Abandoned and flooded racetrack in Louisiana! What would it take to bring it back to life?

[@veronicameissner7051]

My parents owned this race track for 6 years. It was St Tammany Speedway until I believe 2005. It’s devastating to see it so dead when there once was so much life there!! The stands packed, the pits full of race cars, drivers, & pit crews, the smell of racing fuel, burgers on the grill, kids running around, My brother Todd in the flag stand, dad in his chair, and the announcer announcing what a great night of racing we are going to have. Precious Memories is all that’s left of such an amazing time in my life!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve actually lost both of my parents and my brother so this memory will be greatly cherished!

[@kylecosta1127]

I'm so sorry for your losses! Thank you for sharing your story with us.

[@985Mindy]

My grandpa Campy used to run there as well as I. That was a fun place and was glad to be a part of it. I know Ronnie tried to revive it but i guess it got to be too much

[@DeadlyKnot]

@@985Mindy Do you know who still owns this? I'd love to get permission to take some pictures and make a short video to document.

[@985Mindy]

@@DeadlyKnot the last person i knew that owned it was Ronnie Marshall who owns A-1 wrecker in Pearl River

[@DeadlyKnot]

@@985Mindy ok! I'll see if i can find him and talk to him!

[@ericdulyon4601]

Shows you how fast nature takes stuff back. This place hasn't been closed but for 2 or 3 years

[@hypnotix370z4]

Man we need to get the car scene together and go out and fix this place, make it a public track. all proceeds go into the track, completely nonprofit just fun a fumes lol

[@kylecosta1127]

I wonder who owns the property now, whomever it is they're clearly not interested in it.

[@hypnotix370z4]

Kyle Costa they probably won’t let the property go for a fair price too

[@kylecosta1127]

A friend if the prior owners told me the new land holder wants 1.2 million for the property. Even though most every building is far below code and it would require another 200-300k to renovate.

[@kylecosta1127]

Apparently the track lights cost close to 13k a day to run as well. But nowadays LED high output lights should cut that overhead down significantly.

[@hypnotix370z4]

Kyle Costa yeah the entire property would need to be reworked and modernized would be expensive but in the end It would be an amazing project if everyone got together... I wonder how big it is exactly

[@steveashworth6707]

If I could win the mega million I would buy some of these abandoned tracks and bring them back to life!, I'm an old late model dirt racer!, I cry when I see tracks like this!.

[@VicDeVore]

A big pump, at the very least...

[@deplepfan]

And mowing weedwackers paint.

[@leepittman1137]

looks like it still has good bones needs drainage put in going out off the back strech My family ran 2 race tracks in central Illinois for many years its lots of hard thankless work but it was fun 1 of the tracks we ran is still going to this day and the other one is abandon brings back some good memories thanks

[@daltonbragg9157]

The only reason why it got banded is because the owner didn't want to pay for the lot behind the pits to make the pits bigger

[@9thGenerationCajun]

I never attended this track but I've ridden by as races were going on . This place was always packed with people on race night.

[@michaelfowler8551]

Had many memories at that track. When it closed I faded away from racing. Had it still been there I would probably be still racing.

[@kylecosta1127]

I'd love to see it revived one day. The bones are still there, and dirt track racing seems to be making a comeback.

[@chancesibley8748]

Same, but my father is trying to get back into racing

[@RoseUnseen]

WOW! i can just imagine all the kids and there dads having a fun weekend , now just a memory .

[@stuartboschen1241]

Looks like it will convert easily to a jet boat track.

[@dixielinetv962]

I love hickory my dad went there when he was a kid he’s 52 it’s been around for a while

[@americanmusclemaniac9565]

Dang that’s sad. I live in Louisiana. My uncles race on a dirt track called thunder valley speedway

[@daltonbragg9157]

And it's pretty sad that my family helped work on for a whole year just to see it go to waste

[@yt-hfzvxplayz2218]

This is sad I remember going there as kid really miss this place

[@ronyantz7349]

It would need a good clay lined drainage pond , Drains and pipes dug into infield . Water could be used for track prep.

