On this episode of Tony Fords and Mustangs I'm going to talk to you about how I get track time
in and it's relatively affordable. This video is on the Rally North America Drives 7 Event. The
good news is there's two events coming up, one next spring, and one next fall which will have
very similar itineraries. Located on a high plateau in the Allegheny Mountains nestled in one of West
Virginia's largest state parks you will find the Canaan Valley Resort. It's been listed among the
50 greatest places to stay by the Washingtonian Magazine and it served as a launch point for
Rally North America Drives 7. Drives events are open to anyone regardless of make or model. We
do cover a couple hundred miles each day, many of the roads are twisty back roads, and there
are always track events along the way, so you need to be comfortable in whatever vehicle you bring.
Time to go!
We make our way through the West Virginia back roads to a place located at 4863 feet above
sea level. Spruce Knob is West Virginia's highest peak. We made our way up and teams were treated
to great views of the scenery surrounding the area. The drive to the top was on a twisty road
and our arrival on a Monday morning meant that we were almost the only cars on that road. Next
up was the Green Bank Telescope. Weighing in at almost 17 million pounds, and standing over 480
feet above ground level, it is the world's largest, fully steerable, radio telescope. The size is quite
impressive when you see it up close. After stopping in for a quick photo op we make our way alongside
mountain roads to Cass Scenic Railroad Park. The town of Cass remains relatively unchanged since
its founding in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. Cass was built as a company town for
loggers who worked in the nearby mountains. In July 1960 the mill and railroad were shut down
due to the rapid decline in the timber industry. In 1961 Cass was brought into the West Virginia state
park system. Over the years the railroad was turned into a tourist line and the town was repaired and
restored to its original glory. Teams participated in a walking tour in this piece of forgotten
history. Next up was Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park. November 1863 the Federal Army of
Brigadier General William A. Arvell attempted for the second time to disrupt the Virginia-Tennessee
railroad system at Salem, Virginia. Arvell and his troops faced the Confederate troops of Brigadier
General John Eckles. This area was in dispute until operations in the Shenandoah Valley in the
spring of 1864 drew the remaining Confederate troops out of West Virginia. Thus leaving the
new state securely under the control of the federal government for the remainder of the war.
We make a lunch stop in Lewisburg, West Virginia and then teams made their way to Motor Mile
Speedway where they made passes down the eighth mile drag strip. Many teams made several passes
and a few teams made only one or two. We pretty much ran until the drivers or the cars decided
it was time to call it a day then we made our way to the Jackson Park Inn. It's kind
of a unique place. It was converted in 2015 from a 1920s grocery warehouse as a historic
preservation project. The renovation respected many of the building's original features includes aged
brick, exposed posts, beams, and timbers, wide plank wood floors are showcased throughout the hotel's
three floors. It also houses Al's On First. It's a great restaurant we had a nice dinner afterwards
teams spent the evening discussing the day's drive out in front of the hotel's common area.
Which featured working gas fire pits and very comfortable seating. We begin day two with a walk from
the hotel across the street to the Radcliffe Transportation Museum. It has a unique blend of
local and national exhibits. They highlight the cultural significance of the railroad and early
transportation in small town living. It features a model of Pulaski of years past with a full-size
working train setup. Our next stop was the Glencoe Mansion and its historical exhibits. The museum
tells the story of the Wharton family and their role in the southwest Virginia's post-civil War
development. The exhibits both permanent and temporary explore the history and culture of
Radford and the surrounding region. We then jump on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles and make a
stop at the Mabry Mill. The Mabry Mill was a community center for The Meadows of Dan area when
it operated as a Gristmill and Sawmill. There are several still functioning exhibits. Which
include the Sawmill. Teams could see how this place operated in the early 1900s. Just down
the road we make a stop at the Chateau Morissette Winery. It is known for its quality Virginia wines
and its scenic location along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Drive's participants, at least those not
driving, could partake in a tasting of what this winery has to offer. Some tasted a bit more than
others. Our lunch stop for the day was the Stuart Family Restaurant. This has been family owned and
operated since 1981. It's a local favorite. They serve traditional southern comfort foods
