Future of Heartland Park (and KS Nationals) in jeopardy (4 Viewers)

[NHRAMike]

Actually, the grandstand is gone. Now they're charging an astron

aren't there issues with Bracket in Pomona now? they are saying that's why the top end grandstands are closed.

Actually, the grandstand is gone. At the Finals last year they were charging an astronomical amount of $$$ for RV parking.

 

[FABMAN]

Don't know how land based race cars would interfere with an air base, but thanks for the info. I didn't know that.

The airport runway is just north of race track basically the same direction and lighting of race track could case planes too approach runway to soon causing plane to crash, runways look quite different than you would think at night . I'm not a pilot just what I've been told.

 

[Chevy Nick]

Employee who drove 1-ton truck over a HPT pedestrian bridge, causing it to collapse, no longer works for city

A man who last month drove a heavy truck over a pedestrian bridge at Heartland Park Topeka, causing it to collapse, no longer works for the city.

Keith Bennett was driving a 1-ton truck with a full load of dirt on May 19 when he crashed through a foot bridge. After almost three years with the city, Bennett’s employment came to an end yesterday, city officials said.

Citing personnel issues, communication director Aly Van Dyke said the city couldn’t comment further on issue. It is unclear whether this was Bennett’s first infraction.

Bennett was placed on paid leave immediately after the crash while the city conducted an investigation. He has been with the city as a utility system worker since September 2012 at a salary of $15.32 per hour.

He arrived at the park at about 8:30 a.m. May 19 in a city truck full of topsoil, and after getting directions the job site, he drove across the wooden bridge.

As the truck crossed the bridge — which is used primarily for pedestrians and golf carts — from east to west, it crashed through the final section, dropping to the ground, about 15 feet below. Bennett was uninjured.

During a police investigation, Bennett said he was unfamiliar with the park, so he asked a clean-shaven man on a red all-terrain vehicle, who was wearing a bluish-green flannel shirt and Oakley sunglasses, how to get to the job site on the west side of the track.

That man pointed to the foot bridge and told him to “cross that bridge,” a Topeka Police Department accident report said.

A Topeka police officer spoke to several NHRA and Heartland Park employees that day, the police report said, none of whom fit the description provided by Bennett or recognized the man he described. The racetrack owns several red ATVs with markings and writing on them, but Bennett specified the ATV he saw had no writing or markings on it.

Bennett told police he didn’t see any signs indicating he couldn’t cross the bridge with the truck. However, signs near the bridge indicate vehicles larger than golf carts or ATVs are prohibited on the “walkover” bridge.

During race-day events at Heartland Park, 7530 S.W. Topeka Blvd., the bridge is used by fans as they move from the grandstand areas near the track’s Corporate Tower to a pit area, where they can see race teams working on vehicles. It was repaired before the NHRA Mello Yello drag racing event that was held May 22 to 24.

 

[vegasnitro]

Employee who drove 1-ton truck over a HPT pedestrian bridge, causing it to collapse, no longer works for city

Sounds like someone failed the required post-accident drug test.

 

[Chevy Nick]

Water Cut Off At Heartland Park

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) -- The Financial problems at Heartland Park Topeka have been documented for months, but until last week just about everything was working. "The city has shut of water to Heartland Park and that was done later last week," said City Financial Services Director Doug Gerber.

This latest, ominous news comes as the future the track remains up in the air.

Jayhawk Racing LLC owed an outstanding water bill in the amount of $58,000 before the NHRA Nationals event occurred over Memorial Day weekend.

Gerber said, "That number is off the most recent bill and we have not been paid since August of 2013."

The city council recently reversed a decision to issue sales tax revenue bonds to buy heartland park and improve the area around it. During discussions, Jayhawk Racing had said CoreFirst Bank could foreclose on the facility at any time.

Still, the NHRA footed the bill for the summer nationals event to take place and expressed hope someone would step up to save the facility. Now, in order for future events to take place with the faucets turned on, the city says someone needs to pay up. "As with any property in the city, if you have an outstanding water bill and you need to get it turned back on, you have to work with the city and pay your outstanding debt," said Gerber.

Reversing Course

Early in May, the Topeka City Council voted six to four against moving forward with its plans to use five million dollars in STAR bonds to purchase Heartland Park and improve the district commercially.

That was a far different result than the 7-3 vote last December that initially gave the green light to the city to buy the bonds. In the six months between the two votes, a highly-publicized petition drive to put the issue to a public vote ended up being decided in the courts.

More importantly, Topeka voters sent two of the councilmen who had voted yes packing which, when combined with fellow supporter Denise Everhart also stepping down, freed up three council seats that were filled by opponents of the proposal.

