Tornado damages Coles County Speedway
Coles County Speedway sustained significant damage from what appeared to be a tornado that swept through the Mattoon, Ill., property late Wednesday night into Thursday morning, forcing the eighth-mile oval — which last week hosted its first DIRTcar Summer Nationals event — to suspend racing for at least the next several weeks.
Promoter Brian Rieck detailed the damage in an eight-minute video posted to the track's Facebook page.
"We're not devastated, but we're not in good shape, either," Rieck said.
The storm uprooted or destroyed virtually every tree lining the speedway entrance outside turns one and two, including two oak trees Rieck estimated were "more than 100 years old."
According to Rieck, the backstretch sustained the brunt of the storm. The catchfence on that end of the speedway was heavily damaged, while billboards and the track’s scoreboard were knocked down.
Among other damages detailed: a tree fell onto the track's ambulance and EMS building, part of the roof was ripped from a barn near turns one and two, a support pole for the speedway's new video tower toppled, the scoring tower suffered roof damage and lost part of its siding, while light poles, pit-area lighting wires and poles around the pit shack were knocked down or damaged. A concession stand also suffered damage.
Despite the destruction, Rieck detailed that “the good thing is the bleachers survived."
Rieck also expressed confidence the speedway will recover.
"We're in pretty good shape insurance-wise," he said, adding that "we will race again — that's 100 percent for sure. But it's going to take a lot of work."
After hosting its inaugural Late Model event last September — the $10,000-to-win Road to the Dome presented by Rural King, won by Mike Spatola as a tuneup for December's Gateway Dirt Nationals — Coles County welcomed its first MARS Championship Series event in May, won by Brandon Sheppard, before staging its first Summer Nationals event June 12, won by Jason Feger. The second annual Road to the Dome remains scheduled for Sept. 27 and is slated to again pay $10,000 to the winner.
Rieck said volunteers with chainsaws and trailers will be needed in the coming days to help clear fallen trees and debris from the property as the speedway begins its recovery process.
"Obviously we put a lot of hard work into this thing, and it's pretty much gutting to see the destruction," Rieck said. "But we will fix it and we'll race again. We will definitely need a lot of help. We'll definitely need some volunteers and lots of chainsaws, probably some trailers to haul all these trees and stuff off.
"I definitely appreciate everybody calling,” he added. “I know this place means a lot to a lot of people. We'll get her fixed and get cars back on the racetrack."
