Mack’s Place another Darlington tradition

DARLINGTON — Mack Lemmons, 87, bought a piece of property across from the Darlington Raceway 39 years ago that had a dilapidated house on it.

He had ideas of constructing a building that would house a bait and tackle shop on one side and a liquor store on the other. He knew a lot of people traveled the road and most of them drank liquor.

But construction of Interstates 95 and 20 quashed that idea. So, he demolished the house and started parking cars on the lot during the Southern 500 and spring races at Darlington.

Then as race fans started arriving in campers and motor homes, he installed electric and water hook-ups. He has shade trees at the back of the lot, which make it even more appealing to the campers.

But the lot was open and too many people came through on their way to the races. Mack then had a 10-foot fence installed around the acre lot.

It was a good idea. The president of the raceway even called him wanting to know who installed the fence because he wanted to do the same at the raceway, except in a much larger fashion.

Mack also had stands built where vendors could sell their wares. He named the facility “Mack’s Place.”

Mack has been helped from the beginning by his son Mack Jr., who comes down from North Carolina for the races.

“I don’t allow any riffraff to stay in here,” Mack said as his son nodded his head in agreement. “I don’t allow no cursing. If anybody gets out of order, I kick them out. That’s why we’ve got people who want to stay here every year.”

But this may be the last year for Mack.

“I’m too old to do all this young stuff,”  he said Saturday during an interview in the shade of Mack’s Place. “I’m thinking this is going to be my last year and I’m going to sell this property.”

Selling aside, the raceway brings back lots of memories for both father and son. Mack attended the first Southern 500 with one of his four brothers, Liston.

“A Plymouth won that race leading the most laps in any Southern 500 to this day,” Mack said. “But Liston may have also set a record. He probably had the first car to ever be stolen from the raceway.”

It seems somebody hot wired his 1950 Ford while he was at the race.

“They found it the next day along the side of the road in North Carolina,” Mack said. “Whoever stole it ran out of gas.”

Mack Jr., 65, is retired from Proctor and Gamble. He stays in touch with his dad by phone daily and visits frequently.

“I enjoy coming to the races and helping daddy every year,” he said. “We’ve met a lot of nice people over the years.”

Among them are Butch and Shirley Compton of Williamsburg, Va. They have parked their motor homes at Mack’s Place since 1985.

“This is a nice place to stay because there’s no rowdiness,” Butch said. “It’s clean and Mr. Mack has water and electricity hook-ups. He’s always been good to us. Everybody looks out for everybody here.”

And Louis Bearden, a retired Southern Baptist preacher, resides in the motor home next to the Comptons.

“All my family used to come, but they’ve all gotten old now,” Bearden, 73, said. “This may be my last race. The races aren’t what they used to be. I don’t like this nighttime stuff.

“But you will never find a nicer person than Mr. Mack. He’s the reason people come back to his lot year after year.”

Bearden likes racing because of the people and the atmosphere.

“Racing fans are the greatest people in the world,” he said. “They are three cuts above the fans in other sports like football.”