Ronnie Powell recently purchased Modoc Raceway and renamed it Little River Speedway. The Georgia construction company owner has big plans for the South Carolina dirt oval, starting with its configuration.
Powell first widened the 4/10-mile track, taking the width from 50’–60′ to 90′ on the straightaways and 110′ in the corners. He incorporated progressive banking, too, which starts at 3° at the bottom, and then increases to 5°, 7°, 9°, and 12° as you make your way to the top.
“The previous track had too many crowns — it was not shaped right,” Powell, 53, of Appling, Georgia, said. “When a driver hit a crown, it would unload his chassis. Then, the car would go into the wall. You have to understand a race car to build a track a car can race on.”
The surface of the track tended to get too hard as the night went on, according to Powell.
“The previous surface was prepared with a harrow,” said Powell. “That caused the water to run off, not penetrate the track, and it dried too soon. I’m using a plow like they use at Eldora Speedway [in Ohio]. It mixes it up the surface like it is in a blender, and the mix is consistent all around the track.”
As a final quality check, Powell said he’ll bring in two top dirt late model drivers to test the track — Brandon Overton (Powell sponsors his dirt late model) and Scott Bloomquist.
“I told them to hammer the surface as hard as they can and see if it comes apart,” Powell said. “Scott has offered to help. He’s got years of racing knowledge that few in racing have today.”
The track itself represents only the surface of the improvements Powell has in store for Little River Speedway.
“Our master plan is to start with a new name — we chose the name of the river that runs by the track — it signifies some changes are underway,” said Powell. “We’re building from the inside out — first the track itself, then new bleachers. We’ll move the old bleachers to the backstretch because we would rather have people sitting than standing at the fence. Then, concessions and lighting improvements will take place.”
However, another item shot straight up to the top of Powell’s to-do list. He has until February 26, when the track opens its season with the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series as the headliner.
“[My wife,] Jennifer said get those bathrooms up to standard by our first race,” Powell said. “She didn’t’ approve of them. I’ve got to do something about it right away.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