[@michaelhill7878]

Plus lots and lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!

[@RamaFortunema]

Awesome footage... Awesome pilot.. Good job

[@evanvanheukelom6689]

Somebody call Ole Cleeter. The Gentle Giraffe can save that place in less than a year!

[@deplepfan]

Old school tracks are the life blood of racing. We need it

[@NJP76]

Better than anything NASCAR has to offer these days. I work at an "old school" local track, and LOVE it. Crazy good times on Friday nights!

[@paullywilliams2255]

To everyone asking ronnie marshall owns this u can find him at trackside

[@toecuttre]

Drove by this place today on the way to Abita Springs!

[@bjornfoss8424]

Someone call Cleatus McFarland!

[@approachingtarget.4503]

Money and sweat from your back. But in todays world. Fire arms and self sufficiency is the goal.

[@waynevictory5208]

They are race track all across the south that have been shuttered. The cost of insurance and lawsuits. The the modern times of have run up cost to race. You use to be able to grab a car fix it up a bit and go race on Friday night or Saturday for a kick . Now it tens of thousands of dollars to get just a started. Even running dirt trace has gotten big bucks . I use to do a little blow it up take a few weeks rebuild it in the barn and come back for a little more fun. It was family and friends that made the team.

[@jasonjuneau]

I live on the South Shore and had no idea this ever existed

[@jestinnawelch35]

Idk if it was this track but I think it was. My dad raced there a few times. I got to ride with him on the victory lap. That would have been in the early 90's. If it wasn't this track, there is/was, another one somewhere out here in St. Tammany. I thought it was in Pearl River, but I can't find any history about any other tracks out there. So, I'm guessing it has to be this one. I've been searching bc I wanted to go play with my new car but there is nowhere to legally drive like an idiot😂😂

[@AdRevenuePlz]

First of all, Its in Louisiana, witch is Notorious for flooding, so that alone will cost alot because of Track repairs and so on, Second of all, How are you going to fit 30-40 cars on there

[@ckzoning2294]

30 to 40 cars. derppp

[@austinwarner4a849]

Tracks in Louisiana (Open) Boothill Speedway Ark-la-tex speedway Sabine speedway Superbee speedway Baton rouge raceway Thunder valley speedway (Closed) St Tammany (obviously) N/A I-20 speedway (torn down) 1970s Bayou speedway (in ruins) 2005 Champion park/Webster speedway (torn down) 2012 Revolution raceway (back 2 asphalt) 2022 Louisiana state fairgrounds (torn down) 1980s Track somewhere in Monroe (in ruins) N/A

[@BurkesBucknFirewood]

Race track for boats! Thats sick good job at making that

[@ed9492]

Ironic that while all the huge lakes out west are drying up, we still have some forming out here.

[@kaylacouvilier7573]

What if we did a public fundraiser to bring it back to life?

[@kylecosta1127]

I believe the property is still privately owned. They're asking way too much for it and clearly have no interest in using it.

[@NJP76]

@@kylecosta1127 Most likely they want to sell it to some "developer" who would just break it up and put more of those useless McMansions on it.

[@VitoNata]

I live in Louisiana I spend a lot of Friday nights there when I was younger it’s a shame to see how bad it is now

[@jordonboring3729]

2016 they still raced on this track, i just looked up videos.

[@SebastianWoodard]

I walked the track and the property a while a couple months back. Took photos and posted on Facebook in disgust.

[@kylecosta1127]

I hate seeing it like this

[@ed9492]

What would it take? Demolition and almost complete rebuild. It doesn't look like the track is in usable condition even if the middle was drained. Whatever pavement it may have once appears to be gone. If it was a dirt track, it would still need to be redone.

[@johntalkington2649]

Too bad you can’t post pics in the comments. I have lots of them from there

[@Ninja_Shuriken]

You can link them tho. Just upload them to imgur or other photo/video hosting websites and post the links in the replies

[@bisket2003]

PLEASE tell me someone has since saved this track??