The day after the council put its plans permanently in park, the company who was in talks to manage the track said it "back, weigh our options and move forward accordingly

An Uncertain Future

The NHRA Nationals came to town later that month - possibly for the last time. After the vote, drag racing association terminated its contract with the city and hosted the event itself.

So, for now, the future of the track remains open. City leaders and race fans throughout northeast Kansas cross their fingers hoping a new solution will be found and the lights will once again turn green at Heartland Park

 

[Chevy Nick]

NHRA revs up support for Topeka divisional doubleheader

In a show of support for NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Sportsman racing in general and to the Topeka/Kansas City racing community specifically, NHRA Division 5 Director Rob Park and NHRA are pulling out all the stops for the upcoming Division 5 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series doubleheader at Heartland Park Topeka.

The NHRA Lucas Oil Doubleheader Weekend presented by Aeromotive will feature back-to-back divisional events, Aug. 13-14 (Thursday and Friday) and Aug. 15-16 (Saturday and Sunday), preceded by a test ’n’ tune day, Wednesday, Aug. 12. And with a large contingent of Sportsman racers expected to take advantage of the doubleheader weekend in pursuit of national and divisional championships, NHRA’s world-famous NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA will be on hand to ensure that the racing surface is in top-notch condition. Safety-Kleen also will be on hand for the event, providing cleanup materials and its familiar oil-containment stations.

“This doubleheader weekend is something that our racers have been asking for, especially because it allows them to save on travel costs,” said Park. “We’re also aware of the rumors about the event and about the facility, and we wanted to send a message to everyone in that area, and to Sportsman racers in general, about NHRA’s commitment to them. The Safety Safari is coming directly to the event from Seattle [after the NHRA Northwest Nationals], which is no small feat considering it’s a 27-hour trip, but we put two-driver teams in place to get them to the facility in time to get the track ready for Wednesday’s test ’n’ tune. They’ll bring their full complement of equipment — our tractors, draggers, Power Bosses sweeper trucks, and spray rigs — and we’ll have five of the full-time Safari members overseeing everything.

“We know that racers from all divisions will be represented at this event because it’s a good fit for racers on their way to Brainerd [the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals the following weekend] or getting ready for Indy [the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals]. It’s going to be a great race.”

Earlier this year, NHRA made a tremendous team effort in Topeka to stage the annual NHRA Kansas Nationals after the Topeka City Council voted against a resolution that would have allowed the city to proceed with the purchase of the facility. NHRA never wavered in its support of the event and put operational team members on the ground at the facility to make preparations for the race weekend and handled the advertising and promotional campaigns. The event was completed in spectacular fashion with record-breaking runs and a great crowd, and NHRA is showing the same kind of unwavering dedication to the divisional events.

Heartland Park Topeka also will host the Division 5 Summit Racing Series Finals, Sept. 18-20, where more than 600 of the region’s best e.t. bracket racers will converge for the chance to win divisional championships and the opportunity to compete for national championships later this year in Pomona.

 

[tb]

So how does this work with the previous article about the water being shut off. Is NHRA paying the outstanding water bill or just paying to have it turned back on then shut off again, and wonder what the place looks like if no maintenance people their to cut grass and such

 

[Chevy Nick]

all fine questions...all unanswered

 

[CJDeeds]

I would assume that they will do like they did for the Nationals, they will take a meter reading before turning it on for the event and then another when the track is secured on Sunday. NHRA will then pay for the water they used. (Not completely certain that that is the case, but most likely scenario)

Kudos to NHRA for doing their best to take care of the area racers while not overstepping. An unfortunate situation that had multiple opportunities to be avoided.

 

[M Jones]

Thanks for the up date

 

[Raconteur]

The NHRA will host back-to-back Division V Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events Aug. 13-14 and 15-16 at Heartland Park Topeka

http://cjonline.com/news/2015-07-22/heartland-park-still-nhras-plans-there-going-be-racing-topeka-years-come

 

[Chevy Nick]

Someone paid Heartland Park Topeka's water bill, but parties keeping mum

Someone paid off Heartland Park Topeka’s more than $60,000 debt to the city of Topeka, but it isn’t clear who picked up the tab — or whether the track is any closer to reopening.

The city of Topeka confirmed it had received a $61,415.29 payment for the racetrack’s water bill, which included $224 in penalties. No one had requested that the water be turned back on at this point, according to the city. If service were turned back on, the track would begin paying the monthly meter charge.

The debt was paid with a cashier’s check from CoreFirst Bank & Trust, which owns the track’s mortgage. City officials weren’t certain whether CoreFirst had paid the debt from its own funds, or if another entity with an account there, such as operator Jayhawk Racing, had taken out the cashier’s check.

