MAGNOLIA, MS – June 20, 2007 – J.F. Gasquet is going to put Pike County Speedway on the national short-track racing map.
Just ask him.
If the energetic Louisiana businessman didn’t think it was possible, he wouldn’t have purchased the southern Mississippi oval in 2005.
“I took this project on as a challenge to make Pike County Speedway one of the top facilities in the United States ,” said Gasquet, whose three-eighths-mile oval will host the inaugural ‘Freedom 100’ for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series on July 6-7. “We still have a long way to go, but I feel like we’re getting there.”
The ‘Freedom 100’ will be the latest catalyst to get Pike County in the national short-track racing discussion. Gasquet’s joint gained the attention of the industry by presenting a successful World of Outlaws Sprint Car event in March, and now it will grab even more headlines by holding the summer’s biggest dirt Late Model show in the Deep South .
There will be big money on the line in the ‘Freedom 100’ – $20,000 to win and $1,500 to start from a total purse pushing the $100,000 mark. Coming just one week after the WoO LMS ‘Firecracker 100’ at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver , Pa. , it will give one driver the opportunity to pocket a whopping $50,000 over the holiday week.
“It’s getting people to talk about Pike County Speedway,” Gasquet said when asked why he’s bringing the WoO LMS to the Gulf Coast area for a high-dollar special. “Some of the best Late Model drivers in the country will come to Pike County for the race, and that’s gonna make a lot of fans come check out our racetrack.”
Everyone who walks through Pike County ’s gates for the ‘Freedom 100’ will likely be impressed by what they see. Gasquet, a 59-year-old who operates the Tri-State Oil Co., has plunged hundreds of thousands of dollars into refurbishing the facility since taking over its deed two years ago.
There’s few things at Pike County that Gasquet hasn’t touched – or doesn’t plan to in the near future. He’s already poured new cement walls all the way around the track; doubled the size of the pit area; laid down a new sidewalk in front of the grandstand that seats 4,500; installed a 10-position scoreboard; put up some new lights; put up new catch fencing; built new concession and souvenir stands; bought a new grader for track preparation; and erected a giant lighted billboard facing the traffic passing by on Interstate 55.
Then there’s Gasquet’s plans for the future, which include a new lighting system; new bathroom facilities; a change-over to aluminum grandstands; the construction of an 8,000 sq. ft. sports bar overlooking the track that will allow fans to watch the races from air-conditioned comfort; and purchasing property across the street from the speedway so he can build a campground in hopes of filling it for major events.
“What it was like before and what it will be like in the future will be a night-and-day difference,” Gasquet said of his Pike County Speedway transformation. “I’m still learning the game, but I’m learning it fast.”
The ‘Freedom 100’ will be Gasquet’s first attempt at promoting a big, two-day summer special for the dirt Late Model division. The program will begin with qualifying for the WoO LMS on Friday night, July 6, then close with the ‘Freedom 100’ A-Main on Saturday night, July 7.
All the WoO LMS title contenders will haul to Pike County for the ‘Freedom 100,’ including points leader Clint Smith of Senoia , Ga. ; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Steve Francis of Ashland , Ky. ; 19-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston , W.Va. ; Rick Eckert of York , Pa. ; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove , Ga. ; and Darrell Lanigan of Union , Ky.
The invasion of dozens of regional and local dirt Late Model standouts promises to make the ‘Freedom 100’ field one of the biggest in the history of Pike County Speedway.
Gasquet said he’s planning some added attractions for the weekend to provide an enhance entertainment experience for all fans and participants.
Pit gates are set to open at 4 p.m. and spectator gates at 5 p.m. both days.
General admission on Friday night will be $25 for adults and $15 for children 6-12, and on Saturday night general admission will be $30 adults and $15 for children 6-12. Pit passes are $35 on Friday and $40 on Sunday.
Two-day combo passes are available for $65 and provide access to both the stands and pit area.
For more information on the ‘Freedom 100,’ visit www.pikecountyspeedway.com or call 504-394-5530/504-442-8847 (office) or 601-783-2500 (track).
Pike County Speedway is located off Exit 8 of I-55 in Magnolia, Miss.
