The California wildfires halted the seasons of three speedways — American Valley Speedway in Quincy (pictured), Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville, and Placerville Speedway. For tracks just beginning to recover from last year’s pandemic, the fires deal them another severe blow.
“We’ve lost half the season,” Curt Nieman, promoter of American Valley Speedway, said. “The [Dixie] Fire started across the street from the track a month ago, went up over the hill, and did not come back at us. However, the speedway and [Plumas Sierra County] fairgrounds became the fire command center. We’ve got 6,000 firefighters being deployed from here and they are using the infield as a camp.”
Thirty minutes away from American Valley Speedway, the Dixie Fire burned down the town of Greenville.
“Homes, businesses, jobs, and communities are lost,” said Joe Blackwell, who along with his son-in-law Jeff Olschowka, promotes Diamond Mountain Speedway. “I drove through Greenville — there are no homes or shops left. I saw a few skeletons of race cars.”
Blackwell resides in Plumas County, two hours away from Diamond Mountain Speedway. Due to the fire, he has not been able to visit the track he promotes.
“The infield of our track is a medical unit,” Blackwell said. “The entire pits and [Lassen County] fairgrounds are a fire camp and evacuation center for victims.”
The Dixie Fire has burned more than 1,000 square miles. Shifting winds continue to stoke flames and its growth. Smoke blankets the region. The fire has shuttered Diamond Mountain Speedway for more than a month.
“We brought the track back from 20 cars three years ago to more than 140 cars in the pits for our last race,” Blackwell said. “We don’t know if we will get a race in. With the fire changing directions, we could be in it next. If it ends by fall, we may get a race in before the snow flies — we’re in the mountains and it will get cold soon.”
Three hours south of American Valley Speedway in El Dorado County, the Caldor Fire burns just 15 to 20 miles away from Placerville Speedway. As with the other tracks, fire crews now use the fairgrounds where Placerville Speedway resides.
“Cal Fire took over the Caldor Fire from the federal government on Wednesday,” said Placerville Speedway promoter Scott Russell. “Within 24 hours, the pit area has been filled with fire apparatuses and heavy equipment to fight the fire. Strike forces are moving in, pulled from the northern fires, and are camping out here.”
Russell’s son, Austin, a full-time city firefighter, now battles the wildfire. Cal Fire told Russell they expect to contain the Caldor Fire by the end of August. Placerville Speedway scheduled its last points race for August 28.
“The future for our final points race is uncertain,” Russell said.
Nieman hopes to move the county fair to October to put on another race at American Valley Speedway. He recognizes the value of doing so for a community devastated by the California wildfires.
“Once the fire is out, I would like to work together with Diamond Mountain Speedway to schedule a special event for racers and fans,” said Nieman.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
