Missouri's legendary I-70 Speedway was set to re-open in 2019, but the county is trying to nix it

gnomesayin

gnomesayin

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I grew up in Kansas City. I-70 wasn't my home track. That would have been Lakeside. But I went there many times, both when it was a dirt track and pavement track in the '90s that hosted the Trucks a few tunes and other series like ASA. it is an historic venue known for it's super high banking and high speeds. The track had sat dormant and wasting away for more than a decade. This is what it looked like in 2017:



The plan for 2019 under new ownership was to get the facility cleaned up and re-open as a dirt track and drag strip. Now the county government where it's located is trying to obstruct with increasingly unrealistic demands.

I70 Motorsports Park set to resurrected as dirt track but stuck in county approval process
They had plans to open the gates at I70 Motorsports Park in 2019; The county is making that very difficult

I70 Motorsports Park sits pretty in Odessa, Missouri near Kansas City. Before that, the former race track sat dormant.

For years, activity lacked at the race track. Trees began to crack through the racing surface. The forest was deeply invested in reclaiming the property.

Kansas City businessman Chris Payne stepped in to save the race track. His team has plans to cover the track in dirt. They want to fix up the facilities and make the 1/2 mile track look better than ever.

Fans rejoiced across the country as the initial announcement went viral on this very channel among others.

The grand re-opening was originally set for May 18. However, it has was pushed back until June as they ran into issues with the county.

On Thursday, they met with the Lafayette County Planning Commission for the third time since the announcement. Now, it’s been put on pause again and the track owner doesn’t see anything happening in 2019.

500 die-hard race fans made an appearance at the courthouse on Thursday.

The county appears to have a full list of concerns regarding the rebuilt race track. They want sound barriers, fencing surrounding the property and lighting.
Click to expand...


https://www.google.com/amp/s/racing...ack-but-stuck-in-county-approval-process/amp/
 
Perhaps the property should be re-purposed for soccer or baseball. The county would not only approve it, they would probably pay for it. Sheesh.
 
What a damn shame. That video you shared is pretty cool, but also really sad. Hopefully they can get it going.

@LewTheShoe 's comment hits close to home. My local short track (Columbus Motor Speedway) got bulldozed by the local village in favor of a "multi-use" lacrosse complex a few years ago. And wouldn't you know it, today the lacrosse league announced that the Columbus team is folding. How fitting. They destroy a perfectly good (and profitable) race track, spend millions to build a stadium, and now it's only use will be an occasional concert or kids soccer game or flea market site.

Oh, and we still have a dilapidated minor league baseball stadium that has sat vacant (and half torn down) for the past 12 years because the city won't let anyone build a track there. "Too noisy" for all the nearby residents in their run down junk houses. What a joke.
 
It always amazes me people will build a house next to a race track, regardless if it's open or not, and then have the nerve to complain about the noise when it is open. My theory has always been if you don't like noise from racetracks, don't move close to one. There is always a small chance of a closed one being reopened.
 
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