The start of racing season is 'about survival' for Florence Speedway

Josh King was busier than normal on July 3. And he considers that a good thing.

King was busy getting his Florence Speedway facility ready for a night of racing on Saturday night, July 4, followed by fireworks. He only had one day to do that after the track, which has cars racing on a dirt track, opened its 2020 season on Thursday night.

“Today is all about track prep and restocking, getting it prepared for tomorrow,” King said Friday. “Getting concessions cleaned, getting everything else cleaned. Normally you have a full week to do this.”

King and his family have owned the track, which is on U.S. 42 in Walton, since 1984. The family had been fighting Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in court since June 1.

Kentucky's Healthy at Work regulations, which became effective June 1 for auto race tracks restricted attendance at races to only authorized personnel – meaning people who work at the track, are drivers or a car's mechanical crew.

The King family won an emergency injunction on Wednesday in Boone County Circuit Court and immediately opened to fans Thursday for a limited night of racing in two divisions.

The Kings have been part of a lawsuit with three other Northern Kentucky businesses, with attorney Chris Wiest filing in Boone County Circuit Court.

The speedway agreed to limit seating to 33% of capacity in the outdoor grandstands. Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana opened June 20 at 50% capacity. Florence Speedway referenced the Florence Y’alls baseball franchise, who will be allowed to play in front of 50& capacity when they start their season July 31.

King said 33% amounts to 1,800 patrons, and attendance Thursday night was roughly 100 short of that.

"(The owner) has been pushed to the point of where if I can't get him open in the next week and a half, he's going to have a bankruptcy filing and will be done and will not come back," Wiest said in the Louisville Courier-Journal.

The businesses' complaint asks for an injunction or relief that the governor's orders are unconstitutional, and for compensation for the closure.

“It’s about survival,” King said. “We’re a seasonal business. We race from March through October, but our main season is from March through August, because once school starts, the crowd drops significantly. We’ve lost three and a half months from our prime, and to be able to open now is about survival.”

On a typical Saturday night, Florence Speedway can have at least 150 drivers competing in five divisions. The speedway has three full-time year-round employees and 20 to 50 workers who assist on race day, some are volunteers.

The track has marked off rows of its bleachers to enforce social-distancing.

“We added some extra staff for cleaning,” King said. “Security, making sure people are following the rules, We weren’t sure what we would get with pushback. All of it went really well. Once we explained things to people, it went really well.”

While the legal situation is fluid, King hopes to keep the season going through Oct. 24 and add events to the existing schedule. Fan Appreciation Night has been moved to August 29, and the North/South 100, which brings drivers from around the country, is still on August 15.

“Our business model is the dirt racing,” he said. “It’s similar to NASCAR. They’re going in three-wide, sideways, throwing dirt. Overall it’s a night out for family and friends, looking for a night of entertainment. We have a little of something for everybody.”