Saturday, May 12, 2001
Speedway opener washed out
ARCA, NASCAR legends race today
By Tom Groeschen
The Cincinnati Enquirer
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VR SPEEDWAY
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Experience the Kentucky Speedway through 360º immersive photography.
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SPARTA, Ky. — The annual Kentucky Speedway season opener, a surefire cure for Tristate drought conditions, drowned in thunderstorms Friday night.
Last June, the speedway's debut NASCAR Craftsman Truck race was marred by massive traffic and parking problems, thanks to more than 3 inches of rain the night before. There were no such problems this time, but Friday's scheduled races — an ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck race and a USAC Worldcom Midget Car race — were postponed until Aug. 10 because of heavy rain.
Tony Stewart, the NASCAR Winston Cup star who was to drive in the Midget race, never reached the speedway. Stewart, who was in Indianapolis earlier Friday to practice for the Indy 500, was grounded by storms Friday night. He had planned to fly by helicopter to Kentucky for the Midget race.
“Tony's pilot had been trying to get airborne, but they couldn't make it,” Kentucky Speedway general manager Mark Cassis said. “For safety's sake, we just had to cancel out tonight.”
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TODAY'S SCHEDULE
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Kevin Belmont works on his car for today's ARCA race.
(Jeff Swinger photo)
• 10 a.m.: Gates open
• 10:30-11:45 a.m.: Autograph session (Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, Brett Bodine and Ernie Irvan)
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Legends Celebrity Race
• 2 p.m.: ARCA RE/MAX Kentucky 150 race
• Special Ky. Speedway section
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Cassis said about 15,000 tickets had been sold for Friday's event. He estimated more than 10,000 were at the track when the schedule was canceled just before 9 p.m. Persistent rainfall began around 7 p.m.
Today, clear skies are expected for an ARCA RE/MAX stock car race (2 p.m.) at the speedway.
Cassis said the speedway would try to reschedule Stewart's appearance, but he did not have a date. The Midget Car race and ARCA truck race were rescheduled for two days before an Indy Racing League event at Kentucky. That day (Aug.12), Stewart will be at a Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen, N.Y.
“For our fans, all tickets (from Friday) will be good for the rescheduled August 10 date,” Cassis said. “We're not sure when Tony will be back, but we'll try to get him.”
Cassis smiled and shook his head when reminded the speedway is 2-for-2 on rainy openers.
“I don't know why that is, but that's part of having an outdoor event,” he said. “You've got to look at the bright side. The fans are leaving right now, and nobody's having trouble getting out this time.”
Speedway chairman Jerry Carroll was not immediately available for comment, but said earlier Friday that Stewart was eager to race at Kentucky.
“Throughout this whole thing, Tony couldn't have been nicer,” Carroll said. “My only concern has been the weather.”
Last June 16, the speedway's opening NASCAR Truck event drew a near-capacity crowd of 63,750. But that night is remembered for its chaotic traffic and parking problems, caused by heavy rains that rendered several grass parking lots unusable. There were 10-mile traffic backups on either direction of I-71, leading to and from the track.
Yet, the speedway corrected its problems in time to land its signature event for 2001, a NASCAR Busch series race scheduled for June 16.
Former NFL coach Jerry Glanville was the top celebrity driving at Kentucky Friday afternoon, hours before the rain arrived. Glanville qualified 13th for today's ARCA race.
Glanville, 59, the former Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons coach, is now an NFL TV studio analyst for CBS and HBO. He has dabbled in auto racing for more than a decade.
“This is my first ARCA race this year,” said Glanville. “I'd race every week if we could, but you need some serious money for this.”
Why Kentucky?
“Because this is the 100th track we've ever been at,” Glanville said of his team, Glanville Racing. “Never been to the same one twice. I've been to all of 'em, and this place is just tremendous.”
For Glanville, it was his first trip to the Cincinnati area in some time. During the late 1980s, his feud with former Bengals coach Sam Wyche made Glanville a despised figure in Cincinnati. Many remember Wyche pouring it on Glanville's Oilers 61-7 in a 1989 game at then-Riverfront Stadium.
“That was great football in those days, the AFC Central,” Glanville said. “Those teams were out to brutally maim each other. There's no football like that any more.”
Glanville saw Wyche at January's Super Bowl, and the two said hello. Wyche has been sidelined from his own CBS-TV job by vocal cord problems.
Glanville has run in the NASCAR Busch series, Craftsman Trucks, Winston West and also in drag racing. In 13 career ARCA starts, he has two top-10 finishes.
Four locals make ARCA race
'Legends' race has big names
Special Ky. Speedway section
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Speedway opener washed out