2012 Schedule released, Gateway back on (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter john
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MM
Nitro Member
The track itself is ready for a national event, but the facility needs to be upgraded. Look for an event there in 2013.
Bullard Anderson
Nitro Member
Not to complain but Saturday eliminations have to happen!
I'm just glad Gateway is back on. It technically my hometown track and I have a plaque from them saying I was Grand Marshall for the race way back when! LOL.
Sears/Craftsman was the sponsor and when they interviewed me on the stage at driver introductions they asked about getting dirty at the starting line. I used my best driver imitation and said I had a great kenmore washer and dryer at home, so dirt was no problem for my clothes! LOL
Oh, those were the days!
Sears/Craftsman was the sponsor and when they interviewed me on the stage at driver introductions they asked about getting dirty at the starting line. I used my best driver imitation and said I had a great kenmore washer and dryer at home, so dirt was no problem for my clothes! LOL
Oh, those were the days!
bwmudd
Nitro Member
My take on the return of Gateway.
Have been going to Gateway since 1970, it was a 1/8 mile track at the time 1/4 mile came in 1971 if I remember correctly.
Thank you for telling it like it is/was. As a spectator you could tell from the dealings with the office their that when Len left things changed for the bad.
I have said this for a long time, tear down the oval and build a first class drag facility and road course for the SCCA guys.
I am throwing the party when Dover loses their Cup races and all the a--holes that run the place are out of a job.
tb
Thank you for telling it like it is/was. As a spectator you could tell from the dealings with the office their that when Len left things changed for the bad.
I have said this for a long time, tear down the oval and build a first class drag facility and road course for the SCCA guys.
I am throwing the party when Dover loses their Cup races and all the a--holes that run the place are out of a job.
tb
I think Epping should be part of a 3 race swing in the northeast which would require Maple Grove or E-Town moving (I'd prefer the latter) so it'd be "Boston" (Epping) "NYC" (E-Town) "Philly" (Maple Grove) in that order and if happening the months of Sept/Oct there could be some sort of a baseball reference to this (3 bonafide Playoff teams; Boston is the Red Sox, NYC is the Yankees (Nevermind the Mets because they are so Irrelevant this coming from a Met Fan) and Philly is the Phillies).
Just a Thought
luxexpress
Nitro Member
Maybe, and it would be good for the teams, but it would be tough to do for fans like me. If they were spread out, I'd probably go to all three. If they were back to back, between the expense and days away from my business it would be tough to do two of the three. In any case, love all three of the tracks and if they put Epping in the fall, the record books will take a hit.
willy
Nitro Member
Thanks for the insight, Brandon.
onfire
Nitro Member
Good read, Brandon. Thanks.............
TooTall999
Nitro Member
One big problem with that 3 race swing in Sept- Oct is the weather in the area. The potential for 2-3 rainouts is a very real possibility.
That's some very good stuff, Brandon.
Gateway is my home track also and I've watched it prosper and suffer through the years. I first started racing there in the 60s when it was a replacement for the famed Alton, Il track.
The track has had a history of someone putting money into it to get it to a level one could be proud of, only to slowly taper off into dump city as the years go by. Some very strange staffing hasn't helped anything. The worst I ever saw there was an inebriated renta-cop carrying a .45 who was trying to run the head of staging but kept forgetting which lanes he'd drawn from. Some racers got testy after a couple of hours in line, and he actually drew the gun. It was a long time before I went back.
It was also a place where it would be 3 am before they were able to complete a program of 50 cars.
In light of all that, I was overjoyed to see Chris Pook, and later Dover, take over. I was hoping that a big company could run a professional operation.
But it was simply a repeat of days gone by. Lots of money and improvements but once the initial chunk was spent there didn't see to be much to keep the track on top.
Lenny was a breath of fresh air and probably the best manager the place has ever seen. When he left I knew bad times were to come.
So, just like Brandon, I'm really excited about the "Swamp" coming back to life but hope that this time it's for real and for keeps.
I heard Epping is a Go for 2013! NHRA is going to help them with the loan for improvements is what I heard!
Johnny Mopar
Nitro Member
Dover defaulted on (walked away from) a huge tax payment due the state of Illinois. Whoever purchases the track will have to pay those back taxes. In this economy I can't imagine the state of Illinois forgiving that debt (millions). Also, the majority of the track is on top of land that Dover didn't own...another sticking point. Dover was crazy for putting millions into owning a facility on top of leased land. Lastly, parking is the biggest issue and always has been. Not enough land to park the cars to fill the stands. Efforts were made to shuttle fans in but that obviously had multiple issues.
An earlier post wondered what happened to the Johnny Gray deal. Others had asked what happened to the Al Anabi deal. I'll bet both of those men would point to the issues in the above paragraph.
An earlier post wondered what happened to the Johnny Gray deal. Others had asked what happened to the Al Anabi deal. I'll bet both of those men would point to the issues in the above paragraph.
I think you would cannabalize fans that way. I live in NYC and would plan to attend all 3, but if they were all one right after the other, that would be an awful lot of cash for me to layout in a short period.
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