Future of Heartland Park (and KS Nationals) in jeopardy (1 Viewer)

[Chevy Nick]

Add to that, KCIR is now gone, so those racers most likely went to HPT, so weekly car counts should be up.

Greg I disagree with your logic here. I think what happened is that racers decided to hang it up when KCIR closed. Rather than drive even farther to the nearest drag strip, they decided to get out of the sport altogether. Every track that closes down shrinks the total pool of racers, like lowering water in a pond. Everyone loses when a track shuts down, including other tracks. When HPT closes, more racers will get out of the sport.

 

[FABMAN]

Wow, I see the making of a academy award movie here.
Just how much more is to come, sounds like some incarceration behind steel bars might be coming as well.

 

[vegasnitro]

Wow, I see the making of a academy award movie here.
Just how much more is to come, sounds like some incarceration behind steel bars might be coming as well.

While this particular story is interesting to us as drag racing fans, I can assure you that this happens in every town in the USA. In fact, the dollar figures discussed in these articles are quite small compared to most cities. New convention centers, stadium deals for Pro and College teams, new Airport terminals and the like routinely run into the 9 figures and you can be absolutely sure none of the politicians involved hope we never find out the particulars of those deals.

That being said, I would be shocked if any of these politicians spend any time in jail. They might be removed from office, but at that level (and all levels above it) these people usually fail up.

 

[FABMAN]

Chris, I understand what you're saying but people like me and others that shared their time to get this track built have hard feelings about someone that was a failure before he came here and to find out the same tactics used in previous failures are being used in Topeka. It is time to stop him even though what he has done may not be criminal something needs to be done. The city needs to go back to the beginning to 2004 and see why the track was successful during that time period. When HPT lost the fall race is when things changed. NHRA needs to be investigated to see what part they had in the change and why the secrecy in their contract agreements with city when there should be transparency to the people of Topeka.

 

[FABMAN]

Another issue is at stake as well, if Kansas City, Topeka and surrounding area loses this track there is nothing left but driving 4 or more hours just to go race. Jim Baker has a good article about Kansas City Racing and it's history in the latest issue of dragracingonline.com, I would put it on here but my phone won't let me. Maybe someone else can figure that out.

 

[Chevy Nick]

Heartland Park investors racing to catch financial bailout

The capital city’s political elite rallied nearly a decade ago to secure public financing for improvements at Heartland Park Topeka’s motor sports facility, and confidently proclaimed the investment key to jump-starting business development near the track.

Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed the bill in 2005 authorizing issuance of bonds to pay for upgrades at a track promising to deliver blockbuster events and substantial job creation. A consultants’ study predicted Heartland Park was on the cusp of producing a near-tripling impact on the local economy. The Topeka City Council voted without dissent in 2006 to approve $10.4 million in taxpayer-backed bonds for Heartland Park — doubling down on a $5 million investment by the Topeka government two years earlier.

Jayhawk Racing owner Raymond Irwin commemorated the windfall for his Heartland Park venture by chauffeuring Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce members on 100-mph rides in a race car.

“This puts us in the top level of the game of motor sports,” said John Nave, a Topeka City Council member at that time.

Swagger exhibited by so many, so long ago now appears distressingly misplaced.

False start on bonds

The economic development district created to pay off the bonds for Heartland Park produced so little sales tax revenue, the city’s residents have been forced to subsidize debt payments from the start. The city has met the shortfall on these sales tax revenue (STAR) bonds by drawing about $350,000 annually in property tax revenue. The city’s existing bond debt payments are expected to balloon this year to $1 million.

Local, state and federal government operatives poured resources into Heartland Park, but ancillary development adjacent to the track — a reward municipalities routinely covet when throwing money at private businesses — never occurred.

The national recession frequently has been blamed for Heartland Park’s death spiral. Others speculate the track might have been victimized by dwindling consumer demand for dirt, drag or show-car racing. Critics who fault Irwin accuse him of ineffective race marketing, inability to draw enough nonracing events and possession of a difficult personality. As Heartland Park bailout schemes were considered, Irwin has threatened to sue the city more than once.

