Storm damages Midwestern tracks
Monday's powerful storm that swept through the Midwest snapping utility poles, downing trees, overturning tractor trailers and causing significant structural damage didn’t spare racetracks.
Straight-line winds measuring more than 100 mph in Iowa from the powerful derecho — a widespread, long-lasting storm with heavy rain and hurricane-force winds — heavily damaged Marshalltown (Iowa) Speedway, forced the cancellation of Monday’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals race in East Moline, Ill., and ripped the roof off several suites atop La Salle (Ill.) Speedway's grandstands.
In the Quad Cities area of southeastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois, more than 111,500 customers were without power Monday evening. The Bullring at RICo Fairgrounds was among those effected, with the power outage forcing officials to cancel Monday’s $5,000-to-win DIRTcar Summer Nationals event.
The remainder of the 2020 season is in doubt at Marshalltown (Iowa) Speedway after the storm tore though the facility. Images via a three-minute video on the track’s Facebook page show light poles snapped at their base, damage to the track’s catwalk and downed fences, along with damage to several of the outlying buildings.
Marshalltown's IMCA Late Model competition wrapped up Friday with hometown driver Darrel DeFrance capturing the championship, but seven more nights of racing are scheduled through September. The Facebook message said officials will post information “when/if we will be able to continue our 2020 season."
At La Salle Speedway, 230 miles southeast of Marshalltown, promoter Tony Izzo Jr. posted photos of the track’s VIP suites on Facebook, sans roof (pictured). “Well it got us again about the 4th time we have lost skyboxes (due to) a storm!!” Izzo wrote, adding a dozen photos of the damaged suites, along with damage to fencing and support buildings.
La Salle hosted the DIRTcar Summer Nationals on July 29 and while no other 2020 races were scheduled, Izzo planned to add more events, including MARS Racing Series competition.
Additionally, Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa, lost the roof to its old grandstand amid the storm.
Editor's note: Updates with Cedar County information.
