ROANOKE, VA :: Just about anyone who’s ever visited the City of Roanoke in Virginia is familiar with the Texas Tavern. Much like Franklin County Speedway, located about a half-hour outside Roanoke, Texas Tavern is a blast from the past – a diner with an old school look and feel and old school prices to boot. Now, Texas Tavern is partnering with Franklin County Speedway for the 2014 season.
The partnership, announced today, includes title sponsorship for one of Franklin County Speedway’s Labor Day Weekend races. Texas Tavern will also set up at the track for select races as a vendor, catering their ‘Cheesy’ and their ‘Bowl With’ to fans at the track that calls itself “The Last Great Short Track”.
“We’re excited to start a relationship with Franklin County Speedway,” Texas Tavern owner Matt Bullington said in a press release. “I’ve never personally been there but just like Texas Tavern they’ve got a long and storied history and we think partnering with them will help bring more awareness to the Texas Tavern brand.”
Franklin County Speedway promoter Langley Austin, who is also the owner and webmaster of RACE22.com, is also excited about the partnership, citing the historical significance the 84-year-old diner holds in the Roanoke region.
“Texas Tavern isn’t just a business or a restaurant in the Roanoke Valley but it’s a landmark that people everywhere know about,” Austin said. “We’re excited to have them as a part of our program this year and we’re excited to give fans who have never tried their food the chance to taste it.”
Texas Tavern fits in with the image Langley Austin is trying to paint at Franklin County Speedway. From the outside, this Roanoke diner looks like a ‘hole in the wall’. When you walk inside, it is almost like a time portal teleporting you back multiple generations. Texas Tavern’s sign inside famously reads, “We seat 1,000 people… 10 at a time” and the menu features prices that are unfathomable in an age of inflation. This storied restaurant even has its own lingo.
So, it’s only fitting that Franklin County Speedway, a track Ace Speedway General Manager Brad Allen says is up in Virginia and back in time about 30 years, pursued the partnership. Franklin County Speedway itself is a blast from the past with old school racing that reminds visitors of a time when drive-in movie theaters were still popular.
Progress has been made at Franklin County Speedway in the past year. Car counts are up and look to be even more promising in 2014. The track, while still retaining its “old school cool” look and feel, has seen a number of improvements. In fact, just this past weekend, track crews and a number of volunteers cleaned up the track and began repainting walls and buildings at the track. While the scoring is done manually, the track itself sits on the cutting edge of technology utilizing social media and mobile devices to achieve numerous tasks. The track has even more plans still in the works for 2014.
“We’ve done a lot of things over the past year here at the track,” Austin said. “It’s actually quite impressive how just a few small things can make the track look inviting and welcoming while also keeping the vintage feel. This track is old school cool and that’s the image we want to keep.”
Franklin County Speedway saw a boost earlier in the month after inviting Danica Patrick and Richard Petty to the track to hold a grudge race. That invitation sparked the attention of Roanoke’s NBC affiliate, WSLS-TV, who did a feature story about it, interviewing Austin at the track. As for the status of that race, don’t be surprised if it happens.
“I can promise fans, there will be a race between ‘the king’ and ‘the queen’ at Franklin County Speedway this year,” said Austin. “We’ve been working really hard on that promotion. We’ve got so much going on this season that every race is going be a ‘can’t miss’ show.”
As for the taste of Roanoke’s Texas Tavern, fans can head to downtown Roanoke to order a Cheesy Western or they can get their fill of Chili at the season opening Racing Dynamiks 200 on Sunday, April 13th.
