Eminent Domain Claims Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway for I-69 Highway
Eminent domain claims Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway land forcing track to end 2015 season early. The land has been claimed for a new highway project. Half of the pit lane has been condemned leaving track owners the track and tower.
Land on the backside of track is considered wetland area by the state. That means the track cannot use it to extend their pitlane area. This leaves them with a track but no pit lane for teams. Below is the official press release from the Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway management staff.
CALVERT CITY, Kentucky – Clover Leaf Realty, LLC has announced that it will cease operations at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Marshall County and end its season early, effective immediately. In 2014, the Commonwealth of Kentucky gave notice that its reconstruction of the I-24/Purchase Parkway Interchange for the I-69 corridor would take much of the real property used to operate the racetrack. After communicating with state officials, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet filed a condemnation lawsuit in Marshall Circuit Court to take the racetrack property by eminent domain in July.
The lawsuit has cast a cloud over the 2015 race season and future of the facility. On Monday, September 21, the Court granted the Commonwealth’s motion for an interlocutor order to take the land. The approximately 36 acres being taken encompasses the racetrack’s pit area, maintenance building, ticket office and scales, rendering the racetrack’s utilities inoperable. This prompted the racetrack owners to make the hard decision to close the racetrack and end the season early. “We did the best we could, but the state’s taking of our property has really left us with very few options,” said co-owner, Ronnie Jones.