《File 2354》 Part 1 - Rogers Federal Bureau of Paranormal Occurrences of the United States of America File #: 2354 Date compiled: June 30, 2023 WARNING: Personnel who have gained access to this file without proper credentials will be subject to Title 18 U.S.C. 1924. Unlawful possession of classified documents is investigated by federal law enforcement agencies and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The documents contained within this particular file are arranged in chronological order and have been divided into two parts. This is primarily due to the fact that the paranormal occurrences documented within this file take place at an interval of several decades, and attempting to document all events in one part would not aid investigative activities. The first part of this file details selected paranormal occurrences linked to the late Matthew Rogers, a NASCAR driver competing in the 1989 Winston Cup Series. The second part of this file details occurrences linked to the former West Tennessee Speedway between its closing in 1995 and its destruction by fire in 2019. This file attempts to arrange the documents contained within to aid further investigation of a possible link between these two periods of paranormal activity. Documents assembled include newspaper articles, transcripts from audio and video sources, and statistical information collected in the field. Under no circumstances are any documents within this file to be removed without permission. Internal notes will be provided in bold and italic. Table of Contents: Page 1 - Introduction Page 3 - Part One: Rogers Page 13 - Part Two: Speedway Page 27 - Conclusion The first part begins on the following page.
PART ONE: Rogers Selected excerpt from the sports section of the April 17, 1989 issue of The Tennessean: Carbondale Racks Up 7th Consecutive Win In Winston Cup Series at North Wilkesboro NORTH WILKESBORO, NC - Superstar NASCAR driver Johnny Carbondale of Albany, NY has won his seventh consecutive race in the 1989 Winston Cup Series, maintaining an undefeated streak never before seen in the sport¡¯s history. The young driver, just twenty-three years of age and only having competed in NASCAR¡¯s Winston Cup Series for three years, is already looking like a statistical favorite to take home the 1989 Winston Cup Championship in November. Carbondale, driving the #77 Airmax Tires Ford, narrowly beat out fierce competition hoping to end his streak in the First Union 400, coming in just a fraction of a second ahead of Dale Earnhardt in the #3 Goodwrench Chevy. ¡°As soon as the race started, I knew it was gonna be a doozy,¡± said Carbondale, in his laconic upstate New York accent, as we interviewed him on Victory Lane following the presentation of the trophy and prize money. ¡°There was some real good, exciting racing here tonight, and I wouldn¡¯t be happy doing this if I didn¡¯t have great competition,¡± said Carbondale of the competition. His winning streak has made him popular with fans, but unpopular with veteran drivers, who see him as a young, cocky upstart despite his underdog status. Fellow driver Matthew Rogers, of Dahlonega, GA, had this to say about Carbondale: ¡°He¡¯s a slippery bastard. I admire his driving skills on a technical level, but he¡¯s just too flashy for my liking. Comes off as a bit full of himself, y¡¯know?¡± When asked to elaborate on his admiration of Carbondale¡¯s driving skills, Rogers gave an interesting remark. ¡°Like I said, he¡¯s slippery. Once he¡¯s gone there¡¯s no way to get to him. I¡¯d sell my soul just to put him in his place.