CRYSTAL, Mich. — Heavy rainfall from Tuesday night’s storms has left Crystal Motor Speedway flooded, forcing officials to cancel the track’s second event of the season.
Standing water could be seen covering large portions of the racetrack, making conditions unsafe for both drivers and spectators.
General Manager Brian LeBaron said canceling Saturday’s event was not an easy decision, but ultimately the right one.
“We tried to do what’s best for our people and save them the time and money to drive here for nothing,” LeBaron said. “We forecasted that it’s just going to be too hard to recover from what we received.”
The cancellation comes as a rare setback for the speedway, which experienced only one rainout during the entire previous season. With a limited schedule of 29 races each year, losing even one event has a noticeable impact.
“You only get so many per year,” LeBaron said. “Any time you lose one when you're only open that many days a season, you don’t get those back. Rainouts are tough in this business, but we’re trying to protect our community.”
Track conditions remain a concern, as crews are unable to properly prepare the clay racing surface until it fully dries.
“You want your drivers to be happy when they’re out there,” LeBaron said. “If you have a bunch of holes and rough ups and downs, it can get bouncy.”
But despite the setback, LeBaron says things could've been a whole lot worse.
"We're very lucky here. If you drive just a short few miles in any direction, our community was devastated pretty heavily this week."
Still, speedway officials remain optimistic that racing will resume next Saturday, April 25th.
