Like an April Fool’s joke gone too far… demolition of the Cleveland Speedway began over the Easter Weekend as the 60+-year-old facility was reduced to rubble Saturday by Cleveland, Tn., businessman Alvin Calhoun, who recently purchased the defunct auto race track from Chattanooga businessman Al Chapman.
Two nearby area dirt track facilities (within an hour of Cleveland Speedway) are looking to take up the slack from Cleveland’s racing interest. Tim and Angie Kyle’s family reopened weekly and special events at Sweetwater’s I-75 Raceway a few years ago, while Kelvin and Susan Hampton’s renovation of the old Rhea County racetrack continues across the river (Highway 60) in Spring City/Dayton.
A longtime Cleveland Speedway announcer and racing insider stated to DirtOnDirt.com this week, “racing changes with the times, just like Knoxville’s Atomic Speedway did some years ago. Fans go where the action and the excitement lives on weekends."
I-75 (Raceway) provides a similar size of track to Cleveland, though it projects its own image of side by side racing action for Late Models, Crates and Sprint Cars. The new Rhea County (Mountain View Raceway) is shaping up to be a smaller muscle dominant 1/4 mile flat track. Hampton and Calhoun struck a deal for much of Cleveland Speedway’s accessories (such as scoreboard/light poles) to be relocated to the Dayton property.
Many friendships and families were shaped and molded out of the weekly and special events over the past 60 years under the likes of Joe Lee Johnson, Monty Morrow, Ronnie Willkomm and Mike Siimmons at the Cleveland track.
Lee once said “Cleveland is one of those race tracks that once you learn to win on, you can go anywhere and win.”
The decision to re-purpose the 23+ acres of Highway 11 road frontage property was made by Calhoun, after his offer to lease the property to a longtime racer friend, was turned down. Renovation speculation is leaning towards a soccer complex adjacent to the Candies Creek/Pleasant Grove Rd property, although official word from Calhoun has not been given.
Races take place weekly at I-75 Raceway (I75raceway.com and on Facebook) between March and November, primarily on Saturday night. Mountain View Raceway (mountainviewraceway.com and on Facebook) is shooting for an early Summer 2018 Grand Opening, with racing also slated primarily on Saturday nights.