¡± Rogers himself has been short of luck for the past few seasons, only making pole position once in the past four years, and finishing below 20th place more than 50 times in the same amount of time. In spite of other drivers¡¯ attitudes towards him, it goes without saying that Carbondale has helped increase the popularity of the sport for many across the country. NASCAR has had flag-to-flag coverage on all major networks for the first time in the sport¡¯s history this year, a major milestone for a sport born out of moonshiners in souped up Model Ts. Only time will tell whether Carbondale¡¯s streak stands. I, for one, will be cheering him on. - MARY ELLISTON FIRST UNION 400 - RACE RESULTS Car # Driver 77 Johnny Carbondale 3 Dale Earnhardt 7 Alan Kulwicki 6 Mark Martin 84 Dick Trickle 11 Terry Labonte 26 Ricky Rudd 5 Geoff Bodine 17 Darrell Waltrip 27 Rusty Wallace 2 Ernie Irvan 28 Davey Allison 60 Phil Parsons 21 Neil Bonnett 25 Ken Schrader 40 Ben Hess 57 Hut Stricklin 75 Morgan Shepherd 23 Eddie Bierschwale 29 Dale Jarrett 71 Dave Marcis 96 Jack Green 88 Greg Sacks 9 Bill Elliott 33 Harry Gant 16 Larry Pearson (DNF) 66 Rick Mast (DNF) 94 Sterling Marlin (DNF) 83 Lake Speed 13 Matthew Rogers 15 Brett Bodine (DNF) 30 Michael Waltrip (DNF) 4 Rick Wilson (DNF) 31 Jim Sauter (DNF) If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. 52 Jimmy Means (DNF)
Selected observation of events taken from the security camera feed of the Cavender¡¯s Corner convenience store at the crossroads of US-19 and Cavender Creek Rd in Dahlonega, GA from 12:27 to 12:57 AM, April 21, 1989: Note: There is no audio. A 1979 Ford Pinto pulls into a parking space in front of the store. NASCAR driver Matthew Rogers steps out. His appearance is haggard and his movements are clumsy. Closer inspection of the footage reveals a small flask in his front shirt pocket. He attempts to enter the store at 12:28 AM and finds that the door is locked, as the store had closed for the night. He stands in front of the door for roughly three minutes, angling his head to see if anybody is inside. Following this, Rogers does not return to his car. Instead, he walks towards the intersection of US-19 and Cavender Creek Road. In his stupor he nearly falls over several times. Rogers briefly stumbles out of view before coming back into the frame in the middle of the crossroads. He slumps to his knees and takes an indistinct object out of his pocket, laying it on the pavement. Rogers then puts his hands out, palms facing upwards, and looks down. It is hard to tell from the low-quality security camera footage, but his subsequent head movements seem to indicate fast, sustained speech, although there is no one else visible in the footage. Rogers continues this behavior for five minutes, before pressing his forehead to the ground. His body begins to shake, and his chest begins to heave. He appears to be crying. After several more minutes, Rogers gets up and begins to walk back to his car, but before he can get very far, the pavement of the road underneath him begins to glow brightly, as if it is being heated from below. Rogers turns around, and there is a brief flash of light that arcs across the camera lens, seeming to originate from the glowing pavement. The video feed is disrupted by this disturbance, and remains offline from 12:45 AM to 12:53 AM. When the feed comes back online, the glow beneath the pavement has dissipated, and Rogers is standing upright in the middle of the crossing. The pavement beneath him appears to be smoking, partially obscuring him from view. When Rogers steps out of the smoke, he appears to be looking down at his hands, and the ends of his clothing have been singed. Rogers turns back towards the gas station and walks towards his car. His movements are now smooth and coordinated. The flask in his front pocket is gone. He looks briefly up at the light above the door of the gas station before entering his vehicle. His eyes reflect the glow. Rogers leaves the store at 12:57 AM. The pavement is still smoking.