Dan Stanley, who served as interim Topeka city manager, said he attempted to get to the bottom of Heartland Park’s shortcomings in 2011 by requesting access to Irwin’s track operation records. Stanley said an audit would have helped guide reform of development strategies, but he was surprised when Irwin declined to show his ledgers to the city.

“He created a budget problem, and we couldn’t even look at the books,” Stanley said. “We were threatened with legal action if we tried. Any time I lifted a rug out there, there was something nasty underneath it.”

The city of Topeka remains owner of Heartland Park, but Irwin’s Jayhawk Racing runs the business and has buried the operation in a mountain of debt that could lead to bankruptcy or foreclosure.

“It’s like a house with seven mortgages on it to seven different mortgage companies,” said Chad Sublet, the city's attorney. "On paper, yes, we own it. But it is mortgaged up.”

Irwin has an unusual clause in his contract with the city, allowing him to take possession of the track once STAR bonds were paid. The city plans to buy out Irwin’s so-called reversionary interest for more than $2 million.

Bailout boiling point

Debate about Heartland Park’s future has proved to be polarizing. There are vocal Topekans who would be content if Heartland Park crashed in a spectacular manner. Equally persistent people view the racing complex as a Kansas gem worth preserving at any cost.

Robert Wayman, president of the Kansas City Region’s Porsche Club of America and a Heartland Park racer, said the track was considered one of the most challenging road courses in the Midwest.

“We believe a reinvigorated Heartland Park can once again become the destination of choice,” Wayman said.

“It’s an awful big gamble,” said Don Weick, a Topeka opponent of the bailout. “People are sure against it. I guarantee that. Twice this track went under. Today, is the third time going to be the charm?”

“We need racing in Topeka,” countered Jill Ables, who has volunteered at numerous track events. “I don't want Heartland Park closed. There’s got to be a way.”

Crafting a clever resolution to Heartland Park’s debt burden is overdue, but timing of the decision by Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration to green-light a $17 million contribution to the cure could be considered awkward. On Thursday, the governor must explain to the 2015 Kansas Legislature how the cash-strapped state government should deal with a projected $715 million budget deficit during the next 18 months.

Champions of issuing STAR bonds to pay remnants of the old bonds for the racetrack and to buy out Irwin were surprised by a decision in December by the joint House-Senate auditing committee to examine the legality of the proposed Heartland Park deal.

The pending inquiry rattled advocates to the point Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, was told through intermediaries that Department of Commerce Secretary Pat George would withdraw the agency’s blessing of the deal if Hensley couldn't persuade the GOP-led committee to abandon its audit of STAR bonds for Heartland Park. On Sunday, Hensley said he was convinced the message was genuine.

“Secretary George’s threat to compel a legislative committee to reverse an action they’ve already taken is egregious and an affront to the legislative process. It begs the question: What will this audit uncover?” Hensley said.

George said the senator’s description of the situation was inaccurate.

“No decision, tentative or otherwise, has been made on the project,” he said. “It is unusual for a legislator to strongly oppose a project requested by the largest community in his district, therefore, it is only appropriate that we fully consider his concerns before proceeding with the deliberation process.”

Meanwhile, Topeka City Councilman Chad Manspeaker said city manager Jim Colson asked him to divert money from the city’s guest tax fund to hire a well-connected Republican lobbyist to usher the STAR bond package through the Brownback administration. Irwin typically has received $350,000 yearly from that fund to market races. Manspeaker said he declined Colson’s request to appropriate guest-tax revenue for lobbying of state government officials.

“The deal has stunk from the beginning,” Manspeaker said.

Colson said David Kensinger, a former Brownback chief of staff and Heartland Park lobbyist who fell under FBI scrutiny last year regarding allegations of influence peddling, was identified by organizers of the STAR bond plan as someone skilled enough to maneuver the deal through the Department of Commerce. Kensinger didn't respond to a request for comment about the city manager’s statement.

