After historic floods in Jefferson, South Dakota, both Park Jefferson International Speedway (pictured) and Interstate Speedway want the racing community to know one thing. They’re back in business.
(For more on the floods, read “Midwest Floods Devastate Speedways.”)
It wasn’t an easy process to reopen the gates.
“We had to pump 12 million gallons of water out of the infield,” Park Jefferson International Speedway owner Wayne Becker said. “Our speedway became part of the river. The water was 7′ deep on the infield, and covered some of our sponsor signs. Then, we had to clear 40 acres of cornstalks that the river left covering the speedway grounds.”
The floods resulted in the loss of a grader and kitchen equipment in the pits concession stand at Park Jefferson.
“[We’re] somewhat back to normal,” said Chase Alves, promoter of Interstate Speedway. “We mostly got everything cleaned up. Cost us thousands of dollars…. The river rose 30′ and we are in the flood plain. We still have a bit of work to do on our infield.”
Interstate Speedway reopened on July 21, with 135 entries. Park Jefferson International Speedway reopened on July 25, with 101 entries. Both have had another race after that, and things seem to be on the upswing for the tracks.
“This past Thursday [August 1], the crowd was 150 people larger than the previous Thursday,” Becker said. “The racing was great. The track was still a little soft on the bottom — another week and we will have it like it should be.”
Racing resumes at Park Jefferson International Speedway tonight, Thursday, August 8. Interstate Speedway holds its next race on Sunday, August 11.
“We have a lot of cosmetic work to do — mostly groundwork,” said Becker. “Some wood replacement and painting here and there and we will be back to 100%.”
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.
