Norwalk plan to open (2 Viewers)

[Cliff]

Swap meets.....

 

[gw 64 savoy]

I have to wonder what his insurance company will think about opening the track?

 

[Jack]

Would you feel safer at a drag strip at 50% or less of spectator capacity using a mask and at proper social distancing or at Wal Mart food shopping for an hour amongst the crowds who may or may not be masked (maybe one out of two from my observation today) and handling packages of food then putting it back (I see this every time). I'm thinking the drag strip may not be so bad.

 

[stitcherbob]

From what I’ve heard the only sure way to keep people distanced from you is to carry a 6 foot pole and hit people with it...my friend said when he stayed back with his shopping cart a brain dead lady cut in front of him

 

[Butch]

Yesterday on Cleveland TV a reporter went to interview Bill. He stated basically the same as he did on the FB chat.
He did say the stands holds 30K people, and sees no reason he can't put 6K in the stands at a safe spacing. He also said he's
6 weeks away from opening due to nothing has been done to ready the facilities.
My only question is why didn't he apply for the PPP money?
We did and it took about 10 days and got the $$ yesterday. We now have until June 30 to use all of it for payroll and utilities. At that point it becomes a grant.

 

[ironpony]

Yesterday on Cleveland TV a reporter went to interview Bill. He stated basically the same as he did on the FB chat.
He did say the stands holds 30K people, and sees no reason he can't put 6K in the stands at a safe spacing. He also said he's
6 weeks away from opening due to nothing has been done to ready the facilities.
My only question is why didn't he apply for the PPP money?
We did and it took about 10 days and got the $$ yesterday. We now have until June 30 to use all of it for payroll and utilities. At that point it becomes a grant.

and everthing is supposed to start opening on May 1, six weeks put him at May 30th or so.
Great publicity stunt

 

[Cliff]

Well, not everything opening May 1st...... North Dakota maybe. I feel sorry for the folks in NYC, and Jersey, etc. Am keeping track of what will open here in Phoenix & also Arizona in general. Man, I would love to take a day trip up to Sedona if it was open (all of tourist business there is closed). Also keeping an eye on Wild Horse & Tucson drags.

 

[DanTheFan]

I think the locals within a couple hour drive will show up. Also the camper types. But I’m not booking hotel and eating out there. The hotels around there are overpriced and many not that nice during good times. I hope he does well though. Been to every nationals meet there and it’s a super facility.

 

[Jack]

There is no chance that everything (or anything) will opening here in CT on 5/1. Our stay at home order is extended untill at least 5/20 and will likely be extended into June based on the news reports today. I'm hoping just to be able to drive my old Mustangs to a show of cruise night sometimes this summer. The closest drag strip to me is Lebanon Valley in NY that I frequent often and from what I'm hearing from friends who race there is that they are targeting the end of May to start up but no guarantees on that happening. On the positive sure it snowed here last night so thoughts of drag strips and driving the not does were temporarily put on hold!

 

[tom]

need them for what ? i am self-employed in ca, my business is losing money every week. no promised help from unemployment. no response for sba loan or grant. lots of talk from government but the only progress is coming from private companies working on cures and vaccines that the government is delaying because that is the only way that they can appear relevant.

 

[Cliff]

Tom hang in there. I wish your Gov realized that the $$ they are giving to illegals could go to small companies like yours instead.

 

[Butch]

My understanding is the bigger the bank the longer it takes for the PPP process.

 

[TopFuel@Lions]

To answer and couple of queries posted earlier. We are going to open the track I announce at, Talladega Short Track here in Alabama for practice on May 2nd. Our first race of the season will be May 9th. We have lost 8 races this season including 1 of our 5 "gold mine" races, Nascar week end coming up.

As far as how tracks can make some bank besides swap meets. A number of tracks are having their property used for vehicle, truck, heavy equipment parking on a temporary basis. As well as some tracks property used for storage, whether it is short term or long term.

I think Mr. Bader has got himself some sack to do this, it could pay off or bite him in the keyster and/or the billfold.


