Contract details are being worked out, but Jeff Nuckles said it’s “virtually a done deal.”
CMS, located southeast of Columbus in Obetz, enjoyed its best season last year since 2006.
So when the village approached the Nuckles and asked about buying the land next to Memorial Park, they hesitated. The decision got even tougher after the village agreed to the family’s asking price.
“That’s the unfortunate thing, that it’s doing pretty well right now,” Nuckles said, referring to other tracks closing due to lack of support.
The village plans to use the land to upgrade the Columbus Crew practice facility already located there. A major league rugby team also plans to start playing in the park this spring.
“We have an incredibly good relationship (with the village). They basically came to us and said we have a need,” Nuckles said. “They weren’t buying this to get rid of the Nuckles family. They had a need for more land.”
The daily grind of running the track also played a role, said Nuckles, who has been confined to a wheelchair after a racing accident at Eldora Speedway in 1984. All three brothers and their families continue to work at the track. But with other minor health issues in the family, and with their children spread across the country, who would take over operations was a concern.
“That was a part that played into this,” Jeff Nuckles said.
CMS, which averaged about 2,500 spectators last season, has already seen an increase in competitors. The compact division — front-wheel cars for the beginners’ division — averages about 20 participants. As many as 50 could race this season.
Former champions and out-of-state drivers have also expressed interest in returning for a final run at the CMS track that’s hosted racing legends like Neal Sceva, Dick Freeman, Benny Parsons and Harold Smith.
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