CoreFirst sitting pretty

There is no ambiguity about the future of Irwin’s racing business in Topeka. His company is insolvent and his days as a track mogul in Kansas are numbered. CoreFirst Bank and Trust, under pressure to come to terms with a portfolio festering with millions of dollars in bad loans to Irwin, has legal authority to take over Heartland Park in February. CoreFirst will be paid in full via the new STAR bonds or it will seize the track and sell it off. Deeds transferring the property to the bank were signed by the city and Irwin in June. By placing deeds in escrow, the city and Irwin bought time to complete a rescue package.

Topeka government leaders have known for years of Heartland Park’s malnourished condition, but they weren’t eager to accept the reality a rebound might never come. Without financial intervention by the state, the city stands to be stuck paying existing bond debt on the track that would cost local taxpayers $10.8 million to eradicate.

A Topeka property tax hike or equivalent reduction in city services would be required to cover $1 million in annual bond payments. And, somebody else — not the city — likely would own Heartland Park.

The STAR bond strategy has been endorsed by Colson, a majority on the Topeka City Council, CoreFirst, Irwin, the Department of Commerce, local restaurant and hotel business interests, the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce’s top executive, and various racing association leaders.

Assuming the plan proceeds in a timely manner, Topeka would issue about $5 million in new STAR bonds. The designated sales tax district in Topeka contributing revenue to payment on bonds would be dramatically expanded to include more businesses. All state and local sales tax revenue in this enlarged area of Topeka would be devoted to paying old and new bond debt. The idea is to score about $17 million — most of it state sales tax revenue — and retire the Heartland Park debt in 12 years. City officials said the proposed revenue stream is solid.

“It’s not built on a hope and a prayer,” Colson said. “It's built on actual historical numbers.”

Irwin would be handed $2.4 million if the STAR bond sale goes through, but he is obligated to cut checks for $300,000 to CoreFirst and $180,000 to the city of Topeka, and to settle with others. CoreFirst would separately pocket $1.9 million in STAR bond cash to clear the remainder of Irwin’s debt to the bank. The federal Small Business Administration and the state Department of Commerce would clear $500,000 each from a bond sale.

 

[Chevy Nick]

Heartland Park investors racing to catch financial bailout (cont 2 of 2)

‘Reversionary’ interest

Significantly, access to STAR bond cash would put the city in position to purchase Irwin’s contractual right to assume control of Heartland Park — all 700 acres — at the moment bond debt was paid. That clause in Irwin’s contract establishes his reversionary interest in Heartland Park. The arrangement might have been reasonable if Irwin continued to successfully operate the track. It would be galling if the city salvaged Heartland Park and Irwin snatched the jewel back years from now.

Colson said the commerce department declined to authorize more STAR bonds in connection with Heartland Park unless clear title to the property was purchased from Irwin. The city would work to sell the facility to a new owner or operator. Four proposals were submitted to City Hall, but details of those blueprints for success remain confidential. It appears contract talks continue with at least two applicants.

“We want to do what’s best for the city of Topeka,” said Colson, who became Topeka’s city manager in 2012. “Expansion of the STAR bond district allows us to address some debt issues that we didn’t have a reliable source of funds, other than property taxes, to pay. The STAR bond district, as it was formed in 2005 was, I’ll say in retrospect, too small to service the debt of the facility.”

Doug Gerber, the city’s finance director, said resolving the city’s budget hole by plugging in $16.4 million in state sales tax revenue and $1.6 million in local sales tax revenue was a 10-to-1 deal that ought not be dismissed. The arrangement clears the city’s obligations to Heartland Park by 2025.

“That’s a deal any individual and certainly any city should be willing to make,” he said. “We’re asking 3 million Kansans to participate instead of 130,000 Kansans.”

Heartland Park, which opened in 1989 and has received millions of dollars in government aid, features a quarter-mile drag strip, a 2.5-mile road course and a three-eighths-mile dirt oval track. In 2003, Irwin bought into the business and added 33 garages, a technology building and a facility for road course events.

Growth the new mandate

Colson said the new operator of Heartland Park had to bring a fresh business approach to the property. The city manager said he learned the imperative of new commercial development surrounding taxpayer-supported sporting venues while working in municipal government in Glendale, Ariz.