Transcript of an interview with Matthew Rogers on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, June 13, 1989: [The show comes back from a brief commercial break to sounds of applause. JOHNNY CARSON is seated at his desk.] CARSON: My next guest has been tearing up race tracks all across the country competing in this year¡¯s Winston Cup, he¡¯s become quite a good friend of mine in the, er, fifteen minutes I¡¯ve gotten to know him. [CARSON is interrupted by laughter from the studio audience] CARSON: (over laughter) He¡¯s rather hard to catch. [This prompts more laughter.] CARSON: (waving away laughter) Yes, yes, here is NASCAR driver Matthew Rogers! [MATTHEW ROGERS walks out to upbeat music from the band and sustained applause from the audience. He moves calmly and deliberately, with a pearly white smile on his face.] ROGERS: (slightly off-mic) Hello Johnny! CARSON: Yes, hello there! [ROGERS sits down in the guest armchair.] CARSON: Well, how¡¯s the season been going? ROGERS: (smiling widely) Fairly well, I¡¯d say. [This garners some cheers from the audience.] CARSON: A five-race winning streak, that¡¯s almost more than, forgive me if I get this wrong, Johnny¡­ Carbonfiber? [Uproarious laughter. Absolutely gut-busting. ROGERS joins in.] CARSON: (waving the laughter off) That wasn¡¯t that funny! Let''s try to get back to the matter at hand. ROGERS: Yes, I¡¯m on a streak now, though maintaining it hasn¡¯t been easy, that¡¯s for sure. CARSON: Don¡¯t you just drive faster than the other guy? [Mild laughter.] ROGERS: Well, yes and no. There¡¯s a lot more strategy to it than most people think. A lot of people tend to think that it¡¯s just turning left and trying to outpace the other guy, but there¡¯s really a lot you gotta think about before making that move. CARSON: Interesting. So what can- ROGERS: (interrupting him) Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to advance yourself. CARSON: What kind? ROGERS: You know, rubbing paint, making smart moves on the track, all that kind of stuff. Non-technical sacrifices too, like making sure you¡¯re in the right headspace and everything. I was in the wrong headspace for a while. CARSON: And what made you get out of that state of mind? ROGERS: Someone came into my life and showed me what to do. Guided me down the correct path. CARSON: (leaning in) Can you tell us who, if possible? [ROGERS just keeps smiling. Carson leans back and nods. This line of discussion is clearly over.] CARSON: Well, we have to cut to commercial, but we¡¯ll be back for more after the break! [CARSON cuts to commercial. The camera pans out, and ROGERS briefly looks directly at it. His eyes are bloodshot.]
Selected excerpt from the sports section of the November 21 issue of The Tennessean: This Year¡¯s Race For The Winston Cup Is The Culmination Of One Of NASCAR¡¯s Most Intense Rivalries NASHVILLE, TN - Things are heating up in the world of stock car racing as NASCAR¡¯s top drivers prepare to run the final race of the season, the inaugural JCO Auto Parts 500, at the newly constructed West Tennessee Speedway in Humboldt, TN. The favorites to win are Johnny Carbondale, of Albany, NY, and Matthew Rogers, of Dahlonega, GA. Each driver has gone on long, unbroken winning streaks at separate points in the season. Carbondale amassed a 7-race winning streak early in the season before being upset by Rogers at the Pannill Sweatshirts 500 in Martinsville, VA. Rogers then went on to amass a 6-race winning streak, before being upset by Carbondale again at the Miller High Life 400. Since then, the two have traded wins back and forth the rest of the season, leaving no room for other competition. The pair¡¯s rivalry has brewed hot both off and on the racetrack. Rogers refuses to answer questions about Carbondale in post-race interviews, and Carbondale likewise refuses to do so when asked about Rogers. Additionally, fans of Rogers have noticed a change in the driver¡¯s physical appearance, and some fans have begun to voice their concerns over his well-being. We asked one fan their opinion on the matter at the Busch 500 back in August: ¡°I just worry about him,¡± said Holly Johnson of Bristol, TN. ¡°He looks thin as a rail when he gets out of that car.