Richard Gluth envisioned a lengthy overhaul of Franklin County Speedway when he leased the Callaway track from longtime owner Whitey Taylor in January.

With the first season under new management set to conclude next weekend, track regulars say the environment at the historically contentious venue is already a long haul from where it used to be.

The introduction of a weekly Kids Club, the implementation of a zero tolerance policy for repugnant conduct and an increased resolve for facility improvements have made the track more fan- and racer-friendly in 2007.

Gluth, who leased the speedway for five years, says the upgrades are just beginning.

“The whole thing is a work in progress,” said the first-year track promoter, who also owns Gluth Construction Co. in Daleville. “This thing wasn’t like starting out from zero and working your way up. We were starting out at probably negative 40 and working our way back to zero. And I think where we are right now is a 10 or a 12.”

Tenants of the three-eighths mile asphalt oval didn’t have to wait long to witness stricter enforcement of the rules. At the first race of the season in March, Gluth ejected a longtime driver from the premises for wrecking a competitor. He also barred another driver in another division for similar reasons later in the year.

Gluth’s policy toward fighting in the pits is even more straightforward: Strike one constitutes a two-race suspension and a $500 fine; strike two means expulsion.

So far, competitors seem to have gotten the message. As of late last week, there had been no punches thrown among drivers in 2007.

“If you don’t learn the first time, then the second time you do it you need to go find another place to race,” Gluth said.

The serene surroundings are the antithesis of the 2005 season when longtime track attendee Tangie Bush of Roanoke County remembers a fight in which a track employee was struck in the head with a crowbar while trying to break up a brawl.

“It’s been bad,” Bush said.

All the unrest led Bush to attend races at Motor Mile Speedway in Pulaski County in 2006. She came back to Franklin County this year because the new management made the surroundings more comfortable, she said.

“Just entering the track is a lot different,” she said.

Making the venue more attractive to families with children has been a priority of the Kids Club, which allows children from ages 6 to 11 to participate in games, crafts and other activities on race nights. The club also brings youngsters together before each race to decorate a UCAR  with watercolor paints. If that car wins the race, the children are invited to Victory Lane to have their pictures taken. Some weeks, children take part in bicycle races and win trophies for their participation.

“The track is a gold mine,” said Rocky Mount resident Joe Michael, who has attended races at Franklin County for 25 years. “The track has so much potential, and Richard is bringing that potential back to the track.”

Tink Reedy , a Roanoke driver who had raced at Franklin County just once in the past decade before this season, has made four starts at the track in 2007. Reedy quit competing at Franklin County for a while partly because he didn’t feel the track was a safe place for his family to watch a race.

That’s all changed now.

“The new management has done an excellent job as far as I’m concerned,” said Reedy, noting upgrades to the concession foods and restrooms in addition to the more family-oriented environment. “They’ve cleaned it up. They’re not finished cleaning it up by no means, but he’s done an excellent job for the first year.”