Speed. Wheels. Challenges. Community. These are all the things you might encounter when visiting Lexington BMX. What started in 2007 as a dream to add more non-traditional sports to the area has become a center for BMX racing in the Midlands. James Bagwell, the former track operator for the old Columbia track, initiated the building of the Lexington BMX track and contacted the Lexington County Recreation & Aging Commission regarding land to make it happen. They explained there was land that would be available soon, and it would be the perfect spot for this type of sport. James contacted Contract Construction in Chapin, who offered him a generous equipment donation to start the project. The county also donated clay, land, and asphalt for the project. Original track director Eddie Sox designed an apparatus to spread asphalt to each turn’s peaks and starting hill. After a month of building the track, James Bagwell, Ricky Sox, and Eddie Sox paved the course in a few days. Sadly, the original registration stand burned down within two months of opening. Ricky Sox took the initiative and rebuilt the stand on his own dime.
Since its beginning in 2007, the Lexington BMX track has held multiple prestigious events and was recently awarded the Southeast Gold Cup Championship for the 2024 season. This event brings around 4,000 athletes and their families each year. It has been over a decade since this event was hosted in South Carolina, and it is an honor to have it here in Lexington.
As the new track operator for Lexington BMX, Victor Tomaino prides himself on the sport. He is a certified USA BMX coach who uses that knowledge to instruct the kids on practice nights. He relies on his dedicated support staff for everything to run smoothly during practice and events. During training, you can find Victor riding with other members or talking with the families and parents of riders. He and his children, Victor III (13) and Preston (3) travel around the United States to race.
“Our community is growing at a fast pace, and it’s bringing a lot of new opportunities and ideas to the area,” said Victor. “We’re excited about the growth of Lexington and the surrounding communities as it brings new faces to add to our BMX family. BMX Racing is a sport for all ages. We have riders from the age of 2 to 65+. No one sits on the bench in our sport, and it keeps your body moving so it is great for staying in shape.”
Victor graduated from Lexington High School in 2006 and immediately went to boot camp for the US Marine Corps, where he served on two overseas deployments until 2014. It was then he met his wife, Mariah, at the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run in Columbia in 2014. He proposed to her while on a cruise in the Caribbean, and the couple married in the Valley of Fire in Las Vegas in 2019. His favorite memory is when they visited Dallas to watch her Green Bay Packers and his Dallas Cowboys play. They toured the AT&T area and even announced they were pregnant with their second son, Preston, by taking a photo centerfield holding the sonogram image.
When he is not at the track, Victor works full-time, serving the community with the Lexington County Fire Department. At the age of five, a house fire at Christmas resulted in the total loss of Victor’s childhood home. Because of this, he felt called to work in the firefighting service. Assigned as Captain to the firehouse off Corley Mill Road, Victor mentions his location being unique because they are trained in water rescue operations. The family also enjoys taking cruises and traveling to different cities. You can find them in Nashville, TN on Memorial Day and in Tulsa, OK, around Thanksgiving for the USA BMX GRAND Nationals.
If you are new to the area or are just looking for a place to try out BMX, check out Lexington BMX. They offer a safe, competitive, and fun environment for a non-traditional sport growing like wildfire.