¡± ¡°One time I caught a glance at him taking his gloves off at pit road and his fingers were just black as tar,¡± Johnson continued. ¡°I mean, it looked like he¡¯d been burnt straight through his gloves!¡± ¡°I saw him on Johnny Carson back in June and his eyes were all red like he had a fever. I just worry, you know? Don¡¯t want the man to run himself into the ground.¡± Mrs. Johnson is certainly not the only one to voice her concerns, as some fans of both Carbondale¡¯s and Rogers¡¯s have filed a petition with NASCAR¡¯s governing body to have him removed from the running of the penultimate race, citing health concerns. Rogers has not divulged any concrete details about his supposed health problems. When asked earlier in the season, he claimed that he has been ¡°pushing [himself] in all respects¡± to win the NASCAR title. Whatever the case, both men are separated by only a single point, with Carbondale barely eking out a lead over Rogers thanks to his 7-race streak at the beginning of the season. God only knows who will take home the cup. - MARY ELLISTON
Transcript of CBS broadcasters Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, and Chris Economaki¡¯s over-the-air calls during the last lap of the 1989 JCO Auto Parts 500 on November 26, 1989: Note: Squier is the lap-by-lap commentator, Jarrett and Economaki are the color commentators. SQUIER: And there goes the white flag! Carbondale and Rogers neck and neck into the last lap! JARRETT: Davey Allison ain¡¯t too far behind, he¡¯s right where he needs to be. SQUIER: Yeah, he¡¯s hoping that Johnny and Matt screw up trying to outpace each other so he can coast to a finish, that¡¯s why he¡¯s so many car-lengths behind. ECONOMAKI: Makes sense. Earnhardt looks like he¡¯s doing the same thing. SQUIER: Into turn 2 now, it¡¯s Carbondale and Rogers double-wide through the corner leaving everybody in the dust! JARRETT: Allison¡¯s gonna want to make a move now if he wants to get up with those guys. Get up there Davey, do it for your old man! ECONOMAKI: Man, I wish Bobby was still out here. I just know he¡¯s at home havin¡¯ the time of his life. SQUIER: Into turn 3, it all comes down to- oh, big, big trouble! JARRETT: Holy mother of- ECONOMAKI: He¡¯s on fire! SQUIER: Matt Rogers has spun out into the infield wa- [The audio feed is briefly cut off by a large bang.] ECONOMAKI: My god! SQUIER: (overlapping with ECONOMAKI) A terrific explosion here at the West Tennessee Speedway! JARRETT: By God, his fuel line must have ruptured. ECONOMAKI: That, or his gas tank when he hit the wall. [All are silent for a few seconds. There is much commotion audible in the background.] JARRETT: (partially off-mic) Look, the window- SQUIER: (shouting over JARRETT) Rogers is stuck in the burning car! Oh my Go- [SQUIER trails off. The commotion in the booth has grown much louder.] JARRETT: Oh¡­ oh¡­ ECONOMAKI:(in the background) Cut to commercial! [The broadcast abruptly cuts off.]
Front-page headline & article of The Tennessean, November 27, 1989: TRAGEDY IN TURN 3 - Matthew Rogers dead in fiery crash during last lap of JCO Auto Parts 500 HUMBOLDT, TN - Matthew Rogers, one of NASCAR¡¯s most promising rising stars of 1989, was killed yesterday in a horrific crash in the last lap of the JCO Auto Parts 500 while trying to edge out his rival, Johnny Carbondale, for the Winston Cup. Rogers (#13) and Carbondale (#77) were running neck-and-neck going into the last lap of the race, which was the penultimate race of the season and would have been the deciding factor in the race for the Winston Cup. Both men were within a point of each other in the rankings, and whoever would have won the race would have taken home the cup. Everything went wrong in turn 3 when Rogers¡¯ fuel tank ruptured. Shrapnel blew his front left tire and caused his car to ignite, sending him careening into the infield wall, where Rogers¡¯ fuel tank exploded upon impact, producing a massive fireball that temporarily knocked some television broadcasts offline. Rogers sustained third and fourth-degree burns on over 90% of his body and passed away several hours later in the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. Carbondale