What’s Going on at the Speedway?

A developer has signed a short-term lease with the owner of North Wilkesboro Speedway and has plans to start a new racing series and reality show. Charles Collins, who says that he is a 43-year-old Georgia native and developer, has set up an office at the speedway and has keys for the locks. During a tour yesterday, Collins told the Winston-Salem Journal he has a short-term lease with Bruton Smith, the billionaire owner of the speedway. Smith said he didn’t know details of Collins’ plans, but that the lease is for about three months. Collins says he plans to produce a reality racing show there called Women So U Think U Can Race? He also said he plans to start a racing series for women called the AWESOME Racing Series. AWESOME stands for for All Women Stockcar Oval Motorsports Event.

Collins said he hopes to start production of the show at the speedway in March or April and to have ticketed events for the public. He also plans to promote concerts there, he said. Burned in the past by people who have announced pie-in-the-sky plans to buy and revitalize the North Wilkesboro Speedway but never did, officials told the paper they don’t know quite what to make of the latest prospect. Don Alexander, the director of the Wilkes Economic Development Corp., wouldn’t answer any questions about Collins but issued a two-sentence statement that was approved by the county attorney. “Mr. Collins has informed the Wilkes Economic Development Corporation of his plans for the North Wilkesboro Speedway, and has continually updated our office with regard to his efforts and progress,” the statement said. “His vision for the North Wilkesboro Speedway, if realized, would be a very major development for Wilkes County, one which would have a significant and positive impact on the economy here.”