Glendale was staggered by bond debt issued to support the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes and a separate deal to build spring training baseball parks for the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. Construction of these facilities and ongoing subsidies have cost Glendale taxpayers more than $400 million. In areas around these facilities, development of office space, shopping and housing fell below expectations of consultants offering rosy analyses.

He said the Heartland Park correction would emphasize development of land within the racing property.

“We’re very much focused on someone who will bring a comprehensive approach to this, because we can’t have a facility that is really built around one weekend,” he said, referencing the popular NHRA drag event. “We’re really focused on working with attracting somebody to take over the track who really understands this is a 12-month business — for this to work, to be an economic tool.”

All bidders for the track expressed reservations about the agreement Colson reached with the NHRA to conduct races in May at Heartland Park for the next three years in exchange for an annual guaranteed payment of $1.8 million. Colson believes the deal he unilaterally negotiated with the NHRA would render the track operator liable for the guarantee. Others are convinced the document could make the city responsible for the guarantee.

Colson said if proposals to buy Heartland Park from the city or to enter into a long-term lease didn’t come together, it would serve as a sign the racetrack no longer was economically viable.

“Under no circumstances will the city operate it,” the city manager said. “Our position is very clear. If there is nobody who makes their living running racetracks who is interested in running Heartland Park, we would be silly if we tried to do it. It would be a recipe for disaster.”

In August, the Topeka City Council voted to authorize purchase of Heartland Park and expansion of its redevelopment district in anticipation of STAR bonds being issued.

Outside looking in

Foundation of the deal was put together behind closed doors over many months with contributions from Irwin attorney John Frieden, George and Colson. Frieden didn’t return calls. Colson submitted to an interview. George praised the STAR bond endeavor in a letter affirming state support for the project. Irwin said he didn’t want to comment at this time because the question of a public vote remained before the Court of Appeals. Kurt Kuta, president and CEO of CoreFirst, said he preferred not to discuss the issue.

“At this time,” Kuta said, “the bank is meeting its obligations in the agreement and, as a result, does not have any need to comment.”

George’s letter to the city in 2014 lauded the STAR bond plan as recognition Heartland Park had a “significant economic impact on the state.” He expressed confidence “timing is right to extend the STAR bonds district, increasing economic development around the track and along Topeka Boulevard.”

City Councilwoman Karen Hiller, who has expressed appreciation for the STAR bond solution, said the communications strategy deployed by Colson on the plan fell short. It is more difficult to secure community backing for complex ideas quickly thrust upon taxpayers, she said.

The elixir for Heartland Park surfaced in June, after the city rejected Irwin’s plea for more marketing subsidies and Irwin’s offer to sell out to the city. The manner in which the rescue framework was unveiled by Colson intensified opposition among a cadre of Topekans skeptical the deal does little more than serve favored business interests.

“That, to me, is a government bailout,” said Jack Woelfel, a former Topeka councilman who declared the plan inequitable. “Are you ready, as a council, to do the same thing for a small engine repair shop down the street? A candy store? I sincerely doubt you will do that. In this instance, is Heartland Park racetrack considered too big to fail?”

Topeka Mayor Larry Wolgast offered a more charitable perspective on presentation of the deal to Topekans. Colson had been involved in a Heartland Park fix for two years, but didn’t share the financing arrangement with the public until less than a week before the city council was scheduled to take its first vote on the plan.

“In hindsight,” Wolgast said, “it would have been beneficial to involve the community more so they are in tune with the decisions that were made.”

Wolgast is an unapologetic advocate of the STAR bond plan. It is simple economics, he said. The deal is capable of providing Kansas with the best opportunity to identify a viable owner for Heartland Park and continue to deliver an estimated $100 million or more annually in economic activity to the state.

Questions about the legality of the STAR bond plan and outcome of Imming’s push for a citizen vote remain, but there appears to be sufficient support on the city council to adopt the initiative.

Topeka City Councilman Nathan Schmidt said it would be “grossly irresponsible” for detractors to denounce the 2015 STAR bond plan by comparing it to the unsuccessful 2006 STAR bond issue.

“This is not a high-risk venture,” Schmidt said. “It is the best possible path out of a situation that is not good for anyone.”

