Past flew under radar
Developer for Wilkes racetrack plan has legal, financial trouble
NORTH WILKESBORO (By Monte Mitchell, Winston-Salem Journal) - A few months after former Winston Cup champion racer Benny Parsons died in January 2007, county leaders introduced his widow to a man who had a plan to resurrect the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The speedway had sat dormant and crumbling since its last race in 1996, mourned by a community eager to see it shine again. Its potential to create jobs and attract spending from race fans made it a target for economic development.
Don Alexander, the director of the Wilkes County Economic Development Corp., and County Commissioner Charlie Sink visited Benny's widow, Terri Parsons, to introduce Alton McBride Jr. because they knew she had wide and deep roots in racing.
County leaders had heard dozens of proposals for the speedway but thought this one by McBride and his associates had by far the greatest potential of becoming a reality.
What they didn't know was that McBride was in bankruptcy proceedings. Legal struggles in both his marriage and business had ruined him financially. Both legal dealings became drawn out when he repeatedly refused to obey court orders and was repeatedly cited for contempt, according to court documents.
He'd been jailed for not paying court-ordered support to his ex-wife, and had gotten out of jail in January 2007 only after a judge ruled he didn't appear capable of paying.
Three months later, he was in Wilkes County talking to county leaders about reviving the speedway.
NORTH WILKESBORO (By Monte Mitchell, Winston-Salem Journal) - A few months after former Winston Cup champion racer Benny Parsons died in January 2007, county leaders introduced his widow to a man who had a plan to resurrect the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The speedway had sat dormant and crumbling since its last race in 1996, mourned by a community eager to see it shine again. Its potential to create jobs and attract spending from race fans made it a target for economic development.
Don Alexander, the director of the Wilkes County Economic Development Corp., and County Commissioner Charlie Sink visited Benny's widow, Terri Parsons, to introduce Alton McBride Jr. because they knew she had wide and deep roots in racing.
County leaders had heard dozens of proposals for the speedway but thought this one by McBride and his associates had by far the greatest potential of becoming a reality.
What they didn't know was that McBride was in bankruptcy proceedings. Legal struggles in both his marriage and business had ruined him financially. Both legal dealings became drawn out when he repeatedly refused to obey court orders and was repeatedly cited for contempt, according to court documents.
He'd been jailed for not paying court-ordered support to his ex-wife, and had gotten out of jail in January 2007 only after a judge ruled he didn't appear capable of paying.
Three months later, he was in Wilkes County talking to county leaders about reviving the speedway.
posted by BP News Bureau | 8:42 PM
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