Cleanup operations are underway at Ruidoso Downs Race Track, where heavy equipment crews began removing more than 400,000 cubic yards of flood debris this week following FEMA’s approval for recovery work.

© Ruidoso Downs

Latest Update: Debris Removal Begins at Ruidoso Downs

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM–OCTOBER 31, 2025–Heavy Equipment operators are removing more than 400,000 cubic yards of dirt and debris at Ruidoso Downs Race Track as cleanup from this summer’s flooding events began this week.

“We’ve seen plenty of digging already,” General Manager Rick Baugh said. “There are mounds of dirt and debris that are being removed from the riverbanks, racing surface, the barn area and throughout the complex.”

The racetrack received approval from FEMA yesterday for the cleanup work to begin. Crews are using bulldozers, long-arm excavators, loaders, and dirt haulers to continuously remove the debris.

Meanwhile, engineering plans to mitigate potential floodwater for the 2026 monsoon season continue to be worked on by state officials with the Department of Homeland Security, the Mescalero Tribe, the Village of Ruidoso, and Lincoln County.

“Those engineers are in communication regularly to develop another gameplan,” Rick said. “Everyone agrees that for the racetrack to be protected there will have to be additional ways to mitigate floodwaters upstream. We are waiting to see what plans the engineers can create so that we do not have recurring flooding events in the future, and we are grateful for all the hard work.”

Rick said the racing complex sustained more than four hundred to five hundred thousand gallons of water per minute during the height of the summer flooding events which destroyed the infield structures and portions of the barn area for a second time.

“We will always side with the safety of our racing fans and equine athletes,” Rick said. “We’re waiting to see what flooding mitigation steps will be taken to ensure that Ruidoso Downs can race again in 2026.”

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