 

[.]

Chris, I understand what you're saying but people like me and others that shared their time to get this track built have hard feelings about someone that was a failure before he came here and to find out the same tactics used in previous failures are being used in Topeka. It is time to stop him even though what he has done may not be criminal something needs to be done. The city needs to go back to the beginning to 2004 and see why the track was successful during that time period. When HPT lost the fall race is when things changed. NHRA needs to be investigated to see what part they had in the change and why the secrecy in their contract agreements with city when there should be transparency to the people of Topeka.

C'mon man... You can't place blame on NHRA for this. Their agreements with other tracks are private business and so is this one. Nobody ever sees them, and other tracks where NHRA events are held are not in the situation HRP is. Hell, if anything, NHRA has bent over backwards to help HRP. A national event, over a holiday weekend, 2 divisionals (albeit horrible scheduling), and Div 5 Bracket championships this past year. Not a whole lot of tracks get that many sanctioned events all in one year. I doubt the agreement NHRA has with HRP is any more rigid or penalizing than one with any other track. That would just be bad business for everyone involved.

No, it appears (to me, anyway) that the blame lays completely at the feet of Ray Irwin, Jayhawk Racing, and the Topeka City Council and City Manager.

Now, if you want to talk about secrecy, lets start with them. From Irwin and Jayhawk refusing to open their books (actually threatening suit if anyone tried) while begging for more money from the City, to the city council refusing show documents regarding star bonds allocation. The city appears to have done little, if any, due diligence to understand just what they are providing money for. Obviously, if the track was close to $50k in arrears in simple water bills, there will be far more uncovered if and when the books are opened. Hell, city officials have acknowledged that they and Irwin have been working for 2 years to hammer something out, but nobody ever thought it should be discussed in a public forum? The minute he threatened to sue the city for demanding to see his operational books, they should have told him to go kick rocks. Not try to work out some other secret way to funnel cash to him.

Like I said, I hate it that a Div 5 track is probably going to go away (hopefully just until a competent owner/manager can be found), but I don't begrudge the citizens of Topeka asking for a vote and to see just where the bailout money is going to. Hell, this isn't even about people being disgruntled about a track in their back yard. This is about what is increasingly looking like sweetheart, backroom deals that line the pockets of a bad businessman. Now, I don't know what Irwin has done with the previous 10+ million bucks he has received from the city. Nobody does as of yet. But I think it is relatively safe to say that it appears that a very large portion of it didn't go to pay for operation of the track and its debt. Look at it this way. In the past 10 years, the track has not been able to make its basic operations costs back, let alone pay back the bonds it owed. I don't believe every race track is a money pit that loses that much money every year if managed correctly.

If racing goes away in the KC area (yes, I will include Topeka @ 70 miles away in that region), then don't blame the NHRA or local citizens. Blame the council, the city manager, Irwin and Jayhawk racing for putting such a bad taste in peoples mouths because of this shroud of secrecy and the obvious failure of Irwin to run a facility like HRP. The only thing the people of Topeka are questioning is if HRP was badly mismanaged, corrupt, or just flat out a money loser, why keep propping it up? And I think they have that right to question that and decide if they want more of their tax money to support it.

What really needs to happen here is the bank needs to foreclose, and sell HRP to a competent (and from what I have read, nobody with a competent record of track management has come forward with a plan yet), and try to regroup and keep racing there. Move this years (and perhaps next) national event to St. Louis (give them 2 for a bit maybe?), move the divisionals (perhaps one to Great Bend or Denver, and to Earlville), retool the management at HRP and try to get those races back when it gets sorted out.

If it continues on the way it has for the past 10 years, it is inevitable that racing will leave the area. You can't keep doing the same thing, time after time, and expect different results. That is the definition of insanity.

 

[FABMAN]

Greg, i'm not going to argue the point it's pretty clear now. Also I don't need to be taught about drag racing in Kansas City area I made my first past down KCIR in 1970. HPR started hurting as soon as they lost the Fall race and all I was saying is NHRA needs to be looked into to see why that happened. All it takes is one persons greed to destroy and that was the problem with Irwin and Jayhawk Racing..

