HARTFORD Sharon Speedway grandstand remains closed

The county building inspector is expected at the speedway Tuesday.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HARTFORD -- A grandstand at Sharon Speedway has been closed indefinitely as an investigation into Friday night's collapse of a walkway continues into this week, township Fire Chief Ben Anspach says.
About 10 people were taken to area hospitals after the collapse at the speedway, where the O'Reilly World of Outlaws series was scheduled. Anspach wouldn't release the names of the injured but doesn't believe any of the injuries were serious.
The event was canceled because of heavy rain, and fans hurried to reach their cars when a portion of the walkway buckled.
Scattered beer and soft-drink cans dotted the rain-soaked grass around the Orangeville-Custer Road speedway Saturday morning where people park their cars, campers and recreational vehicles to watch the racing.
A firefighter was posted at the speedway, preventing people from venturing inside. The fire chief said firefighters had been at the scene through the night.
"The Trumbull County building inspector is going to come out Tuesday," Anspach said, adding that the facility's west grandstand has been closed indefinitely.
"They'll still be able to use the east grandstand," the chief said.
That has a roughly 4,000-person seating capacity.
"They're looking at ways to do other seating," he said.
Anspach estimated Friday's crowd between 6,500 and 7,000 spectators -- a large crowd for the World of Outlaws show.
"It's probably one of the most popular shows on the sprint car circuit," he said.
Emergency response
Emergency crews from Hartford, Vernon, Kinsman, Johnson, Fowler, Brookfield and Vienna and Action Ambulance went to the scene. Crews encountered some difficulty trying to get into the speedway as spectators were trying to drive out.
"But I believe that all in all it went very will under the circumstances," the chief said.
Speedway owner Dave Blaney is a driver on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and owns a sprint car team in the O'Reilly World of Outlaws series.
The owners couldn't be reached at the 3/8-mile dirt track Saturday. A man who answered the telephone said a statement would be released.