Herm & Schrader Podcast: William Scoggin – Why Clarksville Speedway Is Closing Down

Date: November 26, 2025
Hosts: Kenny Wallace & Ken Schrader
Guest: William Scoggin (Owner, Clarksville Speedway)
Podcast Presented by: SiriusXM, Dirty Mo Media

Episode Overview

In this raw and revealing episode, Kenny Wallace sits down with legendary Clarksville Speedway promoter William Scoggin to share the story of why the celebrated Tennessee dirt track is closing after 26 years. The conversation peels back the real struggles, grit, and heart behind running a local racetrack, while highlighting the city’s plans for expansion and how racing culture is shifting in America. Wallace and Scoggin recount unforgettable stories—some hilarious, some poignant—reflecting on what it means to run a grassroots venue and the legacy left behind.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Sale of Clarksville Speedway

• The City of Clarksville is expanding a five-lane road (Needmore Road) that will take over the land where the speedway resides.
• This process has been ongoing for about six years and involved multiple negotiations, city hall discussions, and maneuverings.
• Scoggin describes the decision to sell as “bittersweet,” citing 26 years of non-stop work, two heart attacks, and the inevitability of retirement, even though he still doesn't know exactly what's next.
  • “Nothing lasts forever. And sooner or later, you have to retire a little bit. I’ve had two heart attacks. […] When you work eight days a week and people say there ain’t eight days…but buy you a racetrack, you’ll find eight days to work.” – William Scoggin (03:09)

Final Nights & Legacy Events

• The Final Night at Clarksville (07:14):
  ‣ Over 180 race cars and a huge crowd attended.
  ‣ Reminisces about running free fan appreciation nights, battling unpredictable weather ("the last race I ever had, 26 years ago, it rained…"), limited help, and the chaos of race day.
• Facebook and rumors: Scoggin avoids social media arguments, noting that most critics "really don't know what's going on," and instead focuses on genuine interaction.

The Iconic “Toilet Bowl” and “Plunger” Races

• Origins of the Toilet Bowl (13:25):
  ‣ Scoggin famously embraced the humor and humility of grassroots racing, creating the “Toilet Bowl” event as an inside joke when he bought the track:
  • "When I bought the racetrack, I said to a number of people...I've done asphalt, I sold parts...I said, I’m going to the crapper on this. So that’s how I came up with it." – William Scoggin (13:25) ‣ The Friday night “Plunger” and Saturday’s “Toilet Bowl” became legendary.

The Reality & Innovation of Promoting

• Promoting is non-stop, requiring creativity and a willingness to try anything. Scoggin diversified beyond just racing: ‣ Drag racing, drifting, autocross, carnivals, midnight madness, gun shows, flea markets, light displays, roller derby, and more.
  • “You have to use your property for every ounce it can get. You can't just run one time a week. You have to run multiple things." – William Scoggin (22:05)
• Notably, Scoggin pioneered on-site ATMs when others only dealt in cash, and is always hands-on with all aspects of the business—sometimes even scraping snow off the racetrack to keep events running.

The Changing Economics of Dirt Track Racing

• Local racing is in crisis except for premier events.
  • "Local racing's dead...I've won enough races all across the United States. I have the authority. I am a badass. I said it. Local racing's dead." – Kenny Wallace (21:09)
• To survive, tracks need to monetize every aspect of their property, as purses and operational costs massively outweigh typical gate receipts.
  • "When you look at a 10,000 to win purse, it costs the racetrack five times that amount. You've got to pay them all to leave." – William Scoggin (27:09)
• Scoggin developed events like legal “donuts” (burnouts and stunts) to attract car culture youth and turn dangerous illegal activities into safe, profitable events.
  • 80–100 cars now show up just to do donuts legally (23:33).

The Harsh Math of Promoting

• Scoggin detailed the financial breakdown of an $80,000 payout race night, emphasizing high risks and razor-thin break-evens.
  • “Most people cannot understand or concept that we are risking what people make in two years in one night...You need 2,000 people to break even." – William Scoggin (46:59, 50:55)
• "You have to do everything you can to bring in revenue. Dirt tracks and drag racing, you have to pay them to leave. This is where most promoters miss the boat." (26:33)
• Taxes, insurance, utility bills (e.g., $10,000/month electric, $50,000/year property taxes) eat away at profit potential (48:57).

