Rodney Cunningham, a front gate security guard at Lancaster Motor Speedway in South Carolina, was shot to death during Saturday’s racing program. The 53-year-old was gunned down with multiple shots from a semi-automatic pistol after asking as man if he had a wristband to enter the track.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office launched an extensive manhunt. They later arrested Bryan Terrell Mitchell, 37, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, for the murder of Cunningham.
“Lots of folks were at the track, and a good number of people likely saw some or all of he events leading up to and including the shooting,” Sherriff Barry Faile told the media before they located the suspect.
Faile had encouraged race fans to call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office with information. Information received then led to sightings of the shooter at 3 a.m. at a Scotchman Store. From there, they tracked him to the Roselyn housing development and captured.
Family members described Cunningham as a kind soul who helped everyone.
“He done took a precious part of our life,” Willie Cunningham, father of the victim, told reporters. “As his father, I never had to spend one cent on going to the jailhouse to get Rodney out of trouble.”
“He was a big teddy bear,” Ida Cunningham, mother of the victim, said. “I would ask [the shooter] why did you take my baby? Why did you allow Satan to use you? Couldn”t you have just walked away?”
Track promoter Shannon Munn did not return our calls for comment.
The incident at Lancaster Motor Speedway serves an extreme example of recent bad behavior reported at speedways.
Friendship Motor Speedway in Elkin, North Carolina, announced its closure on August 17. Track management said “we are not willing to put up with the disrespect and verbal abuse that some of the drivers, crew members and fans are directing to the track staff and owners.” Among their many reasons for closing, they mentioned those trying to get away with not purchasing wristbands.
East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City recently stated that they would lay down the law on those sneaking in without paying and attendees who abuse their staff. (See “East Alabama Motor Speedway Cracks Down on Bad Behavior”.)
Lancaster Motor Speedway will reopen its gates for racing on Saturday, September 3. During intermission, drivers will enter the grandstands to collect donations for Cunningham’s family.
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.
