HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK DAMAGED IN HURRICANE IKE
"All things considered, we made out okay," track general manager Seth Angel said. "First and foremost, no one was hurt, which is always the top concern. We had the facility locked up tight and the staff was all sent home early to be with their families.
"When we returned on Sunday, we started accessing the destruction. It's never easy to see something you've spent so much time and money on beat-up like that, but we had to begin the process of rebuilding. Fortunately, we have insurance for these things."
Southeast Texas' largest racing facility,"All things considered, we made out okay," track general manager Seth Angel said. "First and foremost, no one was hurt, which is always the top concern. We had the facility locked up tight and the staff was all sent home early to be with their families.
"When we returned on Sunday, we started accessing the destruction. It's never easy to see something you've spent so much time and money on beat-up like that, but we had to begin the process of rebuilding. Fortunately, we have insurance for these things."
The most costly damage was to the two top-end scoreboards at the drag strip, which were completely destroyed. The tower suites also lost several windows, causing debris and water damage in the affected suites. The main office building and circle track suites suffered only cosmetic harm, while a number of bathrooms and concession stands had roof and siding damage. Most of the signage at the facility was blown away.
"We
have people working around the clock to get the track fixed up for our
next events," Angel said. "We won't miss a beat. Since I live there I
can see that the citizens of
The track will reopen Monday, Sept. 22, and will hold Friday Night Safe Street Night on Friday, Sept. 26, as well as the O'Reilly ASCS Sprint Car Challenge and the Hurricane Alley Motorcycle Racing Series on Saturday, Sept. 27. The four-day Texas National Motorcycle Rally will go off as planned on Oct. 2-5.
