Charleston Speedway and Coles County Speedway announced that Coles County Speedway’s planned Stars, Stripes & Survivors Event Benefiting Melissa Shain will take place at Charleston Speedway as Coles County recovers from tornado damage.

The Stars, Stripes, & Survivors event was planned to be a two-night event of racing from July 3-4 at Coles County Speedway. The event would feature NARA Limited Midgets, DIRTcar Hornets, Crown Vics, NARA Limited Mods, and Topless A Modifieds.

That event will now take place at Charleston Speedway according to a press release shared by both tracks. It states, “In an incredible act of generosity, Sonny Ross and Charleston Speedway have graciously handed over the keys to Charleston Speedway, ensuring that the event honoring Melissa Shain and supporting breast cancer awareness will continue.”

Coles County Speedway owner Brian Rieck said, “When it became clear that Coles County Speedway was too damaged to host Stars, Stripes & Survivors, we faced the possibility of losing an event that means so much to so many people. Without hesitation, Sonny Ross stepped forward and offered Charleston Speedway. That kind of selflessness and support is what our racing community is all about.”

“Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to Sonny Ross and the entire Charleston Speedway family,” Rieck added. “This event isn’t about whose logo is on the front gate. It’s about Melissa. It’s about rallying around one of our own. While racetracks may compete on different nights, moments like these remind us that we are one racing family.”

Coles County Speedway was hit by a tornado on Wednesday, June 17th. Rieck shared an initial assessment of the damage that evening writing on Facebook, “Here is what I know, we did take a direct hit of the tornado. There is a tremendous amount of damage. I will not be able to assess the full extent of the damage until day light tomorrow morning.”

“I am completely gutted right now, however my thoughts and prayers are 100% for this community,” he added. “Say a prayer before you lay your head tonight. There are a lot of folks that need it.”

On Thursday morning, Rieck shared more information as he walked the track’s grounds and assessed the damage the tornado caused. He said, “This community took a big hit. Tornados last night. There was definitely more than one tornado and we took a lot of damage. We’re not devastated, but we’re not in good shape either.”

He went on to share that the track’s scheduled races for this weekend are canceled and it will likely cancel for “the next several weeks after that” due to the damage from the storms.

While multiple massive trees were downed, there were a number of positive takeaways in that the track’s bleachers survived as well as its new fence, for the most part. However, “the back stretch fence is gone.” Additionally, part of the pole for the track’s new video tower was taken off, the scoring tower’s roof is gone and some of its siding has been blown away, a car had been blown down as well.

The track’s ambulance was struck by a fallen tree. It’s EMS building also has a tree on top of it. He also showed that the wires for the pit lights and a number of poles were damaged and down. There are a number of gates that were significantly damaged throughout the track. The billboard wall with its scoreboard has also been heavily damaged.

Despite all the damage, Rieck declared, “We will race again, that is 100% for sure, but it’s going to take a lot of work.” He also asked for volunteers to help out, “We will definitely need a lot of help. We will definitely need some volunteers, we’ll need lots of chainsaws, probably some trailers to haul all these trees and stuff off, or we’ll have a big bonfire and party it up. We’ll figure out something.”

Finally, he shared that he has been in contact with his insurance company and everything seems to be positive on that end.

Rieck and a number of others have been busy cleaning up the property. In one of its more recent updates, he shared that one of the huge tress that fell at the entrance of the property will remain on site, “This tree was estimated at 150-200 years old….it was a staple at this speedway! We will keep this portion of the tree and display it out front as a reminder!!”

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