Drag strip in Scott County available for new owner

This story has been edited to correct the length of the drag strip at Jeffers Motorsports Park.

"I feel the need, the need for speed!"

— Peter "Maverick" Mitchel, as played by Tom Cruise in the 1986 movie "Top Gun"

If you, too, feel the "need for speed," you might consider buying a drag strip in Scott County.

The Jeffers Motorsports Park, known by many as the Sikeston Drag Strip and Sikeston Raceway, went on the market last week and is drawing interest from potential buyers from coast to coast.

"I'm getting inquiries from all over the U.S.," Brandon Sparks, broker at SMG Realty in Sikeston, Missouri, told me last week.

A sign along Interstate 55 near Sikeston, Missouri, directs motorists to Jeffers Motorsports Park, which is for sale for about $800,000.SMG Realty Facebook page

"These things (drag strips) are a dying breed, but there are enthusiasts out there who don't want to see them die out," he said. "It's a unique property."

The 1/8-mile drag strip and numerous outbuildings are situated on 30 acres along the west side of Interstate 55 near Exit 69. All of the property, along with various pieces of equipment, including digital scoreboards and timing system, are valued at more than $1 million, but the drag strip's owner, Larry Jeffers of St. Louis, has priced it at $799,900.

Sparks said Jeffers wants to sell the property because it was difficult for him to manage the business while living in the St. Louis area.

"It was a long-distance management situation for him," Sparks said.

The drag strip marked its 50th anniversary recently and has the potential of hosting as many as 90 to 100 events annually with grandstands that can accommodate upward of 1,500 spectators.

The Rhodes 101 convenience store at the corner of Independence Street and West End Boulevard in Cape Girardeau will be demolished soon to make way for a new Rhodes store.Jay Wolz

A video promoting the drag strip, produced by Wild Story Productions in Cape Girardeau, is viewable on the SMG Facebook page, and additional details about the property may be found in an online article written for the drag racing publication Dragzine at www.dragzine.com.

New Rhodes 101 store planned on West End Boulevard

I did a double take Thursday as I drove through the intersection of Independence Street and West End Boulevard in Cape Girardeau. "Hmmmm," I thought, "there are traffic cones blocking the entrance to the Rhodes station."

I looked again. The pumps were gone and bright yellow "caution" tape was wrapped around the islands where the pumps once stood.

I texted Jeff Maurer, president and CEO of Mayson Capital Partners and a partner with Rhodes 101 Stops, to find out why the store was closed.

"We closed it after Labor Day," he told me. "We're going to demo the entire site and rebuild a new Rhodes c-store."

Jeff said the demolition will start as soon as all the merchandise and equipment is hauled out of the building, so watch for bulldozers in the coming days.

The new store, he said, will look like the company's "new generation" store and will feature a Street Eats restaurant and drive-through service.

Cedric the Entertainer Kyles encourages Southeast Missouri State University supporters to wear red and black Sept. 4, 2020, in honor of National College Colors Day.Living at Southeast Facebook page screenshot

That's show business

Here's a bit of trivia for you. Southeast Missouri State University alumnus Cedric Kyles, perhaps better known as "Cedric the Entertainer," will host the 73rd annual Emmy Awards on Sunday night on CBS (KFVS12). It goes without saying, this is the first time a SEMO graduate has hosted an entertainment awards telecast.

Kyles, who was born in Jefferson City and grew up in Caruthersville, Missouri, before moving to the St. Louis area as a teenager, studied mass communications at Southeast and graduated in 1987.

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