Racing will soon return to the Gem City under a new name, but for over two years, the dirt track has been dormant.

Adams County Speedway, formerly known as Quincy Raceways, was set to have a full schedule in 2020. However, racing, like many things, took a back seat.

The pandemic and the quest to find a new owner left the .29-mile bullring desolate, and many locals lost hope of ever dwelling in the stands again.

Darin Miller, an avid motorsports fan, was disappointed by the absence of racing.

“It was very sad driving past the track and not having racing out there for two years,” Miller said.

The overgrown track sat eerily, waiting for someone to preserve its potential and treasured past. It was looking like it might become yet another abandoned short track until Jimmy Lieurance was announced as the director of operations in the fall of 2021.

The 28.5-acre property is now being leased by Lieurance from owner Paul Holtschlag with the intent to purchase.

Jake Powers, the 2018 IMCA Stock Car track champion, now races a UMP Street Stock and has immense history at the track.

“My family has been going to Adams County Speedway since it opened,” Powers said. “The speedway is close to our hearts.”

By attending races at local dirt tracks, you never know who you might be in the presence of or witnessing. Local tracks tend to be proving grounds for those looking to chase a racers dream, and it’s no secret that the Midwest has rich racing history.

Indianapolis 500 winners, IndyCar champions, NASCAR champions, DIRTcar champions, history-makers, path-pavers and life-long motorsport fans hail from the heartland.

“Adams County has some of the most die-hard fans and drivers,” Powers expressed.

Names like Tony Stewart, Bobby Pierce, Danica Patrick, Ed Carpenter, Fred Gibb, Chase Briscoe, Justin Allgaier, Chad Knaus and more all call the Midwest home, and most cut their teeth racing at short tracks.

The sanctioning bodies to visit the track include IMCA, USRA and UMP, which will feature the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model Hell Tour, a spectacle among those in the Midwest. The Hell Tour consists of an average of six races per week for six consecutive weeks, spanning across eight different states.

Fans can witness the track’s new lease on life in April, as the first open practices are set for April 3 and 6. Cars will race again in the Gem City for the first time since 2019 on April 10, a date that locals are fixing their eyes on.

“It’s our home away from home,” Powers said. “I can’t wait to turn laps there again.”