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| Power Permitting...Orlando SpeedWorld will Race this Weekend | by Dave Westerman
Although electrical power remains out at Orlando Speedworld in the wake of Hurricane Charley, plans are moving ahead to run a full card of racing this weekend.
Damage to the facility was relatively minimal. The pit entrance shack was overturned, but has been put back up and secured. The roof was blown off the pit area restrooms, but that should be replaced by Wednesday. All but one of the billboards in turn three was blown onto the track, but those have been removed. The only damage to the grandstand side of the speedway was a broken window on the turn one side of the tower which is being replaced at this time.
One of the biggest problems was the large amount of frozen food that was at Speedworld in storage awaiting what was expected to be a large crowd for this weekend's TV Crash N' Smash tapings. Speedway Concessions Director Sandy Nerone decided to have track personnel take the food to nearby shelters so it would be put to good use instead of spoiling at the track.
Power is expected to be restored by Friday and racing activity will go on at the track although not as originally planned.
Spike TV has decided to postpone their tapings to next weekend (8/27 and 8/28) in order to insure that everything they need will be in place and that competitors taking part in the events can get their lives back in order after Charley.
Therefore, Speedworld will revert back to the original schedule for the weekend of August 20 and 21. On tap Friday night will be a 50 Lap Super Stock feature along with a 25 lap event for the Strictly Stocks. All of the other Speedworld classes will be running heats and features including Super Late Models, Modifieds, Sportsman and Mini Stocks.
Saturday evening, the RE/MAX Legends Cars will be in action along with the Bandoleros and Hurricanes while the Florida Mini Cup Racing Association will also be in action.
"Some people might say it's a bit early to get back in the swing of things out here judging from what everyone has gone through with Charley," says Speedworld General Manager Dick Westfall. "But we are running a business out here and just like any other business we need to get back on our feet right away. Do I expect a big field of cars? Not really, but it will give everyone a chance, be it drivers, crews, fans or employees, to get away from everything else for awhile and try and have a good time," he says.
Also, Speedworld will hold its normal Wednesday night test and tune. Right now, practice is scheduled from 2PM until dark unless power is restored at which point practice will continue as it normally does until 10PM.
"We realize some guys may just want to come out to the track and turn a few laps maybe more for relaxation than anything else," says Westfall. "We still have to charge our normal fee of $20 per car, but each driver can bring as many people as he or she wants this week... even the whole neighborhood... and we won't charge any more than the twenty bucks," says Westfall. Spectators can come out to watch or just "hang out" for free.
Spike TV crash events will be held on August 27th and 28th. The 50 lap, $1,000 to win Super Late Model race will now be held on the 27th along with a 15 lap Super Stock race while the RE/MAX Legends cars will run along with a class to be named on the 28th.
The track phone remains inoperative at this time. If you have any
questions, please phone Dick Westfall at 386-527-0955 or Dave Westerman at 407-970-3957.
UPDATE ON NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY: Speedworld's sister track, New Smyrna Speedway received some major damage from Hurricane Charley, however the new grandstands and tower survived the storm intact. The most significant damage was to older buildings at the facility including major damage to the pit area office/concessions/tech area/restrooms. A portion of the main building at the front of the speedway on the turn four side was badly damaged while all of the
billboards were blown onto the track.
Despite the nature of the damage, FASCAR Director of Operations Don Nerone has crews working 24/7 to try and have New Smyrna Speedway up and running by Saturday night, again dependent on power being restored.
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