A Look Back: Speedway’s first light show was postponed by 1998 wildfires
Everything, it seemed, was burning or threatened by flames.
Smoke, ash, sirens and angst filled the air, and day after day, it got worse and worse.
One of the last victims of this growing and glowing inferno two decades ago was the Pepsi 400 NASCAR Cup Series race, which was scheduled to run on the
The track's staff had spent more than a year hyping the race, now known as the Coke Zero Sugar 400, as the first motorsports event under the lights over the 2.5-mile tri-oval.
"Our build up to that race was awesome," said
Every grandstand seat had been sold well in advance as people were drawn to the notion of night racing at Daytona.
But the fires, which were burning across the state because of a months-long drought, changed everything.
"We were aware of the race and suggested they postpone it," former Ormond Beach fire chief
"We had road closures and fires that were unchecked in many areas."
"Smoke was everywhere," he said in a recent telephone interview. "Coming into Daytona I remember the pilot saying, 'We aren't sure what we will see when we go down into this.'
"When we left there the next day, it was amazing to see all that burning. The amount of smoke was just incredible."
The sprawling facility quickly converted to a vital, central staging area for firemen, utility companies and heavy equipment. The Speedway used its stock of food supplies, intended for race fans, and fed first responders for weeks.
"When we moved the 400 to the night,
"It wasn't rain at all that stopped the first night race. It was those fires and who could have ever guessed that would happen."
Next stop:
The wildfires of 1998 spread destruction and dread throughout the two counties and many times overran outmanned defense systems.
"It was weeks of no rest," said
Shiver witnessed one fire jump from the west side of
He hustled back to his unit and helped set up a line of firetrucks near a canal off of Williamson, which was less than three miles from the Speedway.
"We had 15 or 20 units and probably 60 people along that firebreak to keep the fire from coming into the city," Shiver said.
"We didn't want that dragon coming to town. We got it stopped right there, because its next stop was the
The meeting
Many of
When the dinner was over, the decision makers were summoned to the
"I still remember
The decision was made to move the race to the next open date on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar,
"All the resources in the community were going into the firefight," Gurtis said.
"We are glad they did postpone it," former Volusia County Sheriff
"The responsible thing to do was postpone that race until the weather was better, people could get here and the smoke had cleared. You can have rain delays, but smoke delays? It was a hazard for all people."
Gurtis, now Speedway vice president of operations, told those assembled for the meeting that there was a line of hundreds of cars and motorhomes parked outside the track ready to make camp in the infield. Even with the race cancelled, there would be no place for fans to go.
The primary road arteries into
On
"It was eerie," said
No rest for weary
Law enforcement and fire departments abandoned the shift concept because this fight was seemingly endless. There was no time off.
Instead of going home or even back to the firehouse, these front-line fighters would grab food or a few hours rest as various temporary sanctuaries such as the Speedway, Houligan's sports bar on
"One of the things the Speedway has always done is open the property to first responders during any kind of natural disaster," Johnson said. "They also had equipment there we could use and they let us store equipment under the grandstand."
One of the secondary reasons Daytona decided to postpone its summer race weekend was because hundreds of first responders are needed to host a major event.
Those people were otherwise occupied.
"Everybody was working around the clock," Capri said. "We help people get out of their houses, help people move their stuff and keep an eye on businesses that were closed (by the fires)."
When the wildfires ramped up, Capri left his suit and tie at home in favor of a tactical uniform. The police force was in constant motion.
"We are a special-events town and deal with races, spring break, Bike Week and things like that. That sort of deployment planning definitely helped us out during the fires. That worked to our advantage."
One of Baker's foot soldiers was
"We wanted to keep people out of harm's way," Flud said. "It was very chaotic and we were working very hard down in the trenches. We were trying to do what we could to save what we could."
Flud and his counterparts were so busy battling blazes; they didn't know the race had been postponed.
"There was just so much going on and we never got to go home," he said. "We didn't know a lot of things. We didn't have (access to) TVs and there were no communications like today."
Late, but great
Once the fires were knocked down and life returned to normal in
"It was like we staged three races that year," Gurtis said. "We went through the same process three times, but held two races."
The Speedway had no idea who would show up for an October race. This situation had never happened before or since.
"When a race ticket is sold, if the race can't be run on the date it is scheduled, the event is held on the next race-able day," Graham said. "Typically, if it's rained out, the race is held the next day.
"But these were fires that showed no signs of subsiding, so we had to find a place on the
The thought was it would be limited crowd, since it is easier for people to get time off of work during the summer. Instead, the fan base rallied back to the Speedway.
"We didn't know how many fans would show up," Graham said. "We were nervous about that, but as it turned out, it turned out to be a terrific evening. They all came back.
"It was beautiful night and
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