Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Sunday, April 18, 2004
By ANDY MARKS - Bulletin Staff Writer
Plans were unveiled Saturday for a new Virginia Motorsports Technology Center in Henry County. The $1.2 million facility also has signed its first tenant, North Carolina-based racing team HT Motorsports.
The racing package, which came through Gov. Mark Warner's drive to recruit the motorsports industry to Southside, was announced by State Commerce Secretary Michael Schewel during Saturday's time trials at the Martinsville Speedway.
The 50,000-square-foot facility and HT Motorsports will work in conjunction with Arrington Manufacturing and Patrick Henry Community College's (PHCC) advanced motorsports curriculum, scheduled to be offered beginning in January 2005.
Under the deal, HT Motorsports and its Craftsman Truck racing team will employ 75 people over the first 30 months, paying an average salary of $16 per hour.
The team, owned by Lynchburg resident Jim Harris and currently based in Harrisburg, N.C., will move to the area by late summer.
"We now have the opportunity to develop the talent that exists in this area," said Harris, whose No. 59 Dodge trucks will begin using Arrington engines and receiving hands-on support from PHCC students in the college's motorsports program.
"I hope we're able to elevate that (PHCC) program to a higher level and bring it more exposure," Harris added.
Upon moving to the area, the team initially will operate within Arrington Manufacturing before becoming a tenant of the Virginia Motorsports Technology Center.
The announcement is a major development for PHCC's motorsports program, which will be able to offer students personal involvement in all facets of a successful NASCAR team.
"The trust HT Motorsports is offering our community is unbelievable," said Earl Dodrill, dean of the Applied Science and Engineering department at PHCC, noting that graduates of the program previously have had to leave the area for the Charlotte area to work in the field.
"At least a portion of these jobs will go to PHCC graduates and citizens of the area," Dodrill added. "Our students now will be working with a competitive team on a competitive level."
Warner's Virginia Motorsports Initiative was unveiled last August at Martinsville Speedway with the goal of luring the motorsports industry into Southside Virginia, using statewide incentives ranging from tobacco funds to NASA engineering support to local-level grants.
HT motorsports will recieve a $50,000 grant from the Tobacco Regional Opportunity Fund, a $50,000 grant from Henry County, to be paid after the first 20 new jobs are created, and a $100,000 contribution from the Chamber's Partner in Economic Growth (C-PEG).
State Commerce Secretary Michael Schewel said HT Motorsports could be the first of many racing industry businesses to relocate to Martinsville or Henry County under the initiative.
"It would be fabulous if Martinsville/Henry County could become a Mooresville or even a mini-Mooresville," he said.
The city of Mooresville, N.C., home to many of NASCAR's most affluent teams and hundreds of support businesses, was cited when the initiative was introduced as an example of what could evolve in Martinsville/Henry County.
With so many components in place now Ñ Martinsville Speedway, high-profile engine builder Arrington Manufacturing, a growing PHCC motorsports program, a planned technology center and now a NASCAR team Ñ Schewel said the environment is ripe for more new business to follow, an assessment others agreed with.
"This is going to lead to more teams relocating to the area," said Gil Carter of C-PEG.
Shewel also said that Henry County has emerged as one of the initiative's three epicenters, along with the Virginia International Raceway area in Halifax County and Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
Harris said his decision to move stemmed largely from frequent discussions with longtime friend and Arrington Manufacturing President Joey Arrington.
He zeroed in on Martinsville quickly after learning about the state's motorsports initiative last summer and said he was impressed by the presentations made to him by area economic development officials.
"They're the most can-do people I've ever seen," Harris said.
HT Motorsports trucks currently are driven by rookie Mark McFarland. Both McFarland and crew chief Greg Conner are Virginia residents, as is Harris.
"It's an all-Virginia race team," Harris said.
HT Motorsports' arrival will make it the only full-time team from NASCAR's three most prominent series to be housed in Martinsville, Henry County or Patrick County.
Harris said he hopes he can cultivate a home base of HT Motorsports fans in the area.
"We're going to work hard to develop a tremendous bond with the whole community," he said. "The whole community so far has welcomed us with open arms. We're going to build on that."
|
| |
|
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
