Beech Bend (Bowling Green, KY) Under Water!

can't tell from the shot but doesn't look like its too high in the grand stands...yet,the park is on higher ground. take a look over on the historic stock car thread at fairgrounds speedway in nashville.also check wsmv.com and look at the news cast with l.p. stadium in the background, water up to the trees. this is awful

 

WOW I'd heard it was bad, didnt realize how bad it really was! The water rises fast there, but it also goes down fast!. I worked there several yrs and never saw it that bad, Ive seen 6 ft of water on Ohio Valley Dragway and they would have it cleaned up and back to racing in less than a week!

 

Unless you've ever been through something like this you can not imagine the work it takes to restore things back to normal (if indeed they can ever be brought back fully)

Frank

 

wow, unreal

 

Man - that is one ugly, unfortunate and pitiful scene. I can only hope that not too many residential, farms, businesses and other property isn't damaged -- but you know there has to be some real widespread damage when you flooding like this. I pray for the people in these flooded communities . . . may mother nature let go of her hold and help them get back on their feet.

Always reminds me -- times can be bad, but they can always be MUCH worse.

 

Hell ,the national news showed a school house floating down Int.24 just west of NASHVILLE,TENN,it broke up after crashing into flooded out semis,these people have alot of damage.

 

Hell ,the national news showed a school house floating down Int.24 just west of NASHVILLE,TENN,it broke up after crashing into flooded out semis,these people have alot of damage.

 

even after the water goes down that ground is gonna be so saturated. there will probably damage under the track...just depends on what kind of current is flowing thru there. if they have to rebuild i sure hope they put it back just like it was.

 

Holy shit, those photos are depressing to see.

First and foremost, I hope everyone is ok and businesses recover. This sort of thing must be absolutely devastating.

 

I've only been to Beech Bend once, probably around '78 or so, to run at the Division 3 Bracket Finals. We drove thru blinding rain on the way down but it stopped by the time we got to Bowling Green that night. We pulled out our tents and set up camp for the weekend and called it a night.

But then about 1 o'clock in the morning the sheriff or the state police or somebody came thru with loudspeakers and rousted everybody out of the campground and made us all move to higher ground. The river, which surrounds three sides of the park if I remember, was rising fast from the rains we'd driven thru a few hours earlier. Tents were wadded up and stuffed in the back of the truck and we spent the next couple nights sleeping in the cab.

I think it was late the next day that they finally started letting cars into the pits, at least the half that wasn't still under water. They made you unload your car and tools and then you had to take your truck and trailer back out to save room in the pits for more racecars. With all the delays we only got to make a single time run instead of the scheduled two or three.

Since the return roads were still underwater they'd run maybe three pairs of cars down in a group, each pair then parking safely off to the side at the end of the track. Then they'd hold up staging and let the cars drive back up the track and around the staging lanes to get back to the pits. Made for an awful long day for just a single time run.

Come eliminations day and another weather system moved thru the area and it was a bunch cooler and drier. We broke out by a ton in the first round and that ended our weekend. And the drive home seemed a lot longer than the drive down.

But that just seems like a spring shower compared to what these pictures look like. Though I'd guess this is not an uncommon occurence for Beech Bend Park, but this may just be a record breaker!

 

Wild shit! It'll be back in shape for the show. Hate to see the pak have to endure the damages though.
That's why the BSM campground is at the highest point in the camp site! I guarantee ya it's dry.

Damn, I can't wait till HRR!!

 

It was almost 80 here today and things are starting to dry out. I haven't been out to Beech Bend or heard anything on it yet (other than here). I'll see what I can find out and post it. The track etc is in a low area right on the river so it has become the main drain for everything. No telling what kind of muck etc was brought in even after it dries.
I wouldn't worry about it canceling the Hot Rod Reunion. It'll be dry and fine by then. ...I hope....

 

We were lucky and didn't have anything more than standing water in the yard and our road was closed off. It all seemed to happen in no time.
On the other hand, it gave me a pond to sit and drink beer by at night. Hell, even talked my wife into skinny dipping.

 

Man ,this sux ! Prayers up !

 

holey smokes!

 

My wife was in Nashville this past weekend for a Jimmy Buffet concert. They were going to come home Sunday but Aunt Prudence made them stay an extra day. I-40 West is still closed. They came home through Alabama.

And yes, L.P. Field (Titan Stadium) is under water. Hopefully it will be cleaned up and ready for GoodGuys next month.

 

Holy feathers! I hadn't even thought of B.B. being flooded, hope the damage is minimal. I couldn't make it last year and got it worked out to be there this year.

 

I finally had time to look at google earth and you guys are right....the amusement park is higher by 20 feet in elevation.....the race track is 439'...the park is 459'. I didn't realize until reading this thread and subsequently lookin' at google that the river wraps around the place. Very scenic, but apparently not a great place to be when a 100 year storm blows through!!! Still hoping everything turns out OK the the folks that own the place!!!!

 

That is a lot of water, the river is usually a good 20-30 ft below that area. I hope they can get it back together for the Hot Rod Reunion. I really enjoy going to that event. We have camped there every year and had a good time.

 

That was my concern when I saw the pictures. Slop and sediment can be washed off the racing surfaces, the wiring and electronics can be dried and/or replaced, ..... even the historic buildings and bleachers can be repaired and (as a last resort) replaced, but the ground has to be stable under the asphalt or they have serious trouble. I hope the water leaves fairly slowly and there wsn't any strong current through the area. Beech Bend is such a cool place, it's really sad to see it like this.

 

Man that's sad!!

 

Yeah, let's hope they all get a good 2-3 week break from more rain. Here are some pics from downtown Nashville, LP field, where the GG event will be (hopefully) held in a few weeks.

 

Crazy ass weather!

It poured all night Friday night, all day Saturday, all night Saturday night, and most of Sunday.

From the news...

"Nashville and Bowling Green, Ky., both received their greatest two-day rainfall totals since records have been kept in the late 1800s, with 13.53 and 9.67 inches, respectively"

Rich

 

For those who have never been there, here's what that tower and foot bridge look like under normal conditions:



That's a lotta damn water in there now!

 

I heard on the local news last night that the river is usually at 18ft and during this it got to 43ft.
Have no idea what that means but it sure sounds bad.



Nashville's damage was way worse than here in Bowling Green.

 

If I remember right, the river was down in some steep banks. We tried to get down to it to play in it, but really couldn't find a good place to get down to it. And even then, it was a deeep river. We stayed in the campground there and rented a RV. It is a super nice track.

Like someone said, even if it goes down rather quickly, clean up will take the longest. You don't realize how much damage is done until it all goes down.

We had severe flooding around Atlanta last September and there's STILL people trying to recover from that and the trash that's in the trees next to the river is crazy. Everything still looks dirty and nasty.

Then we had this recent heavy rain and some people got flooded out again. One guy on the news said he JUST got his basement redone from the last flood when this rain storm started and flooded him out again. Dude is giving up and selling the house.

 

OMG!
I just got this. This is Advanced Plating in Nashville
My heart goes out to Steve Tracy and the rest of the guys there.



I called my best bud Earl Schieb just outside of Nashville and his shop is fine, house got just alittle water in the basement but he's fine.

 

With all the chemicals and the EPA that might be enough to kill advanced

 

I just drove back to Atlanta from Nashville. It's a pretty ugly situation up there. All that industrial area is under water and was all the way up Broadway to the Ryman according to local radio.

The pics from Beech Bend are heartbreaking.