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On the day Joseph Joiner was born, his father John completed a dirt track race at Southern Raceway, south of Milton, before hightailing it to the hospital to witness the arrival of his third son.
Joseph, it appeared, had been born to race, and these days his success on the dirt track circuit serves as proof of that. The same could be said of his twin older brothers, Joshua and Jonathan, dirt track junkies in their own right.
Little did the brothers know though that their driving careers would lead to a successful venture into the realm of social media, and eventually catapult them to somewhat unlikely ownership of their very own race track.
The Milton area natives have recently purchased the same Southern Raceway they have raced on since their early teens and that their father and his own brother had frequented in their youth.
Joshua Joiner said the success of their YouTube vlog "Hunt the Front," which focuses on the world of dirt track racing and has grown to include a Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series and the Hunt the Front TV live streaming platform, led the Joiner boys, along with their wives, to contemplate purchasing the raceway.
"When the YouTube took off we realized we could do more to bring racing to the people," he said. "We realized in 2020 we could do a lot with it, make it a profitable business, a business that benefits us, benefits racing and benefits families."
But before the race team could initiate negotiations with the Arnold family, who had owned the 33-acre property since the late '80's, they were forced to wait until negotiations for purchase of the land by an auto salvage business owner fell through.
Like others who had grown up and still live close to the Nichols Lake Road site of Southern Raceway, the Joiners could only watch helplessly as the sale of the 33-acre property appeared imminent.
"Everybody had heard this was really close to no longer being a race track. When the sale fell through, we jumped. The next week we were talking to the owner," Joshua Joiner said. "We are going to keep this a race track. We are going to work with the county and do what we need to keep this what it is, a racetrack."
The $950,000 sale of the property was consummated Jan. 28, according to Santa Rosa County Property Appraisers Office documents.
The Joiner brothers were well aware they would have their work cut out for them when they took over the Southern Raceway venue, though they admit now they underestimated the true state of disrepair it had fallen in to.
"We were a little frustrated by the lack of maintenance at the track," Joshua Joiner said.
The sale closed on a Wednesday. The next day the Hunt the Front racing team left for Georgia for a racing weekend. They returned to Milton on Sunday and got to work returning Southern Raceway to a place it hadn't been in years.
Joshua Joiner said the $50,000 budgeted for revitalizing the raceway didn't last long. The new owners have thus far spent about $200,000 and "haven't really scratched the surface" of doing all that needs done.
"The buildings, the lighting, grand stands, concession area, bathrooms, a lot of this stuff is original since the track was built in the 1980's, that's why we're having to replace everything," Joshua Joiner said. "There's a lot of work to do and no end in sight. Just a lot of junk laying around. It takes a bit of work to operate a facility like this."
"You could spend a million dollars here and there'd still be things to do."
Jonathan chuckled as he recalled recent negotiations with a company called in to estimate the cost of updating lighting around the track facility.
"He offered to do it for $400,000. We politely told him we couldn't do that," he said. "We're working as quickly as our budget and work capacity allows."
But the brothers weren't going to let go of their dream. They realized a key to re-establishing the raceway lay in rebuilding the track that had originally brought people through the turnstiles. In dirt racing, which the brothers agree is hands down more exciting to running on asphalt, the layout of the track is the key component to creating good competition.
It didn't hurt that John, the boys' father, has worked in grading and site construction and proved more than willing to pitch in and help.
The new owners held a "soft opening" at the track Feb. 14 that attracted about 1,500 people, a number Joshua Joiner described as "unheard of" for such an event. The first actual race drew fans from across the country, more than twice the number of visitors as had the Valentine's Day event, and 60 to 70 drivers.
"The big event turnout shows there's a lot of interest," Joshua Joiner said. "And the big driver turnout shows drivers are excited about racing on a better race track."
It didn't hurt that Hunt the Front was keeping its fans across the country apprised via video of the work they were doing at the track.
"We do have a pretty good following on YouTube. We reach a lot of people," Joshua Joiner said. "When we came in and started immediately making improvements people took notice. It drove up the excitement level."
Local businesses have chipped in as well to assist the Hunt the Front crew by buying advertisements for display at the track.
Southern Raceway's revival, and the excitement the new owners have thus far generated, comes at a time when East Milton itself is dealing with tremendous growth. As it is in many other areas off State Road 87, residential development is taking place along Nichols Lake Road.
The Joiners say they are conscious of what's going on around them. They said they intend to have all racing over and done with by 10 p.m. and will strive in every way to avoid the stigma associated with a "noisy neighbor."
"That's one thing we're going to do a better job of. We want to really strive to run an efficient program," Joshua Joiner said. "We recognize that there is development happening here and we're going to do our best to be good partners."
More: Courthouse bids offer 'golden opportunity' to transform Milton. What's next?
There's hope on the new owners' side too, that the community will accept and respect the efforts being made to revive the raceway and show some understanding for their way of life.
"This is a race track and it has been a race track since about 1989," Joshua Joiner said.
The Hunt the Front team envisions Southern Raceway as a destination track on par with Pensacola's Five Flags Speedway that hosts the popular annual Snow Ball Derby. With beaches to the south and weather conditions ideal for January and February pre-race season events for drivers, it could prove to be almost a Spring training type of attraction for racing aficionados and provide a boost to the local economy.
But that, Joshua Joiner said, is scheming best left for the future.
"We want to set this year aside to make the track better and the facility better," he said. "The big race planning can come later."
