02/01/2025
Hey everyone. We hope y’all had a good off season and got all those upgrades done to those race rides and got em ready to go!!! This post may be a little long and we do apologize. 15 years ago this month a group of racers called me about opening the track back up so they had somewhere close to home to race. Admittedly I was skeptical at first until I got a phone call from Wally Howerton who told me he would help me with anything I needed if I would open the track back up. I had no idea then what those words would mean, but over the next 10 years I found out. That phone call from Wally changed it all! So in 2010 we opened the Southeast Alabama Mud Track for our first race season. I had no idea what I was getting in to, but I had several people to help out. The original crew was Wally, Robby Culp, Chuck Barrentine, Marcell Dansby, Mike Railey, Rooster and a few others I’m sure I’m forgetting. Those guys helped get everything going and taught me about the mud racing world. Lessons I’ll never forget, some good some bad LOL! Others that helped us out tremendously are Bryant and Teresa Beasley(the original gatekeeper), Matthew Walker, John Lewis, Eli Powell, Bethany Mcguire, Shawn and Tammy Hatfield, Kaci Marie, Jeff Davis, the late Mike Starling, Jackie Thomas, Louise Richburg, Jeremy Layton, ole Greg Hartzog, and some other folks I’m sure I’m forgetting. In our concession stand the late Mr. Richard Smith, Shorty Smith, Harold McGowen, Shawn and Tammy, and the Kurbside Snacks folks kept y’all fed!! Some of the names came and went, but one stayed constant and that was Wally Howerton! I can’t ever think of a time he wasn’t right there with me regardless of what we were doing! When we needed a piece of equipment he always knew where to get it. Every Sunday afternoon after a race he and I would talk about the race and what we could do to make it better. To say I miss those conversations is an understatement. After his cancer diagnosis we talked a lot about life, family and racing! We talked a lot about the track he built, the Southeast Alabama Mud Track. In his final weeks on this earth he and I talked again and I told him I would keep the track going. I promised him that! He kinda sighed a bit and promptly told me to not ever let it get in the way of family, especially Murphy and Jase! He said time with my family was what mattered most and he meant it. He made me promise him that and I did. That being said and as hard as this is to say we are NOT going to reopen this race season. The last 4 race seasons just haven’t been the same for us and this last season made me realize what I was missing out on. Murphy and Jase are involved in a lot of activities now that take place on Friday nights and weekends and I don’t want to miss any more of them! We didn’t make this decision hastily and it’s one that has weighed on us for quite a while now. We sat our boys down a few days ago to talk about not opening the track back up and Murphy understood from the start of our conversation about why we made this decision, but Jase was/is heartbroken. He was the one person I dreaded talking to because I knew the connection he and Wally had and how much he looked up to him. He shed a lot of tears, we both did, but after I told him about my conversation with “Mr. Wally” he felt a little better about it. There were a few other factors that played a part in our decision, but they were a minor consideration. A huge THANK YOU to every race team, spectator, and sponsor that came through that gate and supported us over the last 14 years. We appreciate y’all more than you know! The memories and friendships we’ve made over the years can’t be replaced! We hope everyone has a great 2025 racing season! Y’all keep the tire side down and let it eat! If you have a local track please go support them! Before you badmouth them, run them down, and accuse them of some nonsense just remember the owner’s aren’t getting rich and on a good day they are only breaking even, more than likely losing money doing something they love to be a part of and watch. Go support your local race tracks and local businesses. The way this world is going, especially the insurance world, there won’t be many left for much longer. We own the land so no telling what we may do in the future with it. THANKS to EVERYONE again for all the support over the last 14 years. We will miss seeing everyone on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month during race season. Thank y’all again!
Sincerely Jason, Dawn, Murphy, and Jase Selva!
