Star Racing Announces Plans For $12 Million Georgia Racing Facility

As the old saying goes: if it sounds too good to be true, than it probably is. That statement has rung true for several very lofty racing facility proposals over the years that have promised things akin to Disney Land and a Las Vegas entertainment district combined in the form of a motorsports facility.

To read the press release in it’s entirety, visit the Americus Times-Recorder and stay tuned to DRAGZINE as this story develops.

Some have been borderline scams and others simply standing a snowballs chance against the local government or of receiving the needed funding. The fans, the media, and the locals have taken the high road  with the viewpoint of “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But when a decorated drag racing team owner – and not a sly business investor with zero interest in auto racing – puts his name on the line behind a racing facility, it just might tally one in the win column.

George and Jackie Bryce have announced plans to construct a world-class motorsports facility in their hometown of American, Georgia that will feature a quarter-mile concrete drag strip, 2.5-mile road racing circuit, a motorsports technology park, a training facility for drivers education and law enforcement training, and a national motorcycle drag racing museum.

The $12 million facility is expected to attract as much as $75 million annually for the community, along with the creation of some 200 full-time and part-time jobs in the first give years of operation. The facility will be located across from South Georgia Technical College in Americus.

In a interview with the Americus Times-Recorder, George said the idea for the motorsports facility “came from right here; just me and Jackie and our friends.” George explains that he and his wife travel all over the world, including trips to Asia, Australia and Europe, for various racing events. This travel, and the expenses related, are far from ideal for the Bryces’ line of work. “$50,000 to $100,000 — that’s what Star spends every year renting race tracks for us to do our business,” George said.

The basis for the facility is to provide a destination for racing teams to test and compete year-round, while driving economic growth in the community. “We want to put more ‘water’ in the ‘lake’ so everyone’s boat floats,” George said.

“The idea is to get 40 (motorsports-related) companies to move to Americus to put their shops on the race track … where they can test, race … their own products right in their own backyard,” George said. “There’s not one of these in the world where there’s an airport and a technical school (right next door) and 450 acres of available farmland,” George said. He adds that the low altitude of the area is also a “big draw” for racers. The mild weather conditions also offer opportunities for testing, training and competition year-round.

The Bryce’s have already received support from the community and local government through the unanimous approval of a re-zoning of the 449-acre site, but still must finalize a contract with the Americus-Sumter County Payroll Development Authority to acquire the land. “I don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse,” George said. “(This) is not really an announcement of what’s coming, it’s what will happen if all the stars line up.”