 

[.]

Greg, i'm not going to argue the point it's pretty clear now. Also I don't need to be taught about drag racing in Kansas City area I made my first past down KCIR in 1970. HPR started hurting as soon as they lost the Fall race and all I was saying is NHRA needs to be looked into to see why that happened. All it takes is one persons greed to destroy and that was the problem with Irwin and Jayhawk Racing..

Jesse, I agree that the problem is Irwin and Jayhawk. And the City Council. And the City Manager. But the guys who are being lambasted are the guy that started the petition and the council member that has not followed lockstep with others. Not the ones that deserve it. And that is why this veil of secrecy needs to come off, and it needs to go to the public for a vote. Face it. A track needs to be a good neighbor in order to succeed. Not one that burns through cash and asks for more when that runs out.

They (the council) are literally, and willingly, dumping money down a mineshaft when they hand it to him. It is clear he doesn't pay his bills. He isn't a promoter worth his salt, it appears. I don't know how the dirt track is run, but I notice they haven't had a WOO race in a couple of years. And WOO will race anywhere. Except for spots that have promoters that don't pay, or put on horseshit shows. And I don't know if his weekly bracket show is worth a darn as far as turnout goes. I know Mo-Kan gets the OMMSS, and he doesn't. I can only assume (given what I know about the SCCA) that the SCCA takes over for events on the property and he doesn't really have to do much for those. SCCA members volunteer their time for events, so his expenses would be minimal.

I am sure that a portion of the problem is moving the race from the fall to the spring plays into the failures, but I don't think it is as big of a problem as you perceive it to be. Like I said, they had it on Memorial Day weekend, which for a lot of Iowa, Nebraska, and SoDak racers, made it a lot easier to justify attending (if they could register due to grade pts), what with the extra travel day built in. I know it was always a PITA for me when I raced at KCIR to get out of a national event, and get home in time to make it to work on Monday. Too far to be home at a decent hour, but not far enough away to burn a day of vacation for. In fact, on more than one occasion, I slept on the ride home so I could be dropped off at work the next morning. If anything, the proximity of dates for divisional races is more an impact for racers than that is.

I just don't see the NHRA being as nefarious in this deal as you are making them out to be. Nobody (Irwin, Jayhawk, or the City of Topeka) has made the claim that the NHRA has upped their fees by an outrageous amount because HRP is sinking because of financial problems. It costs a lot of money to make that circus roll down the road. And as a promoter, you either agree to pay it, or you don't. It is as simple as that. HRP could have pulled that plug at any time. And, unfortunately, so can NHRA. So they (NHRA), don't need to inflate their fees to move the race to another track. They simply don't offer a contract to HRP if that is the case. Done.

Which, brings up another sticky subject for Topeka residents. How can the city council negotiate the race fees if they aren't the promoters? They may be able to sign off on whether or not they will allow a race there, but negotiating would be done by the promoter (Irwin in this case), wouldn't it? They don't know if the fee NHRA charges is a fair one or not. They don't know how to negotiate with vendors for a race. This is simply a question that I have that I have not seen raised by anyone.

As I have said many times, I hate to see tracks go under. And in this particular case, one in division 5. But the good people of Topeka should not be on the hook for the fiscal mismanagement of Jayhawk and Irwin. At least not without a public vote on it. And they rightly ought to be perturbed that Irwin would receive a payout of close to $2.5 million after fleecing the city for the millions he already has, if an additional bond is released. And for him to tell the council he would sue them if they tried to look at his books, while he has his hand out for more cash? Well, that is just crazy talk! And, it should have raised concern enough to the council to tell him to kiss their asses, find your money elsewhere.

I know you live in the area, and it sounds like you are involved (and I applaud you for that) and rightly want to see racing continue. I think most people in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, SoDak, Missouri, Oklahoma and other states do as well. But the only way I see it continuing is if someone with deep pockets steps in, buys the track, rights the ship, invests their money (not the city's), and reaps the benefit of a well run race, or loses their ass because they don't know how to do it. The bank will want their money soon. And foreclosure is imminent without a huge cash influx in the next month. The question that begs to be asked is "If this has been such a failure for 10 years, why should taxpayers continue to give?" And I don't think anyone can come up with a good answer. And given the State of Kansas' economic problems, for Brownback to bail them out is equally, if not worse, of an issue. The state is literally broke, going to decrease education and other critical spending dramatically, and THIS is what they are going to spend money on? Insane.

