New promoters have taken over East Moline Speedway in Illinois: late model driver Chuck Hanna and Kyle and Casey Meier. Expect that track to take some cues from another dirt oval in the state, Fairbury Speedway.
The Meiers bring a lot to the table, owning K&C Excavating, Meier Trucking, and KCM Construction.
“The Meiers have the financial stability to improve the facility and help the car count,” Hanna, 58, of Rapid City, Illinois, said. “They were at Fairbury Speedway shooting the grade of the track so it could be duplicated here in shape, size, and banking. Fairbury’s promoter, Jeff Curl, has been very helpful, and has answered many of our questions. The Meiers also have a source of rich, black dirt which they will be trucking to East Moline Speedway to prepare for next season.”
Hanna feels that the new surface will help the show in more ways than one.
“We hope the new dirt holds moisture better, because we would like to start earlier since we are a Sunday-night track,” said Hanna. “The goal is to have hot laps at 4:15, racing to follow, and the program to be completed by 8:30 to 9:00 p.m.”
East Moline Speedway will host seven classes of cars on a regular basis. IMCA sanctions five of those divisions: late models, modifieds, sport mods, stock cars, and hobby stocks. The other two are outlaw street stocks and sport compacts.
Hanna said they’re also looking to improve their relationships with nearby tracks, including Davenport Speedway, a half-hour away in Iowa.
“We’re working with Davenport Speedway’s Ricky and Brenda Kay for a future track series,” said Hanna. “If a Saturday-night track wants to jump on board, we are all for it,”
Hanna also looks to improve another area.
“We will have burgers hot off the grill, not precooked and wrapped inside a concession stand,” Hanna said. “There will be tacos, nachos, and Whitey’s Ice Cream, a local favorite.”
East Moline Speedway sits 3,500 fans and resides on Rock Island County fairgrounds.
“The fair board is working with us,” said Hanna. “They understand [that racing] will help them into the future for many years. Having the track is instrumental to [their] success.”
The new promoters have seemed to sparked interest in the track. Hanna is looking forward to his first year at the helm of East Moline Speedway.
“With all the positive feedback we are getting, things are looking great,” Hanna said. “When our fans and racers are excited, it gets us more excited. The future looks bright for East Moline Speedway.”
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.
