Severe winds strike the speedway
A late-night storm overturned RVs in the campground, damaged grandstands and other structures, and injured 11 people.
- Weather finding
- Straight-line winds
- Reported injuries
- 11
Scheduled edition No. 27 · Event not held
Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo. - cancelled because of storm damage
The story
Severe weather struck the Wheatland facility late on May 20, overturning RVs in the campground, damaging part of the grandstands and injuring 11 people. The National Weather Service later determined that straight-line winds, not a tornado, caused the damage.
Officials postponed the Memorial Day weekend program on May 21 while crews assessed the facility and began cleanup. One week later, they canceled the event after attempts to find a replacement date that worked for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, MLRA, speedway and television schedules were unsuccessful. Tickets and reserved camping were refunded.
Lucas Oil Speedway reopened for racing June 8. The Diamond Nationals expanded to two $15,000-to-win programs on July 13 and 14, but no Show-Me 100 winner was recorded in 2019. The next completed edition was held July 18, 2020.
The complete event
Preliminary races and the finale are documented as separate parts of the event.
A late-night storm overturned RVs in the campground, damaged grandstands and other structures, and injured 11 people.
Officials postponed the three-day Memorial Day weekend program while the facility assessed the damage and began cleanup.
View supporting recordOfficials could not find a replacement date that preserved the schedules of the series, speedway and television partners, so the 2019 event was canceled.
The speedway reopened June 8. The Diamond Nationals expanded to two $15,000-to-win nights in July to help fill the gap left by the canceled Show-Me 100.
Research trail
Historical facts are compiled from linked records and original research. Third-party writing and imagery are not reproduced.