Drivers in limbo after track owner's sex traffic arrest

WATERFORD, Conn. (AP) A small Connecticut racetrack and the drivers who compete there have become collateral damage in a sex trafficking case.

The New London-Waterford Speedbowl, which has been in operation since 1951, in in danger of not opening this season. NASCAR pulled its sanctions last month after 63-year-old owner Bruce Bemer was arrested in an investigation into the sex trafficking of boys with mental illnesses.

Bemer is charged with patronizing a trafficked person. His attorney has asked the public not to rush to judgment. He's due in court Tuesday.

The track postponed its planned May 6 opening. Officials released a statement last weekend on Facebook saying a lease deal was in the works that would allow racing. That post quickly disappeared. Speedbowl spokesman Chuck Corsey called it premature.