NASCAR announced the new schedule for 2021 and noticeably missing was the July date at Kentucky Speedway. In fact, Kentucky is not on the schedule at all. The move to more road courses and the lack of enthusiasm about mile and a half tracks helped seal the speedway’s fate, not to mention drivers continually complaining about the track itself and the lack of more than one groove leading to minimal passing opportunities also helped in the decision.
Bruton Smith invested a lot of money in the track just to move the race back to Atlanta. It is rumored that an entertainment complex, including a casino, is being built around Atlanta. So what happens to the Kentucky Speedway now? How long will it sit empty as a monument to the waste of tax money and state road construction funds? This will impact many public schools, athletic teams, and other charitable organizations that worked events to raise money for specific causes and funding for the year. The ripple effect of this decision will hurt more than just a loss of a race. The biggest loss will be the advertising and national exposure for our state. Maybe they can turn it into a large dirt track and attract Late Model and Outlaw events. Don’t laugh because NASCAR is doing that exact scenario at Bristol for a dirt Cup race next season.
I have a lot of memories at the track, and I really hate to see this happen. I remember attending my first IndyCar race at the speedway and sleeping in my Jimmy in the parking lot overnight, or watching Buckshot Jones fly into the air and his car flip over above the height of the fence in the straight away heading into the corner. When my basketball team worked to raise money for our program, I used to work all three races each year through the heat and storms to the chance of covering the race for the newspaper and getting into the press room after the Busch brothers battled it out for a classic finish. I loved every minute of it, and I hate that other local fans won’t have the opportunity to make memories at the track.
Five year old Brexton Busch, son of Kyle Busch, captured his first win at Mountain Creek Speedway in the Beginner Boxcar Series. Looks like we have a future champion in the making