and large portions. We make our way to the Wood Brothers Racing Museum. The Wood Brothers Racing
story began 72 years ago when family patriarch Glen Wood decided to try racing. The elder Wood went
on to race on the beach in Daytona and become one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers and in 1965 Glen
became a full-time owner. 20 of NASCAR's greatest drivers have driven for Wood Brother Racing. That
list includes, let me take a breath here, Curtis Turner, Tiny Lloyd, Fireball Roberts, Bob Weldon,
Dale Jarrett, A.J. Foyt, Glen Wood, Buddy Baker, Marvis Panch, Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough, Ned Jarrett,
Fred Lorenz, David Pearson, Joe Weatherly, Ralph Earnhardt, Neil Bonnett, Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin, and
Bill Elliott. Their museum is filled with NASCAR related memorabilia and stock cars from years
past. It is almost overwhelming and well worth stopping at. Our hotel and dinner stop for the
evening was the Berry Hill Resort. Berry Hill was almost the last of the great houses to be built
in Virginia. Its entire composition is is on it as grand the scale as any of Virginia's domestic
architecture. It is a notable achievement particularly when you consider that it's character completion is
in such a remote area of the Commonwealth. This isolation gives the entire composition an almost
theatrical era of romanticism. It was at this point a couple of cats decided to get up close
and personal with the Ferrari Tributo. Believe it or not these photos have been seen roughly
a couple hundred thousand times on the internet. Yes cats win the internet, some things never change.
Our first stop on the third and final day of the event was the Petty Museum. This place is filled
with testaments of the unparalleled success of one of the founding families of stock car racing.
There's a lot to see at this location. The original shop where it all started is there, it makes up one
of several buildings in the complex. There's so much more here than just racing. We spent the
better part of an hour and a half here even though we had two track events lined up for the day. The
first track event would be on Rockingham Raceway. The Rock was closed from 2015 to 2018 however a
new ownership group has the track on the rebound. It was a thrill to be driving in the tire tracks
of some of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR. As a bonus "Talladega Nights the ballet
of Ricky Bobby's" track sequences were filmed here as well. You're not on fire Ricky Bobby
I'm on fire! You're not a fire. We took Pace laps here at speeds of slightly over 100 miles an hour. That
was all the F-150 Pace truck and it's skilled driver could give us, but it was more than satisfying.
We then directly went to Carolina Motorsports Park. Now they call themselves "the road racing
center of the Carolinas". After spending an hour and a half there I don't think any of our teams
would disagree with that statement. We did a few pace laps get familiar with the corners on the
track and after a quick safety meeting we were off for our hot lap sessions with limited passing
zones. This track is a full 2.3 mile road course. At times I pass cars, other times I was passed. I
think that's the case for all but a couple of us. One thing I know is we had a great time there and
the folks that ran the place were very professional. It's a facility that we will surely visit in the
future. Our final stop for the day was dinner. It was at Wild Heart Brewing Company. It's less than
a half a block from our final Hotel. Teams eat, try out some of the craft beers, and take some
of their final photos of the week. We leave the brewery but most of the group hangs out
in front of the hotel. We spend time in the evening reminiscing about all the things we had seen and
done over the last three days. Some of them say their goodbyes, me I prefer to say, hey we'll see
you next spring. So there you have it. That's our Rally North America Drives Event. When you show
up your hotel rooms are paid for, your dinners are paid for, your breakfasts are paid for, your track
rentals are paid for, the only thing you got to really pay for is lunch, and this is for two people,
you have to pay for lunch, and you'll have to pay admittance at some of the museums as we go along.
Overall you're looking a little north of two grand. About the same cost as two of you going
to the beach for you know a few days, and you go to the beach you're going to see sand, maybe some
water, some people in bathing suits that you probably don't want to see in bathing suits.
This is my kind of vacation. If it's your kind of vacation stay tuned. I'll put a link
down below to Rally North America and their events and they'll tell you how you can sign
up if you want to go. The one in the spring has already penciled in Lime Rock which is a very
historic road course. I've never been on it. I'm looking forward to it. Who knows maybe I'll see
one of you out there as well. Do me a favor hit the like button, hit the Subscribe button,
it's really appreciated it would help me out tremendously. Until next time, we'll see ya.
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