Midwest floods wreaked havoc for those in its midst. Among those affected were three South Dakota racetracks. When the Big Sioux River climbed 25 feet in 24 hours, cresting at a record 45 feet, it flooded Huset’s Speedway, Interstate Speedway, Park Jefferson International Speedway. Other areas, such northwestern Iowa, also saw severe flooding. Clay County Fair Speedway and Buena Vista Raceway, both in Iowa, canceled its midweek shows this week.
“Northwest Iowa highways and roads are closed, and the state of Iowa will not reopen them until bridges are properly inspected,” said contributing photographer Jim Steffens. “There won’t be a way for many racers to get to the tracks until the water subsides and inspections are made. Several of our area racers have lost their homes and shops.”
Huset’s Speedway hosted the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars last week for its BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals presented by Menards. It was to have a $100,000-to-win feature on Thursday and $250,000-to-win feature on Saturday. The event only managed to get in Wednesday’s preliminaries.
The weather got so bad that local law enforcement and the speedway’s security team went door to door in the track’s campground at 2 a.m. on Friday to evacuate them. As the flooding began, people had to be rescued. Campers and race haulers became stranded in rising waters.
While at Interstate Speedway, promoter Chase Alves watched the waters ride above the track’s berm within an hour’s time. Four days later, the waters remain.
“We haven’t been able to get to our track,” Alves said. “The Big Sioux is still flowing across Interstate 29, and all the roads are still closed. We have no idea when we can reopen — it could be at least three to four weeks.”
At Park Jefferson International Speedway, Alec Becker monitored the floodwaters through security cameras for his father, Wayne Becker, who promotes the track.
“The flood took our whole campground, and all of the pit area is completely underwater,” Alec Becker said. “We’re lucky that our main building is on higher ground than the surrounding area. Our concessions and offices appear to be safe. All the roads are closed, so we’re also looking at the flood by using a drone.”
Alves and Becker both said it’ll take some time to get their respective tracks back into racing shape after the Midwest floods, but their concern is more with their local communities.
“People literally have lost their homes and lost everything they own,” said Alves. “We’re not asking for donations. If you have something to give, give it to those who lost everything. We still have our home and our family is safe.”
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.
