NASCAR Stars Lend Support To Smyth County, Va., Resort Project

MARION, Va. – Five NASCAR celebrities announced their support on Thursday for the Sheridan Ridge resort project, whose developers plan 500 homes for the steep slopes of Walker and Little Brushy mountains.

"We’re going to be involved. We’re not just putting our names on this thing," said former crew chief and racing analyst Jeff Hammond, who added Sheridan Ridge has a winning team.

The project has grown substantially since it was first announced – and since a press conference more than a year ago when a promised appearance by NASCAR drivers did not occur.

The property is situated between two tracts of national forest land near Hungry Mother State Park. The planned project area stretches from Nebo Mountain road at the northeast corner to the vicinity of Snider Branch Road at its south end.



"I couldn’t be more thrilled," Lou Ann Earnhardt, the project’s visionary, said during an interview after Thursday’s media event.

"It’s been three years of a lot of ups and downs, and we have persevered through some hard times, but with a lot of confidence from a lot of people, we’ve overcome a lot of stumbling blocks."

Earnhardt, who is not a blood relative of the NASCAR racing Earnhardt family, said building lots will likely be offered for sale in the next 60 days.

Early last year, the project faced opposition and controversy as Sheridan Ridge Private Reserve sought zoning changes and a special-use permit.

Critics said it would destroy the environment and shut out local residents, and they questioned the legitimacy of the project’s backers. However, many local residents also spoke in favor of the development at a public hearing.

Ultimately, the Smyth County Board of Supervisors decided in favor of the zoning changes and the special-use permit; but by that time, the project’s financing had fallen through.

In August, Sheridan Ridge purchased the 1,400-acre property for $12.7 million, making the biggest land deal in Smyth County’s history. More than 500 houses and a 53-acre "village center" with shops and amenities are planned for the wooded site.

E.B. Vaughn, who described himself as "the road builder" for the project, said he’s used to dealing with mountainous terrain, and work will begin soon with local contractors.

"We’re not up there to strip the mountain," Vaughn said. "We’re going to be here for a long time. We want to be a neighbor, and we want to be a member of the family."

Smyth County Zoning Administrator Clegg Williams said the plat and the plan for erosion and sediment control have been approved for Phase I of the project.

This phase – the first of six, according to a map distributed Thursday – is to contain some of the development’s priciest houses, including those for NASCAR celebrities.

Their plans to build vacation homes here is a selling point of the resort, along with its proximity to four NASCAR tracks, its mountain scenery and access to Jefferson National Forest.

In addition to Hammond, advisory board members who spoke at Thursday’s press conference included drivers Tony Stewart, Elliott Sadler and Denny Hamlin, and Stewart’s crew chief Greg Zipadelli. Each spoke about an aspect of the resort that Sheridan Ridge is seeking to promote.

"It won’t be uncommon to see us down at the lodge or down at the village pub," said Stewart, who said Sheridan Ridge would be a great place to go after race weekend.

Zipadelli said it would be a place to spend "some good quality time" with his family, and Sadler touted its outdoor appeal.

"Something my dad and I do a lot is hunt and fish," Sadler said. "I can’t wait to bring my dad up here to enjoy the mountains."

Hamlin talked about a planned amphitheater, saying, "While they’re resting up in their cabins with their families, I’ll be jamming to the music."

And, he added, "It’s just going to be really fun to know you can come up here and get away and talk to local race fans who just came from the race just like you did."

Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Pat Gottschalk also endorsed the project, adding that Gov. Tim Kaine supports it as well.

"It will be a place that anybody can sort of come and vacation and spend some time ... so it is a real tourism asset and an economic development asset," said Gottschalk, who added that it would have a "solid economic impact" on Smyth County and the region.

Gottschalk said he looks forward to working with the developers "to get this project done in a very timely but also a very nice manner."

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