For more info on the WoO LMS, log on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Just ask him.
If the energetic Louisiana businessman didn’t think it was possible, he wouldn’t have purchased the southern Mississippi oval in 2005.
“I took this project on as a challenge to make Pike County Speedway one of the top facilities in the United States ,” said Gasquet, whose three-eighths-mile oval will host the inaugural ‘Freedom 100’ for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series on July 6-7. “We still have a long way to go, but I feel like we’re getting there.”
The ‘Freedom 100’ will be the latest catalyst to get Pike County in the national short-track racing discussion. Gasquet’s joint gained the attention of the industry by presenting a successful World of Outlaws Sprint Car event in March, and now it will grab even more headlines by holding the summer’s biggest dirt Late Model show in the Deep South .
There will be big money on the line in the ‘Freedom 100’ – $20,000 to win and $1,500 to start from a total purse pushing the $100,000 mark. Coming just one week after the WoO LMS ‘Firecracker 100’ at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver , Pa. , it will give one driver the opportunity to pocket a whopping $50,000 over the holiday week.
“It’s getting people to talk about Pike County Speedway,” Gasquet said when asked why he’s bringing the WoO LMS to the Gulf Coast area for a high-dollar special. “Some of the best Late Model drivers in the country will come to Pike County for the race, and that’s gonna make a lot of fans come check out our racetrack.”
Everyone who walks through Pike County ’s gates for the ‘Freedom 100’ will likely be impressed by what they see. Gasquet, a 59-year-old who operates the Tri-State Oil Co., has plunged hundreds of thousands of dollars into refurbishing the facility since taking over its deed two years ago.
There’s few things at Pike County that Gasquet hasn’t touched – or doesn’t plan to in the near future. He’s already poured new cement walls all the way around the track; doubled the size of the pit area; laid down a new sidewalk in front of the grandstand that seats 4,500; installed a 10-position scoreboard; put up some new lights; put up new catch fencing; built new concession and souvenir stands; bought a new grader for track preparation; and erected a giant lighted billboard facing the traffic passing by on Interstate 55.
Then there’s Gasquet’s plans for the future, which include a new lighting system; new bathroom facilities; a change-over to aluminum grandstands; the construction of an 8,000 sq. ft. sports bar overlooking the track that will allow fans to watch the races from air-conditioned comfort; and purchasing property across the street from the speedway so he can build a campground in hopes of filling it for major events.
“What it was like before and what it will be like in the future will be a night-and-day difference,” Gasquet said of his Pike County Speedway transformation. “I’m still learning the game, but I’m learning it fast.”
The ‘Freedom 100’ will be Gasquet’s first attempt at promoting a big, two-day summer special for the dirt Late Model division. The program will begin with qualifying for the WoO LMS on Friday night, July 6, then close with the ‘Freedom 100’ A-Main on Saturday night, July 7.
All the WoO LMS title contenders will haul to Pike County for the ‘Freedom 100,’ including points leader Clint Smith of Senoia , Ga. ; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Steve Francis of Ashland , Ky. ; 19-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston , W.Va. ; Rick Eckert of York , Pa. ; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove , Ga. ; and Darrell Lanigan of Union , Ky.
The invasion of dozens of regional and local dirt Late Model standouts promises to make the ‘Freedom 100’ field one of the biggest in the history of Pike County Speedway.
Gasquet said he’s planning some added attractions for the weekend to provide an enhance entertainment experience for all fans and participants.
Pit gates are set to open at 4 p.m. and spectator gates at 5 p.m. both days.
General admission on Friday night will be $25 for adults and $15 for children 6-12, and on Saturday night general admission will be $30 adults and $15 for children 6-12. Pit passes are $35 on Friday and $40 on Sunday.
Two-day combo passes are available for $65 and provide access to both the stands and pit area.
For more information on the ‘Freedom 100,’ visit www.pikecountyspeedway.com or call 504-394-5530/504-442-8847 (office) or 601-783-2500 (track).
Pike County Speedway is located off Exit 8 of I-55 in Magnolia, Miss.
For more info on the WoO LMS, log on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.
