential deal, the sale to Pafford appeared imminent. But the deal was contingent upon getting approval for racing stock cars and other types of vehicles on the track.

“I’m sitting here amazed,” Pafford said of the deal- breaking condition placed on the track by the commission. “I probably should be mad, but I’m amazed. I’m embarrassed for Dougherty County, because if this is the way they treat businessmen, this county is in trouble.

“I’m proud that Commissioner (Jack) Stone and (Muarlean) Edwards saw beyond the stuff that was put out there by people who clearly had a vandetta against me. And I don’t fault Mr. (Jeff) Sinyard because he tried to at least compromise. But those other commissioners railroaded me.”

Pafford said he intends to file lawsuits against the county and against the Radium Springs Homeowners Association, which he said “slandered” him.

Brooks was clearly upset after the commission vote.

“I guess I need to pack up my saddlebags and leave town,” he said. “To have a place like that that provides positive recreation for so many people effectively shut down by this commission just doesn’t make business sense.

“They have big events at Doublegate (Country Club) that go on into the early morning, and there’s never anything done about the noise. And when the fair comes to town for a week, those poor people who live in the mobile home park across the street have to put up with all that. And then there’s another track (the U.S. 19 Dragway) in the same neighborhood (as the speedway) that the commissioners don’t even bring up?”

Commission Chair Jeff Sinyard said he was not aware of the affect the commission’s vote could have on Farnsworth.

“I heard him talking about it this morning, but I didn’t know what his situation was,” Sinyard said. “I certainly would hate to see this threaten his business, especially since I did not want to see the track shut down.

“My deal was, let’s take care of the noise and keep the track open. I looked at the numbers, and if (Pafford) was having the crowds out there that he said he was, it was certainly something that could be done. I told Mr. Pafford this, but he said he just couldn’t see the berm working. This is not what I wanted to see happen.”

But as the sign erected at the speedway property Monday announcing its closing clearly illustrates, it has indeed happened.

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