Brasstown – Ray Cook has announced “with deep regret” that Tri-County Racetrack will not be reopening to start the 2024 season.
“The Wimpey family feels that it’s best to turn the track over to a real estate agent and wait for the property to sell before it opens again,” he wrote on Facebook. “It is the Wimpey family’s wishes that it still remains a racetrack with hopes of a quick sale, so the track can reopen very soon.”
Track owner Jack Wimpey passed away at the beginning of the 2023 season. He left the track to his children, who decided to sell the 30 acres with an asking $1.25 million.
Cook said he would like to thank every fan, driver and race team that attended Tri-County during his 12 years as the promoter, as well as all of the employees, staff, sponsors and supporters, who did everything they could to help keep the track open.
“It has been a great experience, and we’ve learned so many things to do and not to do during this time that we can’t list them all,” he said. “Hopefully, this will be a very short period of time, and racing will resume at Tri-County Racetrack very soon.”
While Cook, the most well-known driver in Cherokee County history, will no longer promote at his hometown track, he’ll continue other racing pursuits. That includes promoting his promotion’s two series – the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals and Southern Nationals.
In addition, he’ll help promote a new event at I-75 Raceway, just outside of Sweetwater, Tenn. The I-75 Winter Championships will take place Jan. 25-27, 2024.
Ronnie Byers saluted Cook for keeping the track open.
“It took lot of work and dedication to see it through, and a place for the race family to come and watch,” Byers wrote on Facebook.
Tri-County Racetrack announcer Travis Dockery was “heartbroken” about the closing.
“My earliest memories are from Tri-County,” he wrote on Facebook. “Since then, I have become one of the voices of the track where I grew up. Never, ever, did I think Tri-County would have a national footprint and pay more than $20,000 to win. The little pit in Brasstown sure did well for itself.”