Nitromater
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Bruton Smith- Englishtown
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Not to mention all of the Noise ordinances put in place there! But E-Town needs a serious Makeover that's for sure!
Professor Dave
Nitro Member
when you read a rumor about E-Town, always take it with an ocean of salt.
Road course is open.
Wes
Nitro Member
E-Town under the Bruton umbrella? He's dropped quite a bit more than that for dinky roundy-round tracks in much smaller markets. Anything is possible, right?
Could it be that Bruton is done negotiating with Glendora regarding buying the company's assets? Wouldn't it be easier for him to buy as many key facilities as he can then go to Live Nation and purchase their interests in IHRA? Assuming he were to complete the purchase of Dover Motorsports (Dover, Memphis, St. Louis), nab E-Town, buy 75% of IHRA, then combine all of his owned facilities with the best IHRA markets/facilities, he would have one helluva drag racing series. Vegas (twice), Sonoma (twice), Bristol (twice), Memphis, St. Louis, E-Town (twice), Charlotte (twice), San Antonio, Milan, Martin, Rockingham (perhaps a mid-summer nighttime event), Budds Creek, Tulsa, Epping (if he didn't build a track at New Hampshire), then add in potential tracks at Atlanta (twice) and Texas (twice) and you've got an awesome series. That's 23 races, folks. He (and his management team) could very easily create a racer package (costs, purses, championship fund, marketing/promotion/media) head and shoulders above anything else out there right now to attract the stars of the sport. NHRA would have no option but to sell then. Leverage.
Could it be that Bruton is done negotiating with Glendora regarding buying the company's assets? Wouldn't it be easier for him to buy as many key facilities as he can then go to Live Nation and purchase their interests in IHRA? Assuming he were to complete the purchase of Dover Motorsports (Dover, Memphis, St. Louis), nab E-Town, buy 75% of IHRA, then combine all of his owned facilities with the best IHRA markets/facilities, he would have one helluva drag racing series. Vegas (twice), Sonoma (twice), Bristol (twice), Memphis, St. Louis, E-Town (twice), Charlotte (twice), San Antonio, Milan, Martin, Rockingham (perhaps a mid-summer nighttime event), Budds Creek, Tulsa, Epping (if he didn't build a track at New Hampshire), then add in potential tracks at Atlanta (twice) and Texas (twice) and you've got an awesome series. That's 23 races, folks. He (and his management team) could very easily create a racer package (costs, purses, championship fund, marketing/promotion/media) head and shoulders above anything else out there right now to attract the stars of the sport. NHRA would have no option but to sell then. Leverage.
The Counterfeiter
Nitro Member
Bruton wrote a check for (I believe) $241,000,000 to buy the NH track. About double (I believe - again) the asking price for NHRA. If he wants to buy NHRA, he might be waiting, considering the level of discontent in sportsman and pro ranks, for a fire sale price. We'll see what happens before the Charlotte race.
That's kind of what I was thinking, Raceway Park has the most history out of any non-NHRA owned track. I'm not sure about noise ordinaces allowing Englishtown and Sonoma more than one race per year.
jpee
Nitro Member
.. and the Napps fight the neighbors almost once a yr... I wonder what would happen if Bruton ever "DID buy the track.. he probably would tell them to "SHUT UP" or he'd build "Low Income Housing" that or put in a Theme Park with FREE admission to low income families from the Bronx... 
Bet that would get their attention!
Bet that would get their attention!I believe that Englishtown gets a specific number of noise dates per year and it is up to the track to decide how to use them.
Jim
Rich
Nitro Member
Bruton Smith just purchased Kentucky Speedway and is believed to be interested in buying Dover as well. That's a huge debt load even for someone with deep pockets like Bruton Smith. I could be wrong, but I just don't see him being a player in purchasing a drag racing organization or series.
I will say this very slowly.. "THE NAPPS WILL NOT SELL" .. end of quote.. You are free to move about the cabin at this time...
You are probably correct. And, if they ever did sell, I doubt it would be to anyone who wanted to operate the property as a drag strip. The property that the track sits on is worth much more as land than it is as a business.
Jim
Professor Dave
Nitro Member
Jim,
That's true, but as much as the neighbors hate the noise, I doubt that they would like paying the costs of educating all the students if they were to build houses on that property. I doubt that the additional property taxes from housing when compared to what they get from the Napps would come anywhere near the the additional cost of the kids.
mick
Nitro Member
i still say if he eventually owns enough of the nat. facilities; that mite have
more pull than owning the sanc. body itself.
better watch out here - remember how upset everyone used to be with
multiple pro teams........'they win everything'....'how can the single car
teams compete'
same deal here.
not sayin' anything negative about bruton or anyone else.
just food for thought
more pull than owning the sanc. body itself.
better watch out here - remember how upset everyone used to be with
multiple pro teams........'they win everything'....'how can the single car
teams compete'
same deal here.
not sayin' anything negative about bruton or anyone else.
just food for thought
That's exactly what Pomona has, which is why is if it's even a chance of rain you won't see cars. If say Stock or Super stock get a session in, but rains out the Pro's That still counts as a Noise day, and I think(?) Pomona gets 10 Noise days per year!
Dave,
At Englishtown, the track is in Old Bridge, NJ but the people making the trouble for them are in Manalapan, the next town over.
Regardless, if that property were up for sale, a developer would pay the Napp family far more for it than would a drag strip operator. If the Napps ever did decide to sell, they would probably want to get as much money as they could and that would preclude selling to anyone who wanted to continue the drag strip.
Jim
I believe that Englishtown's noise days only extend past the 7 pm curfew. I know that for Lucas Oil dates, they have sometimes decided to continue alcohol the next day rather than run it after 7 pm.
Jim
clwill
Nitro Member
Actually, I think Pomona is limited on "nitro" days. Remember Frank Hawley's school ran there many weeks a year (until just recently) and they certainly made noise. And the police use it for driver training, making all kinds of noise (sirens running, squealing tires, etc.) many, many days.
Interestingly, I was told it's just two old ladies who own houses a block or two from the track (in the middle of a heavy industrial area) that complain. They've been offered 2x market for their houses, fully paid vacations during the national events, all kinds of things. They would rather complain. From what I understand the Fairplex and/or NHRA have been working on getting right of first refusal on the homes from their estates.
And BTW it's not the city of Pomona with the restrictions. It's the city of La Verne, right across the railroad tracks. Ugh...
Raconteur
Nitro Member
As of this year, Pomona Raceway is down to only two drag racing events... the NHRA Winternationals and the NHRA World Finals. All the other drag racing days formerly used by Goodguys and the Super Chevy Show have now been consumed by CORR Off Road Racing for three Stadium Truck Racing Events this year, replacing drag racing. Longtime track manager Stan Adams is gone from the Pomona Raceway office. The All Harley Drags have not included Pomona Raceway on their schedule for 2008. See more at It Used To Be Their House
