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By Lynda Hollenbeck
Courier Staff When Nathan and Shelly Mann planned a Saturday rally to garner support for a legal drag strip they want to open at the old Benton airport, they optimistically hoped to draw 1,000 to 2,500 people.
They weren’t prepared for what happened, Shelly Mann said at 4 p.m.
“We’ve gotten just about 5,000 signatures,” she said. “We are really pleased. We had no idea that we would get this many people.
“I had petitions that could accommodate up to 3,000 signatures, but I had to go get more copies made,” she said. “This has been very overwhelming.”
She said the event drew people of all ages.
“We’ve had lots of teenagers, but a lot more adults,” Mann explained. “One man in his 70s and his wife were here. They said they definitely support it.”
She noted that Clayton Magby, a 70-year-old who lives on Jefferson Street, which is near the airport site, signed the petition and said he’s in favor of it. He said if there was “anything he could do to spread the word in his age group, he would help us.”
Mann said the youngest person to sign the petition was 16. “We wanted them to be at least 18, but many people brought their little ones with them and many of the teenagers had their parents’ consent to sign the petition.”
Mann said she and her husband are delighted with the response.
“We must be doing something right,” she said. “I hope it does the trick.”
The rally at Watts Field started at 10 a.m., and a steady stream of people came to the site throughout the day, Mann said.
Among those arriving shortly after the event began were Gary Pinkerton and Gene Horton. Both said they support the Manns’ project.
Charles Criswell of Bryant is another who came out to show his support for the Manns’ proposal.
“I think it’s great. I don’t race, but I’m a spectator,” Criswell said. “I like to watch racing.”
Debbie Frost, another racing fan who favors the project, said she thinks there would have been even more people if the weather had not been so cold.
Roy Goshien of Bryant voiced his enthusiasm for the proposed drag strip. “I think it’s good to have something like this that will keep the kids off the street and let them drive in a safe place.”
Bob Richardson, an active member of a local model airplane club that has held shows at the site, said he thinks a drag strip would bring many people into Benton. “We’re planning a big airplane show in June, but it wouldn’t interfere with this. When it’s hot, they will have races at night and we’re through by about 4 p.m.
“I look forward to working with Nathan. I think it would be a great thing to have something like this to give the kids something to do and bring other young people into Benton.”
Also favoring the track is Archie Bernard Sr. , who called the concept “great.”
Carrie Andrews, who has teen-aged sons, said the drag strip would “give kids an opportunity to race in a safe environment.”
“We know there are a lot of them that do it, and this would make it safe. It would take them off the streets.”
Linda Mann, mother of Nathan Mann, said it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that she supports the drag strip her son wants to build.
The Manns say they welcome phone calls from people wanting to know more about the proposed drag strip. Interested people can call 580-5404 and 580-5406.
Nathan Mann said he especially welcomes calls from people who have reservations about the drag strip. “I believe I could ease their minds.”
Mann is confident that concerns that have been raised about excessive noise are without merit.
“Only cars with mufflers can be raced. They have to be legal on the street and have to be licensed and insured. This would be regulated with a decibel gauge.”
Mann said no cars allowed on the track would be louder than the loudest plane that flew into Watts Field.
“I guarantee that noise will not be a problem,” he said, noting that the track would not produce noise exceeding that of the vehicles on Interstate 30.
Mann, a lifetime racing enthusiast, operates Mann’s Speed in Little Rock. He said he believes Watts Field would be an ideal location for a drag strip.
The airport closed last year after the new Saline County Airport opened in Bryant. The site is off Interstate 30 on Airlane Drive and is adjacent to the Saline County Fairgrounds.
Mann’s project would not include souped-up race cars; only traditional, street-legal vehicles equipped with mufflers will be allowed on the track, he said.
Noting that the site he hopes to lease is behind Holland Chapel Baptist Church, Mann said he does not plan to hold any races on Sundays.
He said he is aware that “the church isn’t for this” and added that he respects the congregation’s stance. “I don’t want to cause problems for anyone.”
Mann said the city of Benton would not be out any expense if he is allowed to lease the site to develop the drag strip. “The financing will come out of my pocket and a couple of investors,’” he explained.
He believes the strip would draw people from all parts of the state, which is in keeping with city officials’ goals to attract visitors to the city.
He said he would carry the insurance for the strip, absolving the city of any liability in the unfortunate event of injuries or worse.
He also said he would hire off-duty police officers and emergency medical technicians to be at the strip when races are scheduled, he said.
He contends that building the strip would provide a worthwhile activity for young people. “It will keep them here and give them a place to race. It should eliminate illegal street races, which do take place in Benton.”
The strip he wants to build would be an eighth of a mile in length, which is 660 feet, he said.
“The kind of cars we’ll allow are not like the cars that race on the I-30 track. Those cars have no mufflers ... ,” Nathan Mann said.
Speeds of the vehicles at the race track will range from 70 mph to 140 mph, he said. “This is not for full-fledged drag cars and funny cars. It could be a really great thing for the community.”
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