Kurt Kuta, president and CEO of CoreFirst, declined to comment on whether the bank had a role in resolving the water debt. He said the process of finding a new operator for the track was “moving along,” but that it was too early to give more details.

Raymond Irwin, who operates Jayhawk Racing, declined to comment on who had paid the water bill, or whether the track was any closer to reopening.

The racetrack had been closed since the National Hot Rod Association put on the Mello Yello Racing Series Kansas Nationals over Memorial Day weekend, and the city of Topeka shut off water service after the races. The NHRA announced earlier this month that it plans to hold drag racing events at Heartland Park in August and September, and will pay any expenses for those events.

“If such a request is made, the City would work with the appropriate parties to have water service restored,” the release said. “The City has had discussions with the NHRA regarding restoring water services for these events; however, no determination has yet been made.”

The track’s future has been unclear for months. A plan to issue $5.5 million in Sales Tax Revenue bonds to purchase Irwin’s interest in the track and pay off both the more than $10 million in STAR bonds issued in 2006 and the track’s debt, including a mortgage with CoreFirst Bank & Trust, ran into more public opposition than city officials apparently expected. Topekan Chris Imming led a petition drive to invalidate the purchase agreement, which gathered enough signatures for a public vote but was declared invalid in court.

The city council declined to issue the STAR bonds in May. The NHRA event over Memorial Day went on as scheduled, though the facilities were damaged when a worker drove a dump truck onto a pedestrian bridge, causing it to collapse.

A Holton dirt track driver announced about three weeks ago that he would attempt to raise $5 million to purchase the track and work with local racing fans to run it. As of 8:30 a.m. Friday, his GoFundMe page, www.gofundme.com/heartlandpark, had raised $125 from 10 contributors.

 

[Nemo]

This looks positive, anxious to see who is buying it and what their plans are.

http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/...artland-Park-321102171.html?device=tablet&c=y

 

[CJDeeds]

Hopefully it is somebody that actually has the financial ability to maintain and expand the track(s) and operations. There is no reason that from March to October(maybe even November) that there isn't an event on the property every weekend. Between the drag strip, dirt track and road course the possibilities are endless. I just want somebody that is willing to care about making HPT the place to be for motorsports in the Midwest.

 

[Chevy Nick]

Minnesota businessman excited about pending Heartland Park Topeka deal

Minnesota businessman Jim Farnum, who is negotiating with CoreFirst Bank & Trust to become the new owner/operator of Heartland Park Topeka, is excited about what the future holds for the troubled facility.

“Heartland Park is a great facility and it needs to be brought to the level that it was intended to be and could be,” Farnum said Monday in a phone interview.

Farnum, who lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and is president of International Motorsports Entertainment and Development Corporation, said he doesn’t have a timetable for when the deal with CoreFirst could be completed, but said that process is moving forward.

“We’re talking to CoreFirst and there’s a lot of steps that have to be taken,” Farnum said. “There’s a series of things that we have to go through yet.

“We’re getting things narrowed down and we’re working with who we need to be working with at the bank.”

CoreFirst issued a statement on Aug. 7 confirming it is now the legal owner of Heartland Park. CoreFirst also announced it had reached a formal agreement with a qualified party to operate and eventually purchase HPT.

Kurt Kuta, president and CEO of CoreFirst, declined to comment on the ongoing process when reached Monday, but CoreFirst said in its Aug. 7 statement the sale of the property is expected to occur in the coming months.

National Hot Rod Association Division V director Rob Park said last week he didn’t have anything to do with CoreFirst’s negotiations with a prospective new owner/operator but reiterated Heartland Park’s importance to the NHRA.

“NHRA’s mission is to protect and preserve the sport of drag racing,” Park said. “Heartland Park Topeka is a vital part of that mission for us. That’s why we’ve been so involved in keeping the races here and trying to do everything that we can to ensure racing will stay in this area for the long-term future.”

Park said he was excited by CoreFirst’s announcement that a deal is in the works after months of uncertainty surrounding HPT.

“We’re moving forward,” Park said. “We’re not staying still, we’re not going backwards. CoreFirst is moving forward with their plans to ensure that they’re going to get a viable owner in here to operate this racetrack so we can all enjoy the amenities that they’ve built since 1989.”

The NHRA hosted a Lucas Oil Division V doubleheader Thursday through Sunday, with the event drawing more than 550 cars for both events. The NHRA also ran HPT’s premier event, the Kansas Nationals, in May.

“NHRA’s taking care of a lot of stuff right now, thank goodness, and they’re keeping things going,” Farnum said. “The most important thing is they’re keeping the facility in the public’s eye as far as providing a place for the races to go on and for the fans to go.

“That’s paramount right now, to keep it going. We’d like to take the reins after that and keep it going, and I have to say hats off to the NHRA for what they’ve been doing.”