TopFuel@Lions
Talladega Short Track Announcer

 

[smokey]

I agree with bill bader 100%.When he opens i'll be there(if i can get over the friggin border that is).If you look at the ages and health of the MAJORITY of the people who have passed from it they were mostly of older age with underlying conditions.How many people from long term care facilities do you figure are gonna be at norwalk or any other drag strip for that reason.I agree that it's way easier to spread but the odds are much lower than alot of people think.I understand where he is coming from,i've just opened my own auto repair business a week before the shutdown came and i'll be damned if i worked hard all these years to have my dream taken away from me.Let's go racing bill bader,i support you 100 %.

 

[Jimmy]

I can understand Mr. Bader’s feelings,
however he should try to obtain permission from the Government and police officials in Ohio. Emotionally driven decisions that are in defiance of OH rules and regulations will be
strongly opposed. NHRA may stop sanctioning Norwalk’s dragstrip.
Mr. Bader is risking his livelihood and maybe his life.

 

[TD5023]

I think Mr. Bader has got himself some sack to do this, it could pay off or bite him in the keyster and/or the billfold.

I doubt that it will hurt Bader/Norwalk. He has a very wide circle of support, both from the racing community and the local government that loves the money his track brings in. If anybody could pull off this move, it's him. The potential problem is when other tracks that aren't in as favorable of a position follow his lead. I want to see the tracks open as much as anybody and I certainly don't want to see any go under, but bold moves of defiance usually do more harm than good. Hopefully, we can start easing the restrictions soon and it will be a non-issue.

 

[Dennis]

The potential problem is when other tracks that aren't in as favorable of a position follow his lead.

Favorable position? He said he's opening because he borrowed too much, basically. (Well that and the kooky "mainstream media" conspiracy theories)

Further up it was asked if we'd rather be at Walmart or the drag strip - Walmart any day of the week. I know we have an extremely low case count here. I can keep my eye on 10 people in my vicinity. I do not wish to be standing in line, using the restrooms, waiting for food, or walking the pits with thousands of people who potentially can carry the virus from wherever they're driving in from. No thanks.

And just one other thing - if racing margins are razor thin as we hear, if your company is in debt does it really make sense to lose more money on this "I'm going to stick it to the mainstream media" venture? Or is the plan to balance the books on the backs of the racers?

 

[Butch]

Remember when he got into the pissing match with the airport a couple years ago. He stated then he was going to buy land elsewhere and build the new track. Obviously that didn't happen.

 

[Dennis]

Aside from the political aspect -

I'd like to know Bobby's feelings on this since he is the one who ran with the story. I'd like to know how we make the jump from Bobby's editorial saying "During the time I was sidelined, and still am, I watch as many, I knew commented that this was all a hoax. I think in this world, as long as it doesn't happen to you or someone you know, it is a hoax."

To the Bader article saying "That's the reality, and yet I'm looking at outbreaks being down. I'm looking at the amount of fatalities being down, and yet [Mainstream Media's] not taking their foot off the gas, which leads me to believe that there's something else at play. What's really driving the shutdown of America? What's the machine behind the curtain that's driving this?"

How do we reconcile from someone who said that the virus is no joke to writing an article on a conspiracy theorist with the casual lead in "Bill Bader is ready to return to work". The article would have been a perfect time to ask Mr. Bader if by "machine behind the curtain" equals hoax. One of these two gentlemen is wrong because you can't say the virus is not a hoax and let that thought coexist with Bader's opinion that "something else" is driving this.

 

[TD5023]

Favorable position? He said he's opening because he borrowed too much, basically. (Well that and the kooky "mainstream media" conspiracy theories)

When I say favorable position in this context, I simply mean that he has the social pull to make such statements and get both local and widespread support. I'm not referring to finances, which are obviously thin just about everywhere right now. If a track on thinner ice with local governments that doesn't have the tourist draw that Norwalk does tried this stunt, it might never open its gates again (for reasons beyond the current pandemic).