Hey hey!!

[yoda]

Auto Club Dragway - Auto Club Speedway

Basically, the track is working with the "neighbors" and should be back online soon... Great news for SoCal racers

 

[Baron]

Might someone familiar with California's cities answer this: would one, or more, of the bankrupt cities be receptive to the economic benefits of a drag strip in their locale?
I confess to no understanding of California political decisions. To anyone who expresses an expertise in that regard, I have two words in response: Barbara Boxer.

 

[Mike]

ED, lets not leave our wonderful governor out of the mix! $2.6 billion send off to a high speed rail system to no where whose cost final cost miraculously shrank from $98 billion to $68 billion in the authority's most recent business plan.

 

[rckymtn3]

I confess to no understanding of California political decisions.

that's OK...I will confess I still don't understand why the 7-mile stretch of I-25 through the Springs took so many years to complete....and why their lottery officials take meetings at ski resorts for weekends upon weekends, and why the state tax is enormous, and why the cost of roadways and road maintenance is passed on to the citizens, and not the tourists....so count us even?

 

[smokemasterJ]

Might someone familiar with California's cities answer this: would one, or more, of the bankrupt cities be receptive to the economic benefits of a drag strip in their locale?
I confess to no understanding of California political decisions. To anyone who expresses an expertise in that regard, I have two words in response: Barbara Boxer.

I encourage everyone to look at the Speedway on Google Earth or Maps. Nothing but auto dismantling yards and other industry around them. The drag strip is clearly visible to the north of the oval. IMO it's the perfect place for a drag strip. I've been there three or four times and in between runs, the only thing you can hear is the car crushers and various other industrial machines. The Kaiser steel mill that used to be in that location emanated much more noise and smells. I also remember that when all the stuff was going down about closing the strip, drag racers and fans were encouraged (by strip management) to NOT SHOW UP at the city council meetings, because we might be disruptive and cast a disparaging light on the proceedings. That worked out well. Oh, and by the way Barbara Boxer is a Senator from California, and has nothing to do with governing the state.

 

[clwill]

Here's the area:

One block north is a large neighborhood. Yes, there is an industrial area in between, but to insinuate that there is nothing around but industry is not correct. My race car was stored in the industrial strip for a while and I have been there when the oval was in use. It was definitely the dominant sound in the area.

IMHO, the drag racing community has done a poor job of defending itself, around the country, not just in this case. The industrial world has decades of history of successfully defending itself against noise, odor, and environmental concerns based on jobs and general economic impact. But even with a history of over 60 years, racing has been seen as a frivolous pursuit -- little more than the hobby of a bunch of rowdies.

Bruton Smith has shown he can make the economic impact case well, but other operators seem to rely on some sort of case based on "we can yell louder than you can at the city council meeting". Not a good strategy.

 

[Nick Name]

I understood that the guy that complained, lived in the junk yard, or close to it. Never could figure out why they didn't just buy his house, and throw a road flare in it and be done with it.

Would be cheaper than lawyers.

 

[Baron]

that's OK...I will confess I still don't understand why the 7-mile stretch of I-25 through the Springs took so many years to complete....and why their lottery officials take meetings at ski resorts for weekends upon weekends, and why the state tax is enormous, and why the cost of roadways and road maintenance is passed on to the citizens, and not the tourists....so count us even?

We're even - although I blame most of Colorado's problems on all of the Californians who have moved here to escape!
Please let me know if you figure either one out. Thanks.
Cheers,
Ed

 

[Baron]

I encourage everyone to look at the Speedway on Google Earth or Maps. Nothing but auto dismantling yards and other industry around them. The drag strip is clearly visible to the north of the oval. IMO it's the perfect place for a drag strip. I've been there three or four times and in between runs, the only thing you can hear is the car crushers and various other industrial machines. The Kaiser steel mill that used to be in that location emanated much more noise and smells. I also remember that when all the stuff was going down about closing the strip, drag racers and fans were encouraged (by strip management) to NOT SHOW UP at the city council meetings, because we might be disruptive and cast a disparaging light on the proceedings. That worked out well. Oh, and by the way Barbara Boxer is a Senator from California, and has nothing to do with governing the state.

I know that Barbara Boxer is a Senator. As such, she represents the thinking of the California electorate. It was the latter to which I referred. It was a bit of rhetorical whimsy.
Cheers,
Ed

 

[rckymtn3]

I blame most of Colorado's problems on all of the Californians who have moved here to escape!

I thought it was Texas drivers that made Coloradans the angriest?

 

[glofria]

Its all up to the track management team if they want to run the drag strip again. All indications are at this point is that they don't.

But what I wonder is if they do want to reopen it, will they go to a 1000 ft. track being that it has such a short shutoff area?

 

[Nick Name]

Last time I was there, two racers had to be transported because of running out of racetrack.

These shorter tracks are the future. Up here at Willow Springs they run 1000ft and it is a lot of fun.

 

[Mike]

Gino, not true.


Jay, longer than Pomona.

 

[Nick Name]

Gino, not true.


Jay, longer than Pomona.

But then it has the net. When I was there last, a motorcycle went into the net. A door car tried to avoid that and attempted to turn into the tech area to spin it out, but hit the concrete wall from the end. He was in bad shape when they cut him out of the car.

 

[Toejam]

Might someone familiar with California's cities answer this: would one, or more, of the bankrupt cities be receptive to the economic benefits of a drag strip in their locale?
I confess to no understanding of California political decisions. To anyone who expresses an expertise in that regard, I have two words in response: Barbara Boxer.

California is a sign of things to come in those Country, $19 Bil. In debt. 4 cities have filed Bankrupcy, as they say as Calif. goes....so does the Country!

 

[None]

that's OK...I will confess I still don't understand why the 7-mile stretch of I-25 through the Springs took so many years to complete....and why their lottery officials take meetings at ski resorts for weekends upon weekends, and why the state tax is enormous, and why the cost of roadways and road maintenance is passed on to the citizens, and not the tourists....so count us even?

Seven miles of Union Labor says it all.

 

[Mike]

Jay, door car was Ken Etter and he had a stuck throttle and I'm pretty the M/C stayed in the throttle way to long past the finish line and couldnt stop(might be brain fade on my part) on that one but I think that was it.