went on to win the race, followed by Davey Allison (#28) in 2nd and Dale Earnhardt (#3) in 3rd, but the young driver¡¯s accomplishment was largely overshadowed by the shocking nature of the tragedy. Carbondale refused all requests for comment, and his racing team have said that the driver is ¡°in shock¡± and does not wish to be interviewed at this time. What this means for the future of NASCAR as a sport is unclear, but [See ROGERS, Page 3A] Part 2 - Speedway PART 2: Speedway Transcript of a Reddit post by u/xband15, real name Connor Hathaway, on the subreddit r/urbextips asking for urban exploration recommendations in the Jackson, TN area. Note: The original post is still up and can be viewed at the link below. Responses to comments are in bullet points. Original link to post: https://www.reddit.com/r/urbextips/comments/dcmgyu/any_cool_spots_in_west_tn/ Post contents: Any cool spots in West TN? u/xband15 (OP): Ive been wanting to try out urbex for a while now, I live in the Jackson area and have managed to convince a couple of friends to come along with me so I wont be alone (which ive read is the thing to do). I dont know jack shit about any cool spots in my area cause I live in the middle of bumfuck nowhere and not in a normal ¡°urban¡± setting like the rest of yall. Any suggestions for my first time? Selected responses:
Reproduction of a now-deleted article on urban exploration website www.abandonedsouth.com detailing the history of former West Tennessee Speedway in Humboldt, TN: West Tennessee Speedway Humboldt, TN The Crumbling Remains Of One Of NASCAR¡¯s Crown Jewels By: Carla Watkins Published: December 17, 2015 Humboldt, Tennessee is a sleepy town, but it wasn¡¯t always that way. Thirty years ago, the small farming community was on the up-and-up after the construction of a state-of-the-art superspeedway in their backyard. However, as times have changed, and as stock car racing has declined in popularity over the years, the West Tennessee Superspeedway has sat abandoned for decades. NASCAR used to be nationally televised. Crazy, right? That dumb hick sport your grandfather likes to watch on his local public-access station used to vye with the likes of the NFL and NBA for prime-time viewership in the late 1980s. And no two drivers drove those numbers up like Matthew Rogers and Johnny Carbondale. It was a classic tale of the old vs. the young. Heading into the end of the season, each driver had traded winning streaks, letting almost no one steal their respective thunder while simultaneously proving their utter dominance of the sport. Stranger still was the overall career arc of Rogers himself, who had spent most of his time as a Winston Cup competitor filling out the middle of the pack, occasionally winning a race or two but never coming close to the championship. He was getting old, pushing fifty, and looked to be close to retirement at the beginning of the 1989 season. Yet during the 1989 season, he was suddenly competing at the same level as Johnny Carbondale, a young driving prodigy who looked to have a long and illustrious career in front of him. To all outside observers, it was as if Rogers had suddenly changed from a field-filler to a world-class driver overnight. There were murmurs of steroids. There were murmurs of illegal car modifications. There were murmurs of just about everything under the sun. It did nothing to detract from his incredible season. The two men were locked in a bitter rivalry for the whole season, and it came to a head in a way nobody could have possibly expected. I¡¯m not a racing fan, and even I¡¯ve heard about the aptly-named ¡°Crash Heard ¡®Round the World.