Promoter Philosophy

• The most stressful part of the job: Opening the gates.
  • "Once the gates get open, it's an animal on its own...But getting the gates open to me is the hardest thing to do." (44:00)
• Success requires being a little “off-center”—embracing craziness, hustle, and willingness to do whatever it takes.
  • Wallace likens Scoggin and Jerry Hoffman to “off center” hustlers who get it done by being different (45:38).

The Changing Culture of Racing

• Societal shifts—changing work ethics, technology, TV, and social media—are affecting both attendance and the willingness of young people to “do the work” racing demands.
  • "These kids nowadays don’t want to work. My midnight madness…it's all kids in their personal vehicles…You can't imagine how, just, as soon as they get to the traps, I'm sending the next cars." (56:30)
• Scoggin argues that TV broadcasts help local tracks but can hurt touring series, especially for marquee events, by siphoning off live attendance (58:17).

The Emotional End & Looking Forward

• Scoggin on not knowing his exact next move but vowing not to build another racetrack. Potential for consulting, running events at other venues, or renting tracks for special events (52:04).
• Closure of tracks like Paducah is lamented for shrinking the grassroots racer population—most won’t move to other tracks.
  • "A racetrack closing down doesn’t help. It hurts. Most of your racers are going to quit. You're going to lose 50% of your racers because they're not going to go to another racetrack." (53:33)
• Grateful reflections on teamwork: family, staff, sponsors, and racers are the backbone:
  • “Without the fans, we are nothing. And the drivers and the sponsors, everybody that's helped me along in my career, I deeply appreciate it so much...This is not a one person's job. This is ours. I never said I own the racetrack. I said, this is our racetrack." – William Scoggin (62:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you buy a boat, you go to the lake...You spend $100,000, nobody cares. But if you buy a race car, you want to get paid. That blows me away.” – Kenny Wallace (31:34)
• “This is a drug for these guys—racing takes over your life and that’s what it does. It’s about the win, the money’s gone.” – William Scoggin (32:09)
• “We are as people...the times have changed. I remember when I bought this place, we had two street stock features. Now you’re lucky to get one.” – William Scoggin (55:27)
• “You're dealing with crazy people.” – Kenny Wallace, on what it takes to be a dirt track promoter (46:29)
• “Don’t it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put in a parking lot.” – Kenny Wallace quoting Joni Mitchell (54:40)
• “My driver's meetings are colorful, and I dropped the F-word a lot, but that’s the way it is.” – William Scoggin (63:11)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |--------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 02:22 | Why did you sell the speedway? | | 04:00 | Reflecting on 'it's time' to hand off a racetrack | | 07:14 | The final night at Clarksville: fan stories, chaos | | 13:14 | Legend of the Toilet Bowl race begins | | 16:13 | How to survive: innovation and diversification | | 21:09 | Local racing is dead except premier events | | 23:33 | ‘Donuts’ event draws youth & new revenue | | 26:33 | Promoting means using every ounce of the property | | 27:09 | Real cost vs. payout of races – the tough math | | 31:34 | Culture: Racing for love not money | | 44:00 | The hardest part: opening the gates on race night | | 46:59 | An $80,000 night: breaking down the finances | | 55:27 | Societal changes and racing attendance | | 58:17 | Broadcasting: TV helps and hurts | | 62:50 | Final reflections on the people behind Clarksville |

Final Thoughts

Kenny Wallace’s conversation with William Scoggin offers a unique, unvarnished masterclass in what it takes to run (and close) an American grassroots racetrack. Through stories both wild and wise, Scoggin reveals the relentless hustle, heartbreak, and creativity behind the gates of Clarksville Speedway. The episode stands as both an elegy and a how-to for anyone daring to keep racing dreams alive in a changing world.

For visuals from this interview, visit the Kenny Wallace YouTube Show. To listen to this and other episodes, subscribe to Dirty Mo Media.