With the conclusion of the Gateway Dirt Nationals indoor extravaganza in St. Louis this past weekend, the 2021 race season has come to a close in our neck of the woods. After attending a night at the Dome each year from 2017 through 2019 ( the race was cancelled in 2020), I sat out this season. My main reason, not that it matters, was that the late models were split into two groups this year which took some of the luster from the event for me. Still, it seemed from reports that the sessions ran incredibly long, with hot laps each day at 3:00 and features concluding well past 10:00. Hard for an "old man" to sit through!
But to the business at hand: after the pandemic shortened 2020 season, I was more than ready for a full schedule, and with help from Mother Nature, this turned out to be one of my busiest years. I was able to take in fifty four nights of racing, with Lee County Speedway in Donnellson topping the list at eleven. Eight times we visited the Davenport Speedway, while 34 Raceway in West Burlington was next at five. Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Illinois was the destination for three events. It was a pair of nights on the dirt at Bristol, Tn. Motor Speedway, as well as Lincoln and Highland Speedways in Illinois, CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction, 300 Raceway in Farley, and Knoxville Raceway, all in Iowa, and Springfield Raceway in Missouri. Single events came at West Liberty, Tipton, Dubuque, Independence, Vinton, Marshalltown, Stuart, and Eldon Iowa, East Moline and Banner (Spoon River), in Illinois, and Memphis, Moberly, and Pevely in Missouri.
The twenty four tracks was a personal best for one season, and I was able to add one new venue, that being Bristol. Amazingly, I did not have any shows shortened by rain, nor did I have a show cancelled or postponed while I was on the road!
While I am looking to potentially add several new tracks next season, I am also hoping to add some nights closer to home. After being idle for the past two seasons, the former Quincy Raceways is set to reopen as the Adams County, Illinois Speedway in 2022. I was able to attend their well attended informational meeting a few days ago, hosted by long time track employee Jim Lieurance, who will serve as promoter of the facility. Lieurance was the promoter at the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, and will now bring his years of experience back to his "home track." The Sunday night lineup will feature crate/spec late models, UMP sanctioned modifieds, a combo stock car/street stock class, and front wheel drive four cylinder cars. When I left the meeting, rules were still being discussed for the limited modified class, with attendees split between an IMCA sanction, and a hybrid rules situation. Lieurance also indicated he will have open, 360 C.I. and possibly 305 C.I. sprint cars on occasion, vintage cars, a modified special, and he is working on a couple of touring late model shows. A work day was held in early November, with three dozen or so volunteers sprucing up the grounds, and a group headed by veteran racer Steve Grotz has been hard at work with heavy equipment preparing the .29 mile racing surface for the winter months. Look for the track to open in early April.
If plans work out, I hope to have a few shows in by then, with an earlier than usual start to the season, but we shall see! In the meantime, thanks for reading!
