Page 31 - Camden Kershaw 2020

Carolina With Camden being an

Motorsports our customers want to spend some
historical city and a place where

Park time and visit, we put it all together

and thought it had all the attributes

for long term success. The more we

looked at it, the more confidence

we got that this was something we

wanted to pursue.”

In between, everyone from motorcycle drivers to kart racers --- both young and young at
heart --- to weekend warriors have tested their skills at the Carolina Motorsports Park
complex in nearby Westville.

Built in 1999 by a group of investors, the 290-acre facility was sold to Motorsports Capital
LLC in October of 2019. Michael Cummings is the founder of the Dawsonville, Ga.-based
ownership group and when the deal was first announced, he called the acquisition of CMP
“a natural next step” in the growth of his company. For the past five years, he has been a
consultant for race tracks; helping them develop a business plan and raising capital.

Now settling in as a Camden resident, Cummings has gone full throttle in his vision for
the track, located along Highway 521 in the county’s northwestern most point. “This is a
family business for us. We’re going to be doing this for a long time,” said Cummings, whose
son Michael Jr., has also made the move to Camden and is working at the track, of the
family’s commitment to CMP.

An amateur driver who has been involved in racing his entire life, Cummings said he was
and continues to be intrigued with the track and all which goes with it. When the property
came up for sale, he jumped at the opportunity to take over the operation.
ts twisting 14-turn, 2.279-mile layout has
been driven by NASCAR legends such as “I thought Carolina Motorsports Park had a lot of potential given a favorable climate,
the late Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon in given the population growth and given trends in the industry,” he said. “More people are
Ipreparation for road course races during a participating in driving cars on the track than spectating. I think the park plays well to
time in which drives in stock car’s premier circuit that.
were allowed to test their cars at various tracks. A
then up-and-coming Indy Car and later-Sprint Cup “I thought the prospects for business were good, long term. We like the area. We think
driver named Danica Patrick learned the ropes the area has a lot to offer. With Camden being a historical city and a place where our
here. customers want to spend some time and visit, we put it all together and thought it had all
the attributes for long term success. The more we looked at it, the more confidence we got
that this was something we wanted to pursue.”

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