[@daltonbragg9157]

Me and my dad and my brother and Uncle used to work at that track my dad was tow truck driver

[@chadalac1977]

Neat video man but America dont want racetracks as much as it is Americas pass time sport ! Look at Atlanta speedway , closing , great place rt66 no events last or this yr !!

[@GunsNRoses1123]

I've seen videos of many abandoned tracks so my quess is that interest in racing must be fading. Even if this is sad imo it's probably better to try to preserve the tracks that are still left instead of wasting money in a quite small and lousy looking track. Not that I'm any expert in racing or tracks, just an observation after getting interested in this.

[@tylerturner5442]

@@GunsNRoses1123 I believe it's also because the price of racing has went up dramatically in the last few years.... its always been expensive of course but not like now.

[@louiebrake1297]

I wonder if it was another cause of the crate motor death that's usually what happens to race tracks

[@tylerturner5442]

I agree, crate engines have really messed up dirt racing.

[@867diesel]

ive lived my whole life down the road from this place . st tammny politics is what closed this track . along with some money problems in 08 when the economy crashed . good ole st tammany they dont want anything fun here

[@ilikesalt7245]

Save it if you can?

[@Dilly_Dilly_Dale]

Turns 1 & 2 wider then 3 & 4 hope someone fices it up

[@Ultrase7en767]

Freedom factory 2??

[@daltonbragg9157]

used to be called la36

[@j.d.b.pennamesonofharraant3367]

Such a shame ....

[@bestestgaming8454]

big ol bass pond

[@chriskelleher349]

Mosquitoes 🐜 as big as horses 🐴.

[@JPOC226]

ill say start with some drainage

[@spheredhawk67]

What's the name of this track

[@lucastraman706]

St Tammany race course

[@regandunn4850]

Could be just blocked drain

[@Dilly_Dilly_Dale]

Looks like it gas goos bones, maybe a quarter mile track

[@ksk101963]

Money time and to dig under the track and divert the water away from the track into the woods or a pit filled with rock

[@missywalker7846]

Janice sent me here

[@maiishit]

Holy shet thats a lake

[@dalejrfan820002000]

So sad but there is a lot of stuff people can do there. The government wants to shut down racing. And people are letting them .

[@americanracingproductions2306]

Do you know the city it’s in???

[@kylecosta1127]

Lacombe, Louisiana.

[@1761Charlie]

@@kylecosta1127 The middle of nowhere.

[@kylecosta1127]

@@1761Charlie meh, I live maybe 15 minutes from this track. It's isolated, but not far.

[@1761Charlie]

@@kylecosta1127 Since you live there, why did it close?

[@UsingNinjutsu]

wow

[@HDS420]

@cleetusMcfarland freedom factory site B

[@brentmwil]

Cleetus

[@louiebrake1297]

Hope you can do something with their track I'd be glad to help you I live I hope you do well would be glad to help you with some inside just contact me I ain't the one of me out there so I'm easy to find you can Google me

[@gregb6469]

Canoe races!

[@lucastraman706]

OH MY GOD I HAVE AN IDEA I live in Louisiana and I know of a spot where there is a fuck ton of old police Tahoes I say we fill in the track portion and keep some of the lake The track should host a race called the Mardi gras grand prix with the only cars allowed to enter the race being Tahoes Modifications allowed I feel we could also pave the track and have 14 degrees of banking

[@sabgab]

Drainage.

[@michaelkrempasky9691]

race speed boats

[@angelsone-five7912]

It would take a good sized drain in the centre for starters...........

[@thomasfletcher4765]

With one way flaps in it to prevent back flow , and run the drainage off into the woods .

[@chriswilson9248]

It was a race track for years it has drainage it's poly stopped up by nature

[@tedgey4286]

Jesus what a biohazard

[@chadalac1977]

Biohazard because of the water , like any other pond !

[@waynespyker5731]

What are the Wetland Requirements? Would it be possible to become compliment at what cost?

[@cleasonleasure4832]

money, ask cleotis mc farland