¡± It was a national scandal at the time and it¡¯s still one of the most talked-about wrecks in motorsports history. The crash has become taboo to even talk about it to some racing fans, and some would say it contributed to NASCAR¡¯s continual downward spiral. In the last lap of the JCO Auto Parts 500, the penultimate race of the 1989 NASCAR season, Rogers¡¯ fuel tank ruptured while duking it out with Carbondale for the lead. This engulfed his car in flames and caused his front left tire to blow, cut by shrapnel from the fuel tank. Rogers was sent careening into the infield wall of Turn 3, where his fuel tank exploded on impact. The driver suffered extensive burns and died shortly after being airlifted to a nearby hospital. The crash led to a nationwide moral panic over the dangers of the sport, which ultimately forced extensive safety overhauls that crippled the performance of the racecars. This led many fans new and old to drop the sport entirely, and several prominent drivers quit. Due to the stigma associated with the wreck, the reputation of the West Tennessee Speedway never recovered. After several other notable accidents in later seasons in which several drivers were permanently crippled, it closed its doors in 1995 as part of a series of budget cuts by NASCAR. The speedway remains abandoned to this date and NASCAR lacks the funds to re-open or demolish it. Even in its abandoned, dilapidated state, racing fans and urban explorers flock from all over to Humboldt, TN to visit the abandoned raceway, and peek into a bygone era of stock car racing. Directions: Take I-40 east from Memphis and take Exit 56 towards Brownsville, TN. Follow signs for US-79 northbound until you reach Gadsden. From there, take a left on Humboldt Lake Rd and continue for a mile. The speedway will be on your right and very hard to miss. Know before you go:
Transcript of a video found on the SD card of a camera belonging to Connor Hathaway, recovered by the Gibson County Sheriff''s Office on December 1, 2019. The date on the video file is November 26 of the same year. Note: Connor is accompanied by two friends, whose names were intentionally omitted from the materials we obtained. They will be referred to as ¡°Friend 1¡± and ¡°Friend 2¡± throughout the transcript. All subjects in the video are male juveniles. [The video opens with the camera pointed towards the ground. CONNOR can be heard fiddling with the controls in the background.] [Suddenly, the camera swings upwards and FRIEND 1 and FRIEND 2 come into frame. They are standing just below the main grandstand area. It¡¯s nighttime; the sky is clear, the moon is full and yellow, and the sound of falling leaves can be heard.] FRIEND 1: Dude, this is nuts. [FRIEND 2 chuckles.] CONNOR: (from behind camera) Yeah man, I know. This place is huge! FRIEND 1: It was a bitch trying to hop that fence, huh? FRIEND 2: (far-off) Oh, yeah. [CONNOR makes an indistinct noise of agreement.] FRIEND 1: Connor, you sure you don¡¯t mind filming? CONNOR: Yeah, positive. This camera is my baby, man. [All stand in silence for a few seconds.] FRIEND 1: So, how exactly do y¡¯all wanna go about this? CONNOR: You read the website, right? FRIEND 1: (cutting him off) Yeah, of course. I¡¯m not stupid. [He lightly elbows his shoulder. Both chuckle.] CONNOR: Haven¡¯t seen any cops. Yet. FRIEND 1: (muttering) Knock on wood. [Both laugh again.] FRIEND 2: C¡¯mon guys, cut the bullshit, let¡¯s get inside. [FRIEND 2 begins walking towards an open gate leading to the track.] FRIEND 1: Hey XXXXXXX, wait up! CONNOR: Wait a sec- [The camera jostles around as CONNOR and FRIEND 1 try to catch up. This continues for roughly a minute before the picture stabilizes again.] [When the camera comes back to a stable position, we can see the three are on the dilapidated track surface, near Turn 4, looking down the front straightaway.] Stolen novel; please report. FRIEND 2: Holy fucking shit. CONNOR: Damn, I thought it¡¯d be all overgrown and stuff. You could probably still drive a car on this! FRIEND 1: That¡¯d be one way to get arrested real fast. CONNOR: I¡¯d just race the cops. FRIEND 2: In your riced out Civic? Not a chance, my man. CONNOR: Still faster than your piece of shit Silverado, XXXXXXX. [FRIEND 2 scoffs, and begins walking out of frame, towards Turn 3.] FRIEND 1: XXXXXXX, don¡¯t take off, he¡¯s just messing with you! CONNOR: Let him go. We were gonna go over there anyway, right? FRIEND 1: Only if y¡¯all wanted to. