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.
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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)
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52 Jimmy Means (DNF)
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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.
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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.]
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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
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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.]
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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]