HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. – Central Florida has seen plenty of issues with street racing in recent years — so much so that the state Legislature passed a new law just to help combat it (SB 1764).
However, one “Automobile Theme Park” could give wannabe street racers a new outlet for their activities.
Lead Foot City in Brooksville touts itself as “The Place for All Things Automotive,” and that’s not far from the truth.
In the past, the property has been used to host festivals, holiday events, fireworks shows, monster truck rallies, car shows and more.
However, it’s now under construction, with plans to bring plenty of new and updated features to the area, including a Burnout Pit, an autocross arena, and an amphitheater for concerts.
But perhaps most interesting is the one-eighth-mile dragstrip that’s being built on the site.
According to “Mayor” Achilles Thomas, the upcoming strip will have traditional “trees” — lights used to signal racers when to start — for drivers who want to use them, though the park is also planning to build out actual streetlights overhead to simulate pulling up to an actual city street.
“Our whole concept of the facility is designed to make it feel like it’s its own city, including the drag strip itself,” said Thomas, the park’s owner. “The way we are planning to lay it out, as well as the lighting systems and everything — it’s going to feel like a city street that you’re racing on, not a traditional drag.”
Thomas isn’t actually the mayor (because Lead Foot City isn’t actually its own township), but he told News 6 that surveyors gave him that nickname thanks to the city-like atmosphere that the park is building.
While growing up in South Florida, he frequented the Moroso Speedway — later changed to the Palm Beach International Raceway — and thanks to his family’s background in the auto industry, he wanted to bring those sorts of experiences to Hernando County.
“The whole facility itself has been designed to have the theme of being a city for gearheads, basically...” he added. “I’m the one that had the vision and everything to come up with it, and I bought the property and have been developing it for the past four years.”
Aside from the tourism appeal, Thomas hopes that the dragstrip will help stem the growing trend of street racers in Florida. In fact, he said the local sheriff’s office was interested in using Lead Foot City’s facilities to train its deputies.
The park’s website lists the track as being “designed for enthusiasts that wanna go fast in a legal, safe environment,” with street cars being a major focus.
“There’s just a tremendous amount of street racing and craziness right now all over the country,” Thomas told News 6. “And we really need more venues like what we’re building to help keep people safe and get those folks off the streets.”
According to the website, the dragstrip will feature a timing system, scoreboards, grudge racing and “other unique elements.”
“Primarily, it’ll be people bringing their own vehicles, but we do have some company vehicles,” Thomas explained. “And we are looking to offer a small fleet for people that don’t have a car to race, or they wanted to race a vehicle. Maybe it’s a corporate team-building event or something along those lines.”
Schedules and pricing have yet to be released, but Thomas said the following attractions will also be available once the park reopens:
- Nearly 5-Acre Mega Drift & Autocross Pad
- Burnout Pit
- “Grand Ole Garage” Outdoor Pavilion
- Concerts and Festivals
- Holiday Events
- Drift Karts
“We’re looking at setting up potentially some simulation racing inside the facility, and we’re also talking about doing some RC races, things along those lines,” Thomas added. “We’re really trying to set the place up to be family-friendly, which is another element that is sometimes lacking in other tracks, so to speak.”
The park is currently on track to finish construction and reopen by October later this year.
In the meantime, Lead Foot City is taking suggestions about what kinds of features visitors might be interested in.
For more information about Lead Foot City or to leave a suggestion, visit the park’s website here.
You can also watch the park’s promotional video by clicking in the media player below.