×

Racing at Nodak Speedway canceled due to track conditions

Rebuilding the Nodak Speedway after the North Dakota State Fair is a challenge by itself. Add in the rain that came down earlier this week and the conditions were too much to get the track back in racing shape for today’s races.

The cancellation was posted on Nodak Speedway’s Facebook page on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, due to Mother Nature setting us back with the rain yesterday we are going to have to cancel the races this Sunday August 6th,” the Facebook post states. “It’s a very strict timeline that we need to follow (in) getting everything ready and the rain pushed everything (back) a minimum of two days. We want to provide the best race track possible and don’t feel we can do that in the short time we have. We will add Sport Compacts to the race program on August 13th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank everyone for their understanding in this situation.”

The decision sparked some complaints, but mostly confusion and concern in the comment section about cancelling the races four days in advance.

Nodak Speedway board member and IMCA Sports Mod driver Robby Rosselli explained the situation in more detail with his own comment on the cancellation posting and again with the Minot Daily News on Saturday.

“We could get in there on Tuesday and there was a group of six to eight of us that were down there (at Nodak Speedway),” Rosselli said. “We were putting the wall in so the contractor the next day, Wednesday morning, could start putting the dirt back on the track.”

Working into the darkness, they got as much as they could get done before running out of time.

“But, we didn’t get everything done to where they could come in and bring the dirt in on Wednesday morning,” Rosselli said. “Then, needless to say with all that rain and all that dirt just piled up everywhere on each end of the track, it made it hard for them to come in and move the dirt, get it laid in there and get it packed in. And then, we still had to start the track prep.”

That includes the leveling, putting up the advertisement boards around the track and putting down water to get a smooth surface. So, by Thursday, it was already clear there wasn’t enough time to build a track that the fans and drivers would enjoy.

“No driver wants to race on a rough race track because it’s hard on equipment and a lot of people don’t like this dry, slick stuff,” Rosselli said. “Also, the fans don’t like dust. The drivers don’t like dust. With me being a board member and helping with the track, we are trying to do everything that we can to not have dust. We don’t want to make the fans upset. We want more and more fans every week and have them keep coming back.”

The weather combined with the lack of volunteer manpower is mostly to blame for the track not being complete in time, as Rosselli said criticism shouldn’t be directed toward the State Fair in regards to the timing of everything.

“The fair board has been nothing but fantastic to us and working with us,” he said.

The cancellation comes at a difficult time within the racing community with those mourning the loss of one of their fellow colleagues, Robbie Conway, who passed away on Monday after having a heart attack while racing.

Conway’s funeral is scheduled to be held 10 a.m. on Monday at the Presbyterian church in Westhope. Drivers are encouraged to bring their race cars in celebration of Conway’s life and passion for racing.

Those interested in sharing a message or memory about Conway for a Minot Daily News tribute in Monday’s paper can do so by emailing aeisen@minotdailynews.com.

Alex Eisen covers Minot High School, Minot State athletics and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today