Southern Iowa Speedway Will Be Quiet On Wednesday Nights
Southern Iowa Speedway racing action on June 18, 2015. (file photo)
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The sounds of horsepower unleashed has echoed from the Southern Iowa Speedway for decades on Wednesday evenings.
This year, the only sound on Wednesday night will be the sound of passing traffic on the road just outside turns one and two.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be any racing at the track, special events like ‘Redneck Rally Racing’ as well as some demolition derby and other fair-related racing will take place.
The Front Row Challenge will also be back to the Southern Iowa Speedway this year with a two-day show.
Fair board members Shawn Van Engelenhoven and Bruce Veenstra said that car counts have plateaued and attendance has declined for the last several years. “There’s no profit in it, and we’re going backwards as far as financially.”
“We’ve not got anything on paper, except from our existing promoter gave us a written bid,” said Van Engelenhoven, “Otherwise nobody’s come forward with any bids.”
The Southern Iowa Speedway isn’t alone in its struggle. Attendance nation wide, even at premier venues, continues to decline. “We have spoken with Bloomfield Fair Board, and it’s the exact same conversation, there’s no profit in it,” added Van Engelenhoven.
Other area tracks have also quit racing, including Des Moines, Eldon, and now Bloomfield and Southern Iowa Speedway. Eldon may host a few races again this year, after sitting quiet.
The discussion to make the track into a 3/8 mile versus a 1/2 mile track has taken place, but board members say the cost “was just astronomical. Then we figured, what if we do that and we still have the same amount of cars and the same amount of people coming. We’ve just spent all that money to have a 3/8 mile track, and we didn’t gain anything out of it.”
Sitting quietly is something the Southern Iowa Speedway has done before in the past. Veenstra and Van Engelenhoven believe there was a time in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s when the track was shut down for several years.
“And then it came back and went strong for a while,” added Van Engelenhoven. “We’ve been on the board for about 20 years, and we’ve always heard it comes and goes in cycles.”
When Van Engelenhoven got on the board in 2000, there were 1,300 people every week attending weekly racing. “We’re down to the 350 mark. That’s kind of where it hangs out at.”
On warm summer nights, attendance can drop to 250 or less. “350 don’t pay the bills let alone dropping to 250,” added Van Engelenhoven.
Veenstra encourages the public to call the fair office if you have questions about the decision by the board.
