Racing notebook: Interest in Adams County Speedway grows after successful opening night

QUINCY — Jimmy Lieurance is the first to admit there were some hiccups.

But not many.

“I was totally blown away by the community’s response,” said Lieurance, who with his wife, Tammy, are one week into their first year of operating Adams County Speedway, the .29-mile dirt track that had been shut down for two years prior to last Sunday’s re-opening at 8000 Broadway.

A crowd of about 2,500 was on hand to re-establish the region’s longstanding love affair with racing.

“I think things went extremely well,” Lieurance said. “We’ve already been working on some things this week to make next Sunday even better.”

Most notably, Lieurance assured the backstretch scoreboard would be operating, which was not the case on opening night. And speaking of scoreboards, Lieurance said at some point this season he expects a brand new scoring structure will be erected in the area of turns one and two that will feature everything from running orders to lap times.

More sponsors, more employees, more drivers

Lieurance said his phone started ringing at 8 a.m. Monday morning, many of the calls dealing with sponsors who either wanted to return or jump on board.

Word traveled fast following Sunday night’s show that proved to be a huge success.

“Not only sponsors, but other drivers were calling, too,” said Lieurance, a Hannibal, Mo., resident who worked at one position or another at the track for more than 40 years before leaving after 2019.

Lieurance said more employees have already been added to better handle the crowds and make the trip to the Broadway Bullring an enjoyable, family experience.

Look for that opening-night car count of 65 to keep growing. Lieurance said numerous drivers have reached out to let him know they will be coming.

“There are still a lot of cars not ready,” Lieurance said.

In particular, Lieurance said he is expecting another six or seven modifieds that would boost that division to about 15, which is what he expected heading into the season.

More crate late models are also expected. Lieurance said he is hoping for a weekly average of about a dozen and is expecting the southeastern Iowa hotshoes to eventually work their way south.

Lieurance wants everyone to remember the track is still a work in progress in an effort to overcome being shut down for two full seasons and to recover from a wide variety of problems over the final two years it was open when both car counts and attendance spiraled downward.

Motley hopeful about future

Pittsfield resident Allen Motley, the first-year track flagman who in past years had held numerous positions at the track, enjoyed his return to the speedway.

“It had been a long two years,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to this season. I enjoy flagging more than anything else.”

Motley is a valuable commodity, having operated a track himself — the old Pittsfield Speedway — in years past.

“I hope it all goes well here,” he said. “The area needs this. It really does.”

The return of a ‘good friend’

Veteran track announcer and former driver Doug Mealy was like many longtime race fans last Sunday — borderline emotional. Mealy repeatedly stood in the press box and scanned the crowd that kept growing and growing.

“It’s been a long two years,” he said. “I’m so excited to be back here. I was worried we would never be watching racing again here.”

Mealy compared being back at 8000 Broadway as reuniting with a long-lost friend.

“There was a point that I thought by now we’d be seeing subdivision going up here,” he said.

Mealy said he was surprised at the amount of new drivers who were on hand Sunday night. Probably 60 to 75 percent of the racers were new to the Bullring.

“That’s how much things have changed the last couple of years,” Mealy said. “There’s a lot of drivers I’m not familiar with yet.”

Track points leaders

After one week, here are the divisional points leaders:

Crate late models: Sam Halstead 75 points, Denny Woodworth 70, Spencer Coats, 65, Darin Weisinger Jr. 60.

Modifieds: Dave Wietholder 75 points, Austen Becerra 70, Mike Vandriet Jr. 65, Brandyn Ryan 60.

Sport mods: Shane Paris 40 points, Dakota Girard 39, Tanner Klingele 38, Adam Birck 37.

Street stocks: Robert Cottom 40 points, Jake Powers 39, Laremy Jackson 38, Beau Taylor 37.

4-Cylinders: Jeffrey DeLonjay 40, Jimmy Dutlinger 39, Cyle Hawkins 38, Jaden DeLonjay 37.

Muddy River Sports Performance Points leaders

(Feature points to top eight positions: 25-20-15-12-10-8-6-4; heat points awarded 3-2-1.)

Late models: Sam Halstead 27, Denny Woodworth 23, Spencer Coats 15, Darin Weisinger Jr. 13.

Modifieds: Dave Wietholder 27, Austen Becerra 21, Mike Vandriet Jr. 18,Brandyn Ryan 12.

Sport mods: Shane Paris 28 points, Dakota Girard 22, Tanner Klingele 15, Adam Birck 15.

Street stocks: Robert Cottom 28 points, Jake Powers 22, Leremy Jackson 15, Beau Taylor 14.

4-Cylinders: Jeffrey DeLonjay 26 points, Jimmy Dutlinger 23, Cyle Hawkins 18, Jaden DeLonjay 12.

Feature laps led

Late models: Denny Woodworth 16, Sam Halstead 2.

Modifieds: Dave Wietholder 10, Michael Long 9, Austen Becerra 1.

Sport mods: Shane Paris 12.

Street stocks: Robert Cottom 15.

4-Cylinders: Jeffrey DeLonjay 9, Michael Grossman 6.

Return of ‘The Dirty Thirty’

The Muddy River Stevie Dirt Dirty Thirty Rankings will return in a new format following the second week of action. The top six drivers in each of the five classes will be ranked, based upon points, consistency and impact victories.

It’s been more than five years since The Dirty Thirty rankings were retired. When car counts began to falter at Quincy Raceways (now Adams County Speedway), there was no need for a rankings system due to an overall lack of cars. In the past, a blanket top 30 was presented, but this new format will allow more emphasis on each class.

When the track shut down after 2019, the chances — at that time — of resurrecting The Dirty Thirty could have been found somewhere between slim and none.

But now the track is back. And so is The Dirty Thirty.

Mark it down

Sunday’s races are scheduled for 6 p.m. Hot laps will be at 5:30.

Lieurance reported last Sunday’s opening night covered 3 hours, 4 minutes, ending at 9:06 p.m.

Probably a half hour of down time came for cleanup of a crash in the sport mod feature during the second half of the program. That sports mod main event also was slowed by 10 overall caution flags and eventually shortened from 18 laps to 12.