Lieurance points toward April 10 opening for Adams County Speedway

QUINCY — Jim Lieurance admits he found the outpouring of support to be a rather emotional experience.

If pressed, he will admit to probably wiping away a tear or two.

When Lieurance, 62, took control of the Adams County Speedway of Illinois — formerly known as Quincy Raceways — in the fall, he knew he was inheriting a borderline disaster. The longtime dirt track facility at 8000 Broadway showed what two years of virtual abandonment could do, so he sent out an S.O.S. to the local racing community.

He never dreamed the response would be what it was and continues to be.

“When we started, we had 37 people show up to volunteer to help,” Lieurance said. “This is my home track, my family’s home track. We’ve been connected with it for 40 years. My kids have all grown up there. I couldn’t believe it. It has been amazing. Things have gone better than I could have ever imagined.”

That did not include all the accompanying equipment and assistance offered in other forms from beyond the initial 37. Four months into the resurrection project at the Broadway Bullring, all systems are go for the first green flag.

Hell Tour to visit Quincy on June 22

The season will kick off April 10 and run through the end of September, featuring weekly classes of crate late models, “A” modifieds, “B” modifieds, street stocks and four-cylinder rides. A variety of sanctioning bodies will be connected with the track’s regular series, including UMP, IMCA and USRA. Accenting the schedule will be stops by the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour (June 22), MARS Late Model Series (May 22), an open-wheel festival July 3 and other dates featuring modified, various sprint car sanctioning bodies and midgets. The always-popular Hell Tour stop will pay $5,000 to win for late models and $1,500 for modifieds. The MARS event will pay $7,000 to win.

“There’s really just minimal work left to do,” Lieurance said. “We need about one week of good weather to finish everything up.”

Lieurance is leasing the site this year with the intent to buy. He and property owner Paul Holtschlag have been working hand-in-hand in readying the track to re-open.

The preseason “mall show” also will return March 19-20 at the Quincy Town Center (formerly the Quincy Mall).

“We already have 28 cars signed up for that weekend,” Lieurance said. “The response to everything has been phenomenal.”

Track closed since end of 2019 season

Adams County Speedway has been closed since the end of the 2019 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the failure to find a new owner. Jason Goble, who ran the track during 2018-19 seasons, has left the area.

Lieurance, who lives in Hannibal, Mo., has a long history with the Broadway Bullring. He has served in numerous leadership capacities during the past 40-plus years, having worked with all former owners, including the late Albert Scott, who founded the track in 1975. In addition, Lieruance oversaw track operations in 2021 at Randolph County Speedway near Moberly, Mo. He resigned from his duties in Moberly after last season to fully concentrate on returning Adams County Speedway to prominence.

Working with Lieurance in track management will be his wife, Tammy. Former track flagman Blake Dotson is taking over as director of race operations. Steve Grotz, Kevin Rees and Rock Coats make up the track crew, which has been busy in recent months cleaning, reshaping and manicuring the .29-mile oval as well as working on various aspects of the 28.5-acre site.

Others to come on board as part of the new lineup of track workers are Bob Hightower, Jesse Alsteine, Michelle Webster, Ashley Dotson, Alicia Deming, Clayton Deming, Daniel Webster, Jason Deming, Caydence Deming and Aiden Gilker.

Local businesses have offered ‘tremendous support’

Lieurance will make a series of major announcements about sponsorships in the future.

“The Quincy area business community has already offered tremendous support, and more is coming,” he said.

Albert Scott, who died at age 87 in August 2000, founded the track in 1975. He was directly involved in its operation until three years before his death. His son, Bob Scott, took over track operation in 1993 and served as the track’s chief executive officer through early 2007. That’s when Tony Rhinberger and Mike Karhoff bought the site. The Rhinberger-Karhoff tandem was the first of seven ownership groups between 2007-2019.

Information about the track is on the Adams County Speedway of Illinois Facebook page. A new track website will soon be operational, he said.