Fenley Shop Sold: NASCAR legend Bud Moore’ Spartanburg-based racing operation were sold at public auction Monday at the county courthouse. The Fairview Avenue race shop that once was home to such legendary drivers as Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough and, more recently, Fenley Motorsports Inc. fetched a price of $50,000. The buyer: Dawsonville, Ga.-based Ernie Elliott Inc., which had successfully brought a real estate mortgage foreclosure action against Fenley Motorsports. (Elliott) just wants to recoup what he’ owed on the note from the Fenleys by selling the building and grounds, said Georgia banker Robert R. Schuetze, who attended Monday morning’ auction with Elliott’ Spartanburg attorney, Max B. Cauthen Jr. The auction was scheduled in late February, when Spartanburg County Master-in-Equity Roger L. Couch ruled in favor of Elliott in his foreclosure action against Fenley Motorsports. Ernie Elliott Inc. had claimed that in June 2000, Fenley put up the race shop and grounds as security for $793,348.34 that Fenley agreed to pay within six months in return for leased engines, an engine technician and other services. In a two-hour Equity Court hearing, Ernie Elliott claimed Fenley had paid nothing on the money owed. He said he wanted the race shop and grounds sold to satisfy the debt. The sale of the Fenley race shop leaves no other potential Spartanburg County-based NASCAR Winston Cup racing operation on the horizon. Moore was at the back of the crowd that had gathered on the courthouse’ third floor during the bidding. He owned the race shop for four decades before selling it to California entrepreneur Robert Fenley’ organization in September 1999. Moore, who was accompanied by his son, Greg, said afterward that he showed up purely out of curiosity.(Herald-Journal)(4-4-2002)
