NATCHEZ &045;&045; Airport commissioners will travel to a drag strip in Lucas this weekend to get a better feel for how such a strip would affect Adams County.

Many racers at the Finish Line Dragway will be Natchez residents who are in support of a speedway that would be located on a closed runway at the Natchez-Adams County Airport.

David Wilson and David Cavin, who presented the idea in January, received some negative response from residents who live near the airport. Concerns included increased traffic and noise.

The strip in Lucas, a community near Monticello, will have races of three different types Saturday starting at noon. The proposed Natchez speedway would be similar to this one.

&uot;Realistically this is something that would be going on here on a regular basis,&uot; airport Manager Clint Pomeroy said. &uot;That’s why we wanted to go.&uot;

Pomeroy said airport commissioners would watch Saturday’s races, take notes and measure noise levels.

Wilson said he hoped the trip would help commissioners make a decision.

&uot;Basically, we’ve been waiting on them to go to this track and see what it’s about,&uot; said Wilson, who will be racing Saturday.

Wilson said the Lucas track was about a quarter of a mile long. He expects about 40 people from Natchez to race.

Wilson said if commissioners approve the proposal, he could begin to develop the speedway plans.

Pomeroy said so far all the commission has seen is a rough estimate of the plans.

Wilson said he believes the track will be a good thing for Natchez, bringing in about 1,000 people per race weekend and providing an activity for local high school students to attend.