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Southern Raceway dirt track near Milton bought by Hunt the Front team
Continue reading...
Joseph, it appeared, had been born to race, and these days his success on the dirt track circuit serves as proof of that. The same could be said of his twin older brothers, Joshua and Jonathan, dirt track junkies in their own right.
Little did the brothers know though that their driving careers would lead to a successful venture into the realm of social media, and eventually catapult them to somewhat unlikely ownership of their very own race track.
The Milton area natives have recently purchased the same Southern Raceway they have raced on since their early teens and that their father and his own brother had frequented in their youth.
Joshua Joiner said the success of their YouTube vlog "Hunt the Front," which focuses on the world of dirt track racing and has grown to include a Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series and the Hunt the Front TV live streaming platform, led the Joiner boys, along with their wives, to contemplate purchasing the raceway.
"When the YouTube took off we realized we could do more to bring racing to the people," he said. "We realized in 2020 we could do a lot with it, make it a profitable business, a business that benefits us, benefits racing and benefits families."
But before the race team could initiate negotiations with the Arnold family, who had owned the 33-acre property since the late '80's, they were forced to wait until negotiations for purchase of the land by an auto salvage business owner fell through.
Like others who had grown up and still live close to the Nichols Lake Road site of Southern Raceway, the Joiners could only watch helplessly as the sale of the 33-acre property appeared imminent.
"Everybody had heard this was really close to no longer being a race track. When the sale fell through, we jumped. The next week we were talking to the owner," Joshua Joiner said. "We are going to keep this a race track. We are going to work with the county and do what we need to keep this what it is, a racetrack."
The $950,000 sale of the property was consummated Jan. 28, according to Santa Rosa County Property Appraisers Office documents.
The Joiner brothers were well aware they would have their work cut out for them when they took over the Southern Raceway venue, though they admit now they underestimated the true state of disrepair it had fallen in to.
"We were a little frustrated by the lack of maintenance at the track," Joshua Joiner said.
The sale closed on a Wednesday. The next day the Hunt the Front racing team left for Georgia for a racing weekend. They returned to Milton on Sunday and got to work returning Southern Raceway to a place it hadn't been in years.
Joshua Joiner said the $50,000 budgeted for revitalizing the raceway didn't last long. The new owners have thus far spent about $200,000 and "haven't really scratched the surface" of doing all that needs done.
"The buildings, the lighting, grand stands, concession area, bathrooms, a lot of this stuff is original since the track was built in the 1980's, that's why we're having to replace everything," Joshua Joiner said. "There's a lot of work to do and no end in sight. Just a lot of junk laying around. It takes a bit of work to operate a facility like this."
"You could spend a million dollars here and there'd still be things to do."
Jonathan chuckled as he recalled recent negotiations with a company called in to estimate the cost of updating lighting around the track facility.
"He offered to do it for $400,000. We politely told him we couldn't do that," he said. "We're working as quickly as our budget and work capacity allows."
But the brothers weren't going to let go of their dream. They realized a key to re-establishing the raceway lay in rebuilding the track that had originally brought people through the turnstiles. In dirt racing, which the brothers agree is hands down more exciting to running on asphalt, the layout of the track is the key component to creating good competition.
It didn't hurt that John, the boys' father, has worked in grading and site construction and proved more than willing to pitch in and help.
The new owners held a "soft opening" at the track Feb. 14 that attracted about 1,500 people, a number Joshua Joiner described as "unheard of" for such an event. The first actual race drew fans from across the country, more than twice the number of visitors as had the Valentine's Day event, and 60 to 70 drivers.
"The big event turnout shows there's a lot of interest," Joshua Joiner said. "And the big driver turnout shows drivers are excited about racing on a better race track."
It didn't hurt that Hunt the Front was keeping its fans across the country apprised via video of the work they were doing at the track.
"We do have a pretty good following on YouTube. We reach a lot of people," Joshua Joiner said. "When we came in and started immediately making improvements people took notice. It drove up the excitement level."
Local businesses have chipped in as well to assist the Hunt the Front crew by buying advertisements for display at the track.
Southern Raceway's revival, and the excitement the new owners have thus far generated, comes at a time when East Milton itself is dealing with tremendous growth. As it is in many other areas off State Road 87, residential development is taking place along Nichols Lake Road.
The Joiners say they are conscious of what's going on around them. They said they intend to have all racing over and done with by 10 p.m. and will strive in every way to avoid the stigma associated with a "noisy neighbor."
"That's one thing we're going to do a better job of. We want to really strive to run an efficient program," Joshua Joiner said. "We recognize that there is development happening here and we're going to do our best to be good partners."
More: Courthouse bids offer 'golden opportunity' to transform Milton. What's next?
There's hope on the new owners' side too, that the community will accept and respect the efforts being made to revive the raceway and show some understanding for their way of life.
"This is a race track and it has been a race track since about 1989," Joshua Joiner said.
The Hunt the Front team envisions Southern Raceway as a destination track on par with Pensacola's Five Flags Speedway that hosts the popular annual Snow Ball Derby. With beaches to the south and weather conditions ideal for January and February pre-race season events for drivers, it could prove to be almost a Spring training type of attraction for racing aficionados and provide a boost to the local economy.
But that, Joshua Joiner said, is scheming best left for the future.
"We want to set this year aside to make the track better and the facility better," he said. "The big race planning can come later."
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Southern Raceway dirt track near Milton bought by Hunt the Front team
Continue reading...