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s into ghosts and shit. [They look at each other silently for a few seconds. The look in FRIEND 1¡¯s eyes is hesitant.] CONNOR: (after much delay) ¡­well? FRIEND 1: Fine. God, I can¡¯t put up with the two of you. CONNOR: You know you love us. FRIEND 1: Sure, man, sure. [Both begin to walk over, but are cut off by FRIEND 2.] FRIEND 2: (far-off) Oh my fucking god. FRIEND 1: (shouting) What is it? FRIEND 2: There¡¯s a car on fire over here! CONNOR: (yelling back) Bullshit, where¡¯s the smoke? FRIEND 2: I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s a car on fire! Somebody get the fuck over here and help! FRIEND 1: Connor, let¡¯s go. CONNOR: He¡¯s probably just fucking with us man, hold up. [FRIEND 1 is already running off. CONNOR runs to catch up with him, and the camera points towards the ground.] [FRIEND 1 and CONNOR reach FRIEND 2 in Turn 3, and the camera pans back up towards the infield wall.] FRIEND 1: No way. No fucking way. CONNOR: (overlapping) Oh my God. [Sure enough, there¡¯s a car on fire by the infield wall. CONNOR tries to zoom in on it, but the camera loses focus. While not many clear details can be made out, it¡¯s clearly an older car.] CONNOR: (whispering) What are we gonna do? FRIEND 1: I don¡¯t know! What on earth makes you think I know?! CONNOR: It looks really old. Like, 80s maybe. FRIEND 2: Do you see anyone inside? I can¡¯t tell. CONNOR: No XXXXXXX, I can¡¯t! Should we get closer? FRIEND 1: No, dumbass, we should get out of here, now! CONNOR: Why isn¡¯t it burning out? It should¡¯ve burned out by now, right? [All are silent for a few beats. The camera pans back to FRIEND 1. His entire body is shaking.] FRIEND 1: We have to call the cops. FRIEND 2: We¡¯ll go to jail too, idiot! We¡¯re trespassing! CONNOR: Don¡¯t we still need footage anyway? FRIEND 2: (murmuring) Shit, you¡¯re right. CONNOR: We don¡¯t even know if there¡¯s someone in there either, so we can rule that out too. [FRIEND 2 mutters a noise of agreement.] FRIEND 1: I¡¯m gonna go sit down by the wall, I need a breather. [FRIEND 1 walks out of frame.] CONNOR: You wanna go look, XXXXXXX? FRIEND 2: Sure. Don¡¯t know what else to do. [CONNOR and FRIEND 2 begin to move closer to the burning vehicle. FRIEND 1 moves out of frame to go sit up by the Turn 3 wall. The only person visible in-frame is FRIEND 2. All are silent for roughly thirty seconds.] CONNOR: I mean, best case scenario we get some great footage- FRIEND 2: (cutting him off) Wait a minute. CONNOR: What? FRIEND 2: Just stay put. I really hope that¡¯s not what I think it is. [CONNOR makes an indistinct sound and stops. FRIEND 2 crouches down, and slowly moves closer to the car.] FRIEND 2: No shot that¡¯s real. CONNOR: (whispering) What do you see? [FRIEND 2 stops dead in his tracks and stares at the front of the car.] FRIEND 2: Connor, we have to call the- [FRIEND 2 is cut off by the sound of an engine starting. In the background, the car begins to shake rapidly.] FRIEND 2: What the fuck!? CONNOR: Run, XXXXXXX! [CONNOR and FRIEND 2 begin to run away from the burning car. Behind them, the engine begins to rev louder.] FRIEND 1: (far-off) What the hell¡¯s going on?! CONNOR: Look, dumbass! [The camera pans up, and we can see that the car is slowly beginning to drive forward, lighting the infield grass on fire as it moves closer. The scorched metal creaks as it moves, and the engine is so loud it causes the camera¡¯s built-in microphone to clip. FRIEND 1 is back in view, and he appears to be frozen in fear.] FRIEND 2: Jesus Christ, there¡¯s someone in there. FRIEND 1: You¡¯re joking. You have to be joking! CONNOR: I see him now too. Oh God, man. [The camera zooms in, and a figure is barely visible in the driver¡¯s seat. All fall silent.] FRIEND 1: (after some delay) What are we gonna do now, guys!? [There is no response. The car comes to the pavement on Turn 3 and stops. CONNOR is standing directly in front of the burning vehicle, likely trying to get a better shot.] FRIEND 2: Connor, get out of the fucking way! [FRIEND 2 is cut off by the engine revving back up. The back tires begin to smoke, then catch fire.] FRIEND 1: Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. CONNOR: (overlapping) Oh, no, no, no- [The car rockets straight towards CONNOR. He tries to get out of the way but is hit by the burning car, sending the camera flying into the air. It comes to rest on