PALATKA, Fla. — Scott Legasse Sr. and his son, Scott Legasse Jr., two former NASCAR drivers and natives of Putnam County, are one step closer to bringing a $200 million racetrack to Palatka.
Earlier this week, the Putnam County planning commission unanimously voted in favor of the racetrack they’ve applied to build by the Palatka Municipal Airport through their St. Augustine-based race team, Team SLR.
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“As far as I’m concerned, this is a diamond in the rough,” said Scott Legasse Jr. “The location is very unique and second to none that we’re aware of.”
Documents from the racetrack application haven’t shown what it would be called, but they do say the speedway would be a facility to train amateur and professional race car drivers. The more than 440-acre property will also set aside space for shops and residential space, possibly in the form of a hotel.
“We have the ability here to build something that nobody’s ever done in regards to a relatively safe training facility,” Legasse Jr. said.
Legasse Jr. hasn’t shared exactly how long it would take to build the speedway, if it gets approved. But he tells Action News Jax that his father first came up with the idea about 12 years ago, but he and his son have only been working on it for the last four to five years.
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Though it’s been getting a mix of reactions from people living in Putnam County, Legasse Jr. isn’t planning on shifting gears in his drive to bring a racetrack to his hometown.
“It is going to be a world-class location,” said Legasse Jr.
The racetrack still needs final approval from the Putnam County board of county commissioners before it’s green-lit to be built. The board’s next meeting is scheduled for August 26th.
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