Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I'm working the Nebraska State Fair this week.  I was driving the back roads to my hotel in Hastings and came across an old racetrack abandoned.  I saw a score board in a hay field and wondered; what baseball field was out this far?  Them I saw the old bleachers and the open area for a track.  Wondering if anyone knows the place?  I kinda want to stop and take a look but not get arrested. It was so random.  I have the Google imagines now.  Looks like if has been used at some point in a few years for something but looking at it.....noooo.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Found it as Mid Nebraska Speedway. Abandoned 5 years ago.  Was just random to travel to my hotel on a back road and find a track ghost .

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

I remember going to a race there probably 20-25 years ago.  Nice semi banked track.  I think they closed it after Junction Motor speedway was built.  Not sure why.

Yeah, McCool is what 45 min. From here toward Lincoln..?  I looked up the population stats and the Tri City area of Grand Island, Kearney and Hastings is about est .  100,000. So not too bad for middle of no where really. 

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

I never made it to Mid-Nebraska before it closed, and don't know the specifics for why it closed...however I do know that in it's last few years little positive was said about it online.  According to those that ran there or were fans its promotor/ owner had a reputatiuon for almost non-existant track prep and the ability to drag out a show like no other.  Back in its hayday it was a well respected and prestigious track that ran some big specials and had some seriously big named drivers attend on a regular basis.  By the end it soulnds like it was just a struggle to water the track sufficiently enough to actually have a race.  It's always sad when a track closes, but in some cases it may have been for the best.  This might qualify.  

Isn't there a book on abandoned racetracks?

Looks like there are several. Here's one: https://www.amazon.com/Speedway-Auto-racings-ghost-tracks-ebook/dp/B06XRJBXDT

Click & paste... I can't get the live link thing to work....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwBWmB9DdLQ

Talked with him earlier.  Said he drained out 3 wells watering it.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Made a few phone calls and he was meeting someone to load up some sold bleachers. He I showed up and he was nice enough to talk with me i took a few photos and he asked if I wanted to take a ride around.  

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Oh and the last Sprint race was in its last year.  360s.  40 cars checked in and Danny Lasoski got 2nd. Guess old friend.  

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Thanks for the pictures.  Kind of depressing to see old tracks like that go by the wayside.  Tulsa, OKC, Lakeside in Denver, I could go on and on.  Speaking of sprints and the Nebraska State Fair.  I remember when they had a Thunder through the Plains show there back in the 90’s I believe that Joey Saldana won.  They made the track in the middle of the paramutual track(can’t remember if it was greyhound or horse racing) and used the glassed in air conditioned grandstand.  I thought that was the coolest thing I’d ever seen back when I was a kid!

This old track was originally Mid-Continent Speedway in Doniphan NE.  The track was built in the last 1960's (est) and raced on Saturday nights.  Early on they raced supermodifieds (pre-sprint cars), stock cars and hobby stocks.  Over time, this changed to sprinters (the WoO ran there a couple of times), late models (Bobby Allison made a guest appearance), A & B mods, 4 cylinder cars, stock cars and even 2 man cars at one point.

I'm originally from Grand Island (GI) and started going to the races in 1972 or 1973 with my dad.  Lots of fun times that's for sure.

Somewhere in the mid 90's, the track was sold to a former racer.  I know there were issues with car counts, maintenance, etc. but it was definitely a tough time for racing in that area.  By that time I was no longer attending races there as I went to Eagle and I-80 Speedway for my racing fix.

They just had an auction and sold the bleachers, equipment, etc. that was still sitting around.  I've heard various things about the land being sold but I don't know whether it has actually been sold or not.

I grew up at that track, here is a video I did a few years after it closed down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V0iHmVCPEM

www.ba-photos.com

jackhole22 - I posted your photos (and gave you credit for them) on a facebook group I belong to called Central Nebraska Dirt Track Racing Memories.  Maybe you are already a member of the group.  Thanks again for posting them here.

I have more

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Guy named Doug.  Told me he was a former racer for 24 years.  Won a track championship at Norfolk.  He was welcoming to me for someone who just showed up as he was loading some sold bleachers to a go kart track.  Having Marion county Iowa plates, a Knoxville fire rescue sticker (not me) and KnoxvilleVIP Nationals parking pass still on my window,  it all probably helped him warm up to me.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Doug Stange was the guy you ran into.  He bought the track in 95'ish and owned it until recently.  He may even own the land yet, don't know if he sold it at auction.  I know over time things got pretty tough between the racers, fans and management.  I don't know the story as I wasn't there.  All I know is the track I grew up with is gone.  It's too bad no one was able to step in when Doug was ready to sell.

Doug raced hobby stocks and then what I would call pro-am cars for a long time.  He had a number of very nice cars, usually #99.  I remember a blue and silver Coors Light car was really neat.

Well done, ba!

Darn shame. Looks like it was a nice facility and a racy track.

And, man is it flat out there