Hi, Everyone. My name is Katrina Shain and I am a 2nd generation racer at Coles County Dragway USA. I spent many weekends at the track as a kid and now, I get to enjoy my summer weekends racing my car down the famed 1/8th mile track.
Throughout the years, Coles County Dragway USA has been a place for friends and families to gather and do what they love.... DRAG RACE! CCD has long been a place where friendships are formed, hearts are broken, and champions are made. It is a piece of American history right here in the middle of Central Illinois.
So now we come to the reason for this fundraising campaign.... Our little piece of American history needs our help.
The track itself is OLD. Its SO old that it’s brittle and it’s not smooth. This can cause the problems with inconsistency that some of you racers may have experienced. A new, smoother track could lead to more consistent times. Also, a new racing surface has the potential to bring higher car counts to CCD which could mean higher payouts as well.
*KEEPING HIGH CAR COUNTS AT OUR LOCAL TRACK MEANS KEEPING OUR
BELOVED SPORT ALIVE!*
Some very interesting questions were brought up during the annual banquet this year after the idea was proposed, so I wanted to address a few things.
- 12 feet wide (The groove) is what would be cut and resurfaced... This leaves 5 feet on each side to the guard rails that would not be touched and 7 feet in the middle that would not be touched. The groove itself is what's getting redone.
- Unfortunately, your donation would not be tax deductible as the track is not a non-profit organization. You would just be donating out of the kindness of your heart.
- I have spoken to Alex Fuqua (grandson of Bill Fuqua who has owned the track) and he is in the process of buying the property. He has assured me on more than one occasion that the land will be a race track for many, many years to come.
- I have set this campaign up as an "all or nothing" format. As much as the track could use other improvements and any money raised would be helpful, I think its important for everyone to know exactly where their money is going. So what this means is that if we don't raise the full amount of money (this campaign is set up for for the initial goal of resurfacing until the 330 mark) no money is taken from your account. Your donation is considered a PLEDGE until we reach the full amount.
- If we reach above the initial goal to resurface until the 330, let's go ahead and try for the full amount! (See below).
- Just a head's up, we are still a little unclear about whether these donations will be taxed, so its possible that some funds would have to be used for this purpose. The total goal was increased to $30,000 to cover this as well as any cushion in case of unexpected costs.
Rod Viehland (Co-owner at Coles County Dragway USA) had an estimate done from NE-CO Asphalt Company in Charleston last year. Neal Cole, one of the founder fathers of CCD, owns NE-CO.
- To complete from the 60ft mark to the 330 on ONE side is $13,000. Both sides is $26,000.
- To complete from the 60ft mark to the 660 is $35,000, which would be $70,000 for both sides.
****(This would widen the grove on each side by 2 feet as well.)****
I realize this sounds like a lot of money (BECAUSE IT IS!) but…
We have 3,649 members in the Coles County Dragway USA Facebook group. If every one of those people were able to donate $20, that would equal $72,980!! That's enough to finish both sides and then some!
No donation is too small. By donating and sharing this campaign with your friends and family, you are preserving a piece of history... our little, local slice of heaven.
A new, smooth raceway can lead to more racers and more racers and cars can lead to more spectators. All of this can keep CCD going and allow us the privilege of continuing to do something we love at a track that's close to home.
Together, WE CAN DO THIS!
***BONUS!!***
Rod & Danette Viehland have
generously offered to give “TRACK CREDIT” to those who donate. Once
the “FundRazr” threshold has been reached and your donation has been
deposited they will give you a credit for up to $20 or 20% of your
donations (whichever is less) as TRACK CREDIT to be used towards
entry fees.
A little CCD history:
Formed in 1964, Coles County Drag Strip, Inc., was comprised of Bill Fuqua, Neal Cole, Dwight Kingery and Dean Isley. The group spent $73,000 building the place, ($543,079 in 2016 dollars), after beginning construction on May 1, 1966. It was scheduled to open on Saturday, August 6, 1966, but the insurance paperwork was late arriving and Bill Fuqua decided not to take the risk. The opening was rescheduled to Saturday, August 13, 1966, but it rained. The third attempt, on Saturday, August 20, 1966, was successful and was the ACTUAL grand opening.
