Soggy conditions force Adams County Speedway operators to delay flag dropping on new season

QUINCY — The much-anticipated reopening of Adams County Speedway will have to wait.

Sunday’s scheduled season opener at 8000 Broadway has been postponed until April 24, according to first-year operator Jimmy Lieurance. 

The track was originally scheduled to open Sunday and then take off April 17, which is Easter Sunday.

The entire 28.5-acre site is waterlogged — from the track to the pits to the parking areas — and Lieurance said more time is needed to finish work on the grounds, which can only be done once the soil has sufficiently dried out. 

“It looks like we’ve got some warm (and dry) weather coming in the week ahead, and that will allow us to get done what is still needed,” Lieurance said. 

Lieurance said most dirt tracks across the region have postponed openers until late this month.

“It’s disappointing right now because everyone wanted to get this going,” Lieurance said.

The track formerly known as Quincy Raceways has sat silent since the end of the 2019 season, due in part to both the COVID-19 pandemic and other assorted problems dealing with past management. Lieurance is involved in a lease-to-buy arrangement this year with property owner Paul Holtschlag, a deal that is expected to see Lieurance be designated as the official buyer at some point prior to the 2023 season if no unexpected problems materialize.

Lieurance said all but a handful of the problems he inherited from past management — ranging from broken pipes to electrical problems to unexpected maintenance issues — have been fixed or corrected. He just needs some dry weather.

The speedway, which originally opened in 1975, had operated for 45 consecutive years before the pandemic, management woes, a decline in driver participation and overall fan apathy combined to shutter the track the past two summers.

“We are getting calls from all over the place about the track reopening,” Lieurance said. “It’s really been exciting.”

The 62-year-old Lieurance, who lives in Hannibal, Mo., said two practice nights are scheduled for April 16 and April 20.

This season is Lieurance’s first in a track ownership type of role, but his resume is impressive. He has served in numerous leadership capacities during the past 40-plus years, having worked with all former Quincy owners, including the late Albert Scott, who founded the track in 1975. 

In addition, Lieruance oversaw track operations in 2021 at Randolph County Speedway near Moberly, Mo. He resigned from his duties in Moberly after last season to fully concentrate on returning Adams County Speedway to prominence.