Eastern Kentucky leisure road to host state’s first rally car race

A winding one-and-a-half lane road on Pine Mountain will be home to the state’s first NASA Rally Sport race Saturday.

Harlan and Letcher counties are hoping to draw attention to Eastern Kentucky, bring in tourists and therefore economic success. The counties’ leadership will also determine if racing is a viable option to generate revenue for their communities that have relied on coal businesses that have now mostly vanished.

Sixteen cars will go speeding up and down 12.4 miles of Little Shepherd Trail Saturday morning, trying for the best time in 84 miles.

Erik Hubbard, the director of Backroads of Appalachia, grew up in the region and wanted to provide an economic opportunity for his hometown. He thinks tourism is the solution.

Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley is hopeful the NASA Rally Sport race will succeed, but some residents are questioning the race.

Why is it on Little Shepherd Trail, an ecological haven, and not an abandon strip mine? Why is the race happening during the coronavirus pandemic? Will people try to race down the trail for days and months after?

Jennifer Honeycutt, a Letcher County resident, frequently drives the Little Shepherd Trail enjoying the twitter of birds, the flutter of butterflies and the way the sunset shines through the trees, creating a stained glass window look for less than two minutes.

She is not against racing, but she thinks the location should be changed to an abandoned strip mine, which would be a win-win in her mind, bringing in tourists who want to enjoy the beauty of Little Shepherd Trail and others who enjoy car races.

During the race, she is worried about drivers traveling the road at a high speed. A wrong move could lead a car down a steep drop off or an animal might cross the road at the wrong moment. The trail is known as a no fault road, which both drivers are responsible for an accident. She’s also concerned about cars driving over one-of-a-kind plants near the side of the road.

“This is an Eden and people living here don’t know that,” she said, as she drove through Little Shepherd Trail pointing out the diverse plant and animal life, along with litter, spray painted rocks and ATV tracks.

Don Fields, the owner of Pro-Fitness Multisports in Prestonsburg, frequently rides his bike on the trail. He said Little Shepherd Trail is the wrong place to have the race. His concern isn’t on race day with the possible damage to the ecosystem or the safety.

It’s the after effects, he said. Once the race was announced his thought was “how fast could I drive Little Shepherd Trail?”

“Little Shepherd Trail is for driving,” he said. “It’s not a race track.”

Fields grew up going to the race track and said he loves racing. He would rather see a permanent home for the race on a former mining site. It could also be a permanent tourism destination instead of a one-time event.

Roy Crawford, who serves or previously served on the Pine Mountain Trail Conference, Kentucky Natural Lands Trust and Pine Mountain Settlement School boards, has issues with the location and the timing of the race.

He said he is worried in two weeks Letcher and Harlan counties will see a spike in COVID-19 cases that are tied back to the NASA Sport Rally race.

Hubbard said organizers will go “above and beyond” health guidelines by requiring spectators and race participants to wear a mask. After a warning, he will ask them to leave. They will also have masks available for attendees.

Mosley said the county will be supplying hand sanitizer stations.

He said this race is different than most where spectators crowd in stands. Social distancing is possible.

“I don’t have concerns something like this will cause an outbreak,” Mosley said. “It’s going to be an isolated event. You’re not going to see people compacting.”

Spectators will not be allowed on the trail, but can watch at Kingdom Come State Park or the U.S. 119 overlook at the top of Pine Mountain.

Each of the 16 participating cars will have a driver and three passengers mapping out the course Friday afternoon, becoming experts of the trail. To him, the location is a perfect fit. It’s a technical and crooked road and not in a residential area. The race will leave no footprint, he said.

“We’re not here to make this a bad thing,” he said. “We’re not here to destroy the environment.”

Mosley, who said he understands the uneasiness of some residents, said organizers have promised to leave Little Shepherd Trail better than they found it.

Letcher County Judge-Executive Terry Adams did not respond to interview requests.

This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 3:43 PM.