By Bob Druckman
Publisher
South Huntsville Neighbors
Huntsville Speedway has been part of the fabric of our city for over 60 years. It started out as a dirt track and was paved into a quarter mile track in 1962. It attracted such racers as, the Allison Brothers, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. Even though it fell into disrepair due to its closure in 2013, Robbie Edgar and his family always had a soft spot in their hearts for it. They managed to reopen it in 2016 and have continued the tradition of bringing great racing to Huntsville.
I had an opportunity to sit down with Robbie to chat about Huntsville Speedway.
Tell us about your background. How did you come to own the Speedway?
I was just 5 years old when I started to come to the track with my grandfather and have been coming here all my life.
In the early 2000’s I got into drag racing. I took my car around the track and got hooked. I began buying cars and decided to become a competitor. I won my first race and rose thru multiple divisions. Since the track was closed for a period of time I had to go to South Alabama to race. I made a lot of connections there.
One day I decided to visit the Speedway and even though it was in disrepair, it brought back a lot of emotions. I vowed that I would spend my last dollar to get the track back to where it was so I picked up the lease from the owner. Today, both the land and the property itself are locked in.
It was a tough job to get the track back to where it needed to be. I knew the racing side but didn’t know the business side. I learned that really quickly.
We are proud that the track opened 7 years ago and except for COVID we have had a weekly show from May thru September.
Tell us about the types of races. How does a car qualify?
We are a step down from NASCAR and we are a smaller quarter-mile track. From a safety standpoint we follow NASCAR as best as possible. Not every car qualifies. Our gates open at 4PM for qualifying, there is a sign in sheet and then we begin qualifying races.
The actual race card begins at 7 PM and can go to 10:30PM or so. The thing about stock car racing is that it happens as it happens. Nothing is choreographed. Our drivers come from all over the South. The track has a great reputation.
What makes Huntsville Speedway family friendly?
Our demographic sometimes gets a bad rap. We work hard to keep it family friendly to a point that we have a family friendly section where we don’t allow beer or smoking. For years we have offered a Pit Pass option where a family can go to the pit area between races. The kids really love that.
What would you like the readers of South Huntsville Neighbors to know about Huntsville Speedway?
If you like family fun, fast cars and just love racing, or not sure that you do, come on out and join us for a great evening.
South Huntsville Neighbors 