Bandimere Speedway taken to court over rally

Jefferson County health officials on Thursday sued Bandimere Speedway — a racetrack that on Tuesday held a “Stop the COVID Chaos” rally attended by more than 1,000 people — on the grounds the speedway violated public health orders.

The lawsuit by Jefferson County Public Health, which also took the racetrack to court over coronavirus safety violations earlier this year, asks a judge to order Bandimere Speedway to stop hosting events that violate public health orders.

“COVID- 19 is highly contagious and the Bandimere’s decision to host a large- scale public event in violation of the public health orders threatens the public health of those in Jefferson County,” the complaint reads.

The complaint alleges that the rally violated a variety of public health orders, including that the racetrack did not get prior approval from Jefferson County Public Health before hosting the event and that attendees did not wear masks or maintain social distancing.

The event flagrantly exceeded the county’s limit of 175 people per designated activity, according to the complaint.

Video and photos from the event show most attendees did not wear masks and there was little to no social distancing during the Tuesday rally, where people waved Trump 2020 flags and dressed in red, white and blue clothing.

An attorney for the racetrack, Randy Corporon, did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.