PULASKI CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Just south of Burnside, Lake Cumberland Speedway lights up Saturday nights from April to October. The dirt track provides a source of entertainment for some. For others, it’s a lifestyle.
On weekdays, Mike Strunk is the magistrate in Pulaski County, and he has been for 18 years. But for 38 years, Strunk has taken time on the weekends to put on his firesuit and slide behind the wheel of his No. 15 crate late model.
“If you’re in dirt racing, you dream of racing dirt late models,” Strunk said. He practically grew up going to Lake Cumberland Speedway.
“I used to ride my bicycle to that racetrack when it first opened. It was a dune buggy track, and just fell in love with racing from there on. I was still in high school when I got my first car.”
Strunk still races at the track, and he does so at times against his 25-year-old son.
“He started racing when he was like 11 or 12 and won his first feature when he was 13,” Strunk shared. “He loves it as much as I do. It's just been a family thing for us. Racing is a part of our life.”
Brandon Hardgrove is another racer from Pulaski County. While he races at dirt tracks around the region, he has a different role – track owner – at Lake Cumberland Speedway.
“This racing has been my whole life. This racetrack, especially,” Hardgrove said. “My dad was a racer, and then he ended up purchasing the racetrack. It's been my whole life.”
“There's so many families that that take pride in Lake Cumberland Speedway, so I don't really feel like it's mine.”
The speedway is in great shape, with green grass, a fresh coat of paint, and vibrant red clay with variation in banking in the corners. It also plays a role in bringing fans from around the state – and drivers from around the country – to visit Pulaski County.
“The racers, I mean, you compete with them every day too, but you're all friends,” said Strunk. “I've met some of the greatest people at the racetrack that you'd ever want to meet.”
“Everybody's got their community, and racing is that organization, community, tight-knit as well,” Hardgrove added. “We've had tornadoes, we've had floods, we've had all this stuff go on. It's what people need. It's what people rely on to have.”
Action at the speedway continues this weekend with a unique event. The Lake Cumberland Speedway Burnout Wars is an event that hasn’t happened for more than 20 year, but it’s coming back Saturday, July 26.
The event starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $15, with kids 10 and under getting in free. You can find more information here.
