BY KADIE VICK
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Penton Raceway is hosting U.S.C.S Sprint Cars on June 27. The gates open at 4 p.m. and the race begins at 7 p.m.
“The event is the U.S.C.S. Sprint Cars, and there should be somewhere between 25 and 30 of those,” said Jamie Godbee, one of the owners of Penton Raceway. “They’ll run hot laps where they just go out and practice, then they’ll have qualifying, then I have heat races and then they’ll have a feature.”
Godbee said he aims to create an experience where community members can visit his racetrack and have a great time without spending a lot of money.
“Our goal is [for] a fan to come in or for a family of four to get into the racetrack and to eat dinner; they can spend less than $100 and have a good family environment where they can sit and enjoy something different — especially people that have never seen a race,” he said.
Food for fans is something that Godbee said he provides to give local families good food while they are enjoying a good time.
“We try to sell good quality food so that fans can come out and eat a meal that is not unhealthy,” he said. “So, we serve gourmet hamburgers, gourmet hot dogs and foot-long corn dogs. If somebody buys a meal here, there’s hardly any profit for the racetrack. We want to provide somewhere a family can come and not have to stop at a fast food restaurant. They can actually have a good meal when they get here.”
Kids have their own fun at Penton Raceway with Kids’ Club events they can sign up for.
“We have had foot races for the kids, bicycle races and we have had a water balloon fight in the intermission prior to the national anthem,” Godbee said. “We have a Kids’ Club that they can sign up for and join in on the fun.”
He also said he has done all of this for families so that they can have fun in Chambers County and enjoy time together.
“The main thing is that we just want to be a part of the community, and we want to do our part in having something in Chambers County that folks can be proud of and can spend a night out at,” he said. “We put up new lighting, the track has new surface bathrooms and we’re working on trying to update those even further.
Penton Raceway adds another option for community members who want to spend time together in a different way than they have before.
“Our goal is just to have a good family environment where people can come enjoy a good show right here in Chambers County and give people an option of something other than a rodeo, baseball or a football game,” he said.
The business invests its profits back into the community and the racetrack itself, to further support the community and engage fans.
“Whenever we make a profit, we put it back into the racetrack; We want to be involved in the community,” he said. “We try to do things to help with the sheriff’s rodeo. We’re not there to just have a business. The racetrack is for fun; if it’s profitable, that’s great, but it’ll be invested back into the community on the racetrack itself.”
Penton Raceway hosts frequent weekend events and provides a variety of fun for fans. Godbee encourages fans to attend Penton events frequently because each week is unique.
“Every week is changing and evolving, and every week is different. So, if you miss a week, you really miss out,” he said. “Throughout the season, people fall in love with certain drivers and fans want to see that driver win. So, if you keep up with the drivers, you can go on the website and keep up with the points, and see who’s leading the points championship in each division.”
Godbee said he always enjoyed racing and wanted to own a racetrack. Penton Raceway is a dream come true.
“I have a love for racing that I’ve had since the first time I ever went to the dirt track at Seven Flags in Georgia, which is now closed, but I always wanted to own a racetrack,” he said. “The gate tickets are bought at the track to go into the raceway, with the pit passes being available at the pit gate,” Godbee said.
To find out more information on Penton Raceway, visit them on Facebook or visit the website www.raceatpenton.com/.