Farnum submitted a proposal to the city of Topeka to operate Heartland Park before the proposed purchase of the facility by the city was voted down earlier this year.

Farnum operated a racing merchandise retailer called Professional Motorsports Merchandise Company that grew to 15 locations in eight states from 1991 to 2006.

He also owned an NHRA Funny Car team from 1999 to 2005. He has been the president of International Motorsports Entertainment and Development Corporation since 2008.

Local racer Katie Riha said she has missed being able to race at Heartland Park this season.

“It’s been very weird,” Riha said. “I’ve been coming out here since I was a baby, so it was almost like not having a second home for the summer because we’ve spent almost every weekend out here for as long as I can remember.”

Riha said racers have been cheered by the recent news that could signal a new start for the multifaceted facility, which opened in 1989 and has hosted at least one NHRA national event each year since ’89.

“I definitely think there is excitement,” Riha said. “Watching Facebook throughout the last few months everybody’s been really upset by what’s happened to the racetrack and nobody really knows what’s going on at the track, so I think everyone would be very excited (about a new owner).”

 

[Chevy Nick]

Heartland Park not on 2016 NHRA schedule

For the first time since the track opened in 1989, Heartland Park Topeka isn’t on the National Hot Rod Association national Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule, released Saturday.

However, Terry Blount, NHRA vice president of public relations and communications, said in a phone interview Saturday that HPT still could be added to the 2016 schedule, confirming that the NHRA is talking with the prospective new ownership group at HPT.

“We would love to come back; we want to come back,” Blount said. “We were just kind of in limbo. We want to see what happens with the potential new ownership and how everything goes on that, but we are hopeful that we will be back at Topeka.

“That’s a race that means a lot to us. That’s a facility that means a lot to us, not only for the nationals, but for our divisional events and things of that nature. We’re optimistic and we hope that everything can be worked out before next season starts.”

The schedule released Saturday features 23 races, one fewer than this year. Heartland Park’s traditional Memorial Day weekend date also remains open in 2016, giving the NHRA the option of easily reinstating the Topeka event.

Blount said, however, that if the NHRA does put HPT on the ’16 schedule it doesn’t necessarily mean the race would be over the Memorial Day weekend.

“That all depends of the timing of everything and when it gets worked out,” he said.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Aug. 17 that Minnesota businessman Jim Farnum is negotiating with CoreFirst Bank & Trust to become the new owner/operator of HPT.

CoreFirst issued a statement on Aug. 7 that it is now the legal owner of Heartland Park and also announced it had reached a formal agreement with a qualified party to operate and eventually purchase HPT.

Farnum, president of the International Motorsports Entertainment and Development Corporation, confirmed in an August interview that he was the person negotiating with CoreFirst and said negotiations were ongoing.

“We’re talking to CoreFirst and there’s a lot of steps that have to be taken,” Farnum said. “There’s a series of things that we have to go through yet.

“We’re getting things narrowed down and we’re working with who we need to be working with at the bank.”

Financially troubled Heartland Park has been closed throughout 2015 except for three drag racing events staged by the NHRA, including the Kansas Nationals.

The NHRA also hosted a pair of Division V events in August as well as an ET Bracket Racing event. The ET Finals are scheduled at HPT later this month.

NHRA officials unveiled the 2016 schedule Saturday during the running of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

The 2016 season again will open and close at the famed Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. The season kicks off at Pomona with the Circle K NHRA Winternationals, Feb. 11-14, and closes at the historic dragstrip with the final race of the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs, the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 10-13.

NHRA’s playoffs, the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, kicks off in mid-September with three consecutive weeks of racing: the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 16-18); the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis (Sept. 23-25); and the NHRA Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. (Sept. 29-Oct. 2).

The AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals from Oct. 13-16 at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas will set the stage for the final two Countdown playoff races. The season concludes out west with the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas (Oct. 27-30) and the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, where world champions will be crowned Nov. 10-13 in Southern California.

 

[FABMAN]

I am glad to see Core Bank is making sure that the owner is the right one to take HPT for the long haul and also to make sure they get a full return on their investment.

 

[Jimbo]

Jesse:

Your Comment was "I am glad to see Core Bank is making sure that the owner is the right one to take HPT for the long haul and also to make sure they get a full return on their investment".

A full return on their investment?

Now that is an interesting thought for many who loan money for drag racing ventures. Maybe wishful thinking?

Jim Hill
http://www.nostalgicracingdecals.com

 

[Chevy Nick]

I sense sarcasm in Jesse's comment

 

[FABMAN]

I sense sarcasm in Jesse's comment

Not really, I'm hoping they'll take time and make sure this guy is right, don't want Topeka and racers to have to go though an owner like the last one.