Middle Georgia Motorsports Park opens up in Twiggs County

JEFFERSONVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – There’s a new place in Middle Georgia for all you race fans out there, as Saturday marks the grand opening of the Middle Georgia Motorsports Park.

The park, which encompasses 122 acres near the city of Jeffersonville, has been idle since 2011, according to Cliff Nobles, the park’s general manager.

“This track has a lot of heritage in it,” Nobles said. “We’re really, really happy to get it up and running again.”

The park will be mainly used for drag racing, and can accommodate between 4,500 and 5,000 guests. However, Nobles says the park can fit in approximately 10,000 people for concerts, which will be held starting in the fall.

Steve Jackson, who has been drag racing professionally for four years, says racing is just more than feeling the wind in your face, “More than anything, it’s the camaraderie, you know, we’re like a big family,” he said. “The biggest thrill that I have is just crushing competition on the race track, my biggest thing is beating the other guy in the other lane.”

With a hay field on one end, a cotton field on another, and a swamp right next door, city and county officials realized having a new entertainment venue on usable land would help boost the area economically.

“Well, it meant a lot of tax revenue for the city of Jeffersonville and Twiggs County, that’s reason why they wanted to help us get up and running,” added Nobles. “It’s really good for the local guy. A local family bought this race track because they know what it means to the community here.”

Jackson, who was readying his car for the races on Saturday, had his mind on one singular thing: beating the brakes off of his opponents, i.e. winning.

“I like to make somebody on the starting line want to throw their hat down and jump up and down on it,” he said.

Races begin Wednesday night around 9 p.m., with tickets starting at $10. If you want to race your own car on the track, the entry fee is $20.

Saturday, the races will begin around 5 p.m., with ticket prices at $20. Entry to race will still be $20. There will even be a raffle to give away a 2013 Smart Car.

Children under 12 are admitted for free.