an unburnt section of the infield grass, and the revving engine can be heard fading away.] FRIEND 1: (far-off) Connor! FRIEND 2: (far-off) Oh fuck. [CONNOR screams incoherently.] FRIEND 2: (far-off) Easy, Connor, just breathe with me, in and out. [Footsteps can be heard, and the camera is picked up by FRIEND 1. He quickly turns the camera down the straightaway.] FRIEND 2: Turn that thing off, you fucking moron- FRIEND 1 (cutting him off) Look! [The burning car is rocketing down the straightaway, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. The fire streams from the pavement in all directions, catching the old wooden grandstands and paddocks on fire. CONNOR is still screaming.] FRIEND 1: XXXXXXX, get Connor off the track! FRIEND 2: (in the background) Hang on, buddy. [Struggling noises can be heard in the background.] FRIEND 1: Hurry! [The burning car is coming back around and picking up speed. The engine is firing on all cylinders.] FRIEND 2: XXXX! Fucking help me! [The car dives down the back straightaway. FRIEND 2 is struggling with CONNOR, who is writhing around in pain. His legs appear to be broken. FRIEND 1 is audibly panicking and does not move to help.] FRIEND 2: Hold still, Connor! We need to move! CONNOR: (overlapping) Put me down! Put me- [All yell as the car hits CONNOR a second time, silencing him. FRIEND 2 is knocked down but not hit, and the fire continues to spread in the car¡¯s wake, igniting him.] FRIEND 2: XXXX, HELP! [FRIEND 2 stumbles around and falls over in the grass next to FRIEND 1, catching it on fire as he attempts to put himself out.] FRIEND 1: XXXXXXX! [FRIEND 1 runs back up the embankment to avoid the fire, and the camera points towards the ground momentarily. He swings it back up a few seconds later, and we can see that CONNOR¡¯s body is lying in Turn 3, shattered. FRIEND 2 is writhing in the grass.] [The stadium is on fire. There is nowhere to go.] [The video ends.]
Front-page headline & article of The Jackson Sun, November 27, 2019: West Tennessee Speedway Burns Down Under Mysterious Circumstances, Causing Wildfire HUMBOLDT, TN - In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, residents of the small towns of Humboldt and Gadsden thirty minutes north of Jackson awoke to a sky filled with fire. The West Tennessee Speedway, once one of the crown jewels of the Jackson metro area and abandoned since 1995, burned down in the middle of last night, igniting nearby trees and causing a wildfire that continues to burn on the outskirts of Humboldt. The fire was first reported by concerned residents of Gadsden, a small community roughly two miles south of the former racetrack. When firefighters from Humboldt arrived, they found that the blaze within the stadium was out of control and spreading to nearby trees. Residents of Humboldt and Gadsden were awoken and told to evacuate their homes by local police. This morning, Governor Haslam declared a state of emergency for the Jackson metropolitan area due to the spread of the fire, advising residents of Gibson, Madison, Carroll, and Crockett Counties to evacuate their homes immediately. At the time of writing it is not known what caused the fire, nor if there were any fatalities following the initial conflagration. The speedway has seen little activity ever since [See SPEEDWAY, Page 4B]
Conclusion: The Gibson County Sheriff¡¯s Office and the Tennessee National Guard immediately contacted us following the discovery of Mr. Hathaway¡¯s video. All parties privy to the video¡¯s contents outside of the FBPO were dealt with accordingly. The incident at the speedway was covered up as an arson gone wrong, with the only three fatalities being Connor and his friends, who were all killed in the incident. The remains of the speedway were demolished and converted to pasture in January 2020. The FBPO has set up hidden cameras and ultramagnetic transceivers in the area surrounding the speedway, and this file will be kept open for ten years in case of any further paranormal activity, per standard FBPO protocol. As of June 2023, no further paranormal activity has been observed or detected at the site. Current Incident Status: CO-B (Continue Observation - Benign)