Like I said in my first post on this matter (and I had been specifically staying out of it until more info came out), something just ain't right down there. In fact, I would go so far as to say there is some serious corruption and when it comes out, it is going to be bad. I could see the argument for a public cash infusion if Irwin had come up 10 or 20% light on his end of the financial agreements. But, given that he is days from foreclosure and owes just about everybody with pockets, asking for public funding (this may be because he gets payed either way), at this point in time is highly suspect. And the council would not be looking out for it's residents to give him more cash.

 

[FABMAN]

Just looking at Pick The Winner scheduled and noticed NHRA has Phoenix schedule same weekend as Daytona 500 and also notice that race for troubled ,HPR Kansas Nationals same as Indy 500 this is sure to put a strain on TV ratings and for Kansas Nationals which has been hurting since NHRA took away the successful fall race is set for labor day weekend where most people head for surrounding lakes for first weekend of summer vacation. What is NHRA thinking, well that's the problem they're
not !

 

[.]

Oh, for chrissakes. Quit blaming NHRA. Just quit.

They didn't cause the guy to blow through over 10 mill and then beg for more.

Just quit.

 

[None]

Oh, for chrissakes. Quit blaming NHRA. Just quit.

They didn't cause the guy to blow through over 10 mill and then beg for more.

Just quit.

You heard the the NHRA's number one shill. Nothing is NHRA's fault.

 

[.]

You heard the the NHRA's number one shill. Nothing is NHRA's fault.

Please John, tell us all how this is NHRA's fault. Right down to how NHRA didn't pay the guys water bill.

 

[FABMAN]

Greg, they're responsible for National Event Races and deciding when and where they take place, thats my question, why move it when it's a success. That's not blaming them for Irwins failures. I haven't heard anyone on here say the tracks failure was there fault, just have concerns about their actions.

 

[.]

Greg, they're responsible for National Event Races and deciding when and where they take place, thats my question, why move it when it's a success. That's not blaming them for Irwins failures. I haven't heard anyone on here say the tracks failure was there fault, just have concerns about their actions.

The weekend, or for that matter, the national event, really has little to no impact on what is going on at HRP. One event would not turn things around.

And if some racing writers have their way, and races are cut from 24 to 16-18 events, you can bet Topeka will be one of the first cuts NHRA makes. Not because of the weekend, not because of the citizens of Topeka, but because the track is being neglected and there is huge financial mismanagement.

This needs to go to a public vote. And, the bank needs to step in and foreclose. The whole thing should not be decided by the city council. They have already screwed this up badly and they need to stay away from it.

 

[FABMAN]

Greg, i'm talking about 10 yrs ago when it started having problems, Irwin didn't have anything to do with it then.

 

[.]

Greg, i'm talking about 10 yrs ago when it started having problems, Irwin didn't have anything to do with it then.

Uhm, yeah, he did.

He took the joint over in '03.
And the city spent a ton of cash on the place that year. Remodeled the suites, new drainage, new staging lanes etc. Irwin basically had a brand new facility. And then in 2005-06, the city, county, state, and feds paid to put a new surface down for the strip and replaced the entire road course and a whole hell of a lot more.

How he is losing as much money as he has while everybody else is paying for things is astonishing.

 

[FABMAN]

Sorry, I was a 1/2 year off, now explain why NHRA took away a successful race.

 

[.]

Sorry, I was a 1/2 year off, now explain why NHRA took away a successful race.

Jesus H. Christ..... They didn't take a race away from HRP. They moved it to a different time slot. In fact, it has been a spring race for 14 years now. Add to that, it was already in place when Irwin took over.

So, quit blowing smoke. The track has been bought, completely renovated by outside money, and he has gone through millions of dollars somehow, all since that race moved.

That race date is not the problem. Nor is NHRA.