By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — Racing could return to the Red Cedar Speedway at the Dunn County Rec Park in Menomonie this summer.
The Dunn County Board’s facilities committee approved forwarding a resolution to the executive committee at the February 24 meeting that would allow racing with a certain number of spectators in the grandstand.
The number of spectators would be determined by the positivity rate for COVID-19 in Dunn County at the time of the scheduled races.
A meeting with members of the Red Cedar Racing Association, representatives for Dunn County and KT Gallagher, Dunn County’s public health officer, resulted in a plan to allow the speedway to start to open up while still keeping public safety under control, said Charles Maves, county board supervisor from Boyceville and chair of the facilities committee.
For example, the Red Cedar Speedway could operate at 100 percent capacity— 1,465 people — if there were .65 cases of COVID-19 per day in Dunn County or 4.55 cases per week.
The Red Cedar Speedway could operate at 75 percent capacity — 1,098 people — if there were 1.29 cases of COVID-19 per day in Dunn County or 9.03 cases per week.
The number of people allowed at the race track would drop to 60 percent — 879 people — if there were 1.6 cases per day in Dunn County or 11.2 cases per week.
The number of people would decrease to 50 percent — 732 people — if there were 1.94 cases of COVID-19 per day in Dunn County, or 13.58 cases per week.
Thirty-five percent capacity — 513 people — would be allowed if there were 2.6 cases of COVID-19 per day or 18.2 cases per week.
The capacity would be at 25 percent — 366 people — if there were 3.24 cases of COVID-19 per day in Dunn County or 22.68 cases per week.
The Red Cedar Racing Association proposed higher numbers of COVID-19 cases to correspond with the number of people allowed at the Red Cedar Speedway.
For example, under the racing association’s proposal, the Red Cedar Speedway could be at 100 percent capacity (1,465 people) if there were 4.5 cases of COVID-19 per day or 31.8 cases per week.
Under the Red Cedar Racing Association’s proposal, the Red Cedar Speedway could be at 25 percent capacity (366 people) if there were 45.4 cases per day or 317 cases per week.
Do-able
The Red Cedar Racing Association is not asking to be “wide open,” said Mark Thomas, president of the racing association.
Being able to operate at 75 percent capacity (1,098 people with 1.29 cases of COVID-19 per day in Dunn County or 9.03 cases per week) would allow the racing association to pay its bills, he said.
This is a “great example” of working together to make sure the racing season can go on but while also taking public health into consideration, Maves said.
“I think it’s a win-win for Dunn County … this is a good thing,” he said.
Other races
Tim Niehoff, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the facilities committee, asked about the number of people allowed at the race track with the current case rate of three cases per day.
At three cases of COVID-19 per day, the Red Cedar Speedway would be at 25 percent with 366 people in the grandstand and 250 for the pit crews, Gallagher said.
Last year, there was no racing at the Red Cedar Speedway, but members of the Red Cedar Racing Association raced at other tracks in Wisconsin, Niehoff said.
Were there any cases of COVID-19 with confirmed transmission at the race tracks that were brought back to Dunn County? he asked.
Anecdotally — yes, Gallagher replied, noting there were other cases of COVID-19 in Dunn County, too, associated with large gatherings.
Large gatherings, even outdoors, add to the risk of community spread — and the larger the crowd is going to be, the fewer cases of COVID-19 public health officials want to see in order to be comfortable with the idea of large crowds, Gallagher said.
Notification
The Red Cedar Racing Association plans to meet on Wednesdays to determine how many people can be at the race track on Fridays, said Don Kuether, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the facilities committee.
How will the racing association notify people of the limit on attendees at the Red Cedar Speedway? What if 1,000 people show up but only 360 can be let in? he asked.
Members of the racing association have been working on the logistics, Thomas said.
Race fans are a tight-knit community. The Red Cedar Racing Association receives many “hits” on Facebook and on the association’s website, he said, adding there are media outlets that also cover the racing season.
Signs will be put out at the event concerning capacity for that particular day, and the association will also do pre-sales of tickets, Thomas said.
“I cannot say some might not be turned away,” he said.
“It’s not going to be the norm, but nothing really is right now. This will be a way for us to get back and provide entertainment,” Thomas said.
Kuether noted he works with various groups that sell tickets exclusively on-line.
When the limit of tickets is reached, then ticket sales are shut down, he said.
The Red Cedar Speedway has a fair number of fans who are not on-line, so there is still a need for in-person ticket sales, Thomas said.
So how will they know? Kuether asked.
Signs will be posted at the race track, and when the tickets are sold out, the gates will be locked, Thomas said.
In order to buy tickets in person, people will have to learn to get there early, he said, adding that tickets also will be available on-line for the Red Cedar Speedway.
Masks
Kuether said he is a member of the library board for the Menomonie Public Library and that the board had recently considered opening the library again.
Library staff said the last time they had attempted to open the library, they had “lots of difficulty” with getting people to wear masks, he said.
People would walk into the library wearing a mask but would then take the mask off, Kuether said.
Library staff believed the situation was not safe, so the library went back to curbside pickup, he said.
If the people coming to the races say they are going to wear masks, or are wearing masks, “I would take that with a grain of salt,” Kuether said.
“I don’t think you’re going to be too successful there,” he said.
Thomas pointed out that people are required to wear masks in school buildings, and the students wear their masks, too.
Many people are “serious” about doing their part and getting past the pandemic, he said.
“We will work our tail off,” Thomas said, adding that the racing association will publicize the rules for attending races and will make announcements during races that masks are required.
Resolution
The elderly are being vaccinated, and the races will be an outdoor event. Cases of COVID-19 in Dunn County also have decreased significantly, Rogers said, adding that he was in support of opening up the Red Cedar Speedway.
The Red Cedar Racing Association needs the races to stay in business, he said.
“I do not want to handcuff them to the point where they are not around,” Rogers said.
The Dunn County Board’s facilities committee unanimously approved a motion to forward the resolution allowing races at the Red Cedar Speedway to the executive committee for consideration at the March 10 meeting.
The executive committee is expected to forward the resolution for racing at the Red Cedar Speedway this summer to the Dunn County Board for consideration at the March 17 meeting.
The facilities committee meets next on March 24 at 6:30 p.m.
