Thread: Things That Ruined Drag Racing!

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Bob thanks for the photo! Now thats one hell of a show

I dont feel that drag racing has been ruined.

i never got to experience drag racing as you knew it. i was born in the late 80's. but what really irks me is that they keep closing racetracks. where in the hell are we supposed to go to race? the closest dragstrip is infineon raceway, and i have to drive an hour and a half to get there. of course this is probably alot closer than some of you have to drive, but it is alarming at the number of race tracks are closing. a couple months ago we thought we had lost our local dirt oval, petaluma raceway, because the city wanted to build baseball stadium and bring in a minor league team. we had a minor league team, the sonoma county crushers, and they folded because they couldnt give tickets away. what would make more sense to the property owner? a race track that is JAMMED every friday and saturday night, pr a white elephant of a baseball stadium?

The way I see it, two things are leading to the demise of race tracks drag and oval. Property values and insurance. Property that only generates revenue one or two days per week is not as attractive as property that generates revenue every day... Our local dirt tracks are $20 a head to get in the infield now, promoter sez that $16 of that is for insurance,,.. (Promoters don't lie, do they???)

Where do we go when all the tracks close? Back to the streets and backroads where we started. Except now there are too many people living everywhere and spectators and participants alike wind up dead... But nothing will ever stand in the way of the allmighty $$$$... Besides, there's enough cops around that they'll be able to write a ton of tickets and city revenues will go up from the fines. It's a win-win deal, unless you happen to be a racer.....

JOIN SEMA, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TRACKS, LET YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND LOCAL POLITICIANS KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT IT!!!! Or, just sit on your butt, do nothing, and watch it all go away.....

I always wanted to go check out a race at Petaluma. Stockton 99 speedway closed at the end of last season. Much of my youth was spent at that track. Im worried that Sacramento raceway will be the next to go as the houses are getting closer and closer. The proposed motorsports park in atwater has passed preliminary approval but word has it that lawsuits from several fronts will keep it from ever opening. 'Environmental' concerns from liberals are at the root of most evil when it comes to racing automobiles. I wonder why some of the major sanctioning bodies dont take steps on their own to cut down on pollution so as not to give ammo to the left. Ive been a Nascar fan all my life but never understood why they let gallons of raw fuel to spill on the ground. Now the post race celebration burn outs. Wait until the 'enviros' get wind and make a stink about that.

HRP,

If you want to see some "old school" style heads up racing visit a Outlaw 10.5 race........all makes, lots of odd models.......dig C.I. motors, Turbos, Blowers, NOS, 4 spd's, 5 spds, lencos, bruno-lencos, liberty's, autos - all on a 10.5 rear tire heads up with specific weights to classes......you want to se some wild ride??? Check one of those races out.

REGS

[QUOTE=Mike in Motown] 'Environmental' concerns from liberals are at the root of most evil when it comes to racing automobiles. I wonder why some of the major sanctioning bodies dont take steps on their own to cut down on pollution so as not to give ammo to the left. Ive been a Nascar fan all my life but never understood why they let gallons of raw fuel to spill on the ground. Now the post race celebration burn outs. Wait until the 'enviros' get wind and make a stink about that.[/QUOTE

The "liberals" and "environmental concerns" have little if any effect on track racing, maybe a little on off road racing. Don't blame liberals and the left for everything!!!! Especially the demise of race tracks. Noise ordances have been passed by many city and county governments, the folks we all elect. Most tracks that I have seen closed where closed because of noise that the RESIDENTS complain about and the ELECTED OFFICIALS take action on... I am an environmentalist, lots of folks are.... and we are not "after" race tracks. Pollution is not even a concern with a race track, not 1/10 of 1% of what the big money folks plants pump into the atmosphere.... The "enviros" could give a rip less about a burnout and a bit of fuel on the pavement (that does get cleaned up). Put the blame where it belongs.... MONEY is the reason tracks close---not us liberals,,,,,,BTW, what is a liberal anyway??? Never mind with the definition... Just don't blame everything on those of us who think our environment should be a cause of concern..... Us environmentalists can be blamed for a lot of things, though. National Parks, State Parks, game preserves, natural habitat preservation including grasslands and wetlands. Yup, we sure are an evil bunch!!!!

Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

I dont feel that drag racing has been ruined.

My heading was a referrence to the differences in what a spectator saw, cheered for, and dreamed about on the "Golden Age", versus today's experience. Those guys who are now in their 50s, or older, stood along the dragstrips of the '60s, and know what I am talking about.

You had to listen to Ronnie Sox shifting a hemi with a crash box, so violent dirt would fall out from under the car each time he shifted, watch Jackson's Scratcher /SR stand up on the rear bumper, then smash the oil pan when it came down, hear a CC/GS launching and shifting at about 11, 000, and pulling the wheels four times before the finishline, watch Jenkins brake an axle so bad, the wheel came out from under the car, or watch two blinding chrome and blue metalflake cars roll up to the starting line, in the Top Fuel final in '65 or '66.....then you would see the difference.

The numbers are better today, and the television coverage is vastly better, which I think has a lot to do with the continued success. Today I root for my heros, and love to see the bad guys lose. That is a result of watching them on TV, and getting to know their personalities.

I grew up 90 miles from Indy, and they didn't even mention the largest drag race in the world, on the local news....until that camera man was killed in the late '60s by an ejected blower!!!

Back in the day, we generally didn't even know what the racers looked like. We were actually cheering for our favorite make, cars we recognized, or what the magazines made us perceive as heros.

While the numbers were not as good, the show was better. Tire smoke, violent cars on the edge of control, fabulous chrome, and metalflake made the cars glamorous, and you could tell the classes, because certain bodies were used for certain types of racing.

Today, the cars of most classes seem to be generally the same chassis, engine and appearance. A Pro Stock may look the same as a Pro Mod or Sportsman car. the cars usually make nice straight smokeless passes, without any unnecessary motion, and the race cars very often look like a bottle or box of some product.

Things change, but they don't always get better. That's what I'm talkin' about. :-)

Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

I always wanted to go check out a race at Petaluma. Stockton 99 speedway closed at the end of last season. Much of my youth was spent at that track. Im worried that Sacramento raceway will be the next to go as the houses are getting closer and closer. The proposed motorsports park in atwater has passed preliminary approval but word has it that lawsuits from several fronts will keep it from ever opening. 'Environmental' concerns from liberals are at the root of most evil when it comes to racing automobiles. I wonder why some of the major sanctioning bodies dont take steps on their own to cut down on pollution so as not to give ammo to the left. Ive been a Nascar fan all my life but never understood why they let gallons of raw fuel to spill on the ground. Now the post race celebration burn outs. Wait until the 'enviros' get wind and make a stink about that.

i race my vw's in sacramento during the bug-o-rama. if that goes it will displace a lot of vw dragracers.

http://www.bugorama.com

[QUOTE=Dave Severson]

Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

'Environmental' concerns from liberals are at the root of most evil when it comes to racing automobiles. I wonder why some of the major sanctioning bodies dont take steps on their own to cut down on pollution so as not to give ammo to the left. Ive been a Nascar fan all my life but never understood why they let gallons of raw fuel to spill on the ground. Now the post race celebration burn outs. Wait until the 'enviros' get wind and make a stink about that.[/QUOTE

The "liberals" and "environmental concerns" have little if any effect on track racing, maybe a little on off road racing. Don't blame liberals and the left for everything!!!! Especially the demise of race tracks. Noise ordances have been passed by many city and county governments, the folks we all elect. Most tracks that I have seen closed where closed because of noise that the RESIDENTS complain about and the ELECTED OFFICIALS take action on... I am an environmentalist, lots of folks are.... and we are not "after" race tracks. Pollution is not even a concern with a race track, not 1/10 of 1% of what the big money folks plants pump into the atmosphere.... The "enviros" could give a rip less about a burnout and a bit of fuel on the pavement (that does get cleaned up). Put the blame where it belongs.... MONEY is the reason tracks close---not us liberals,,,,,,BTW, what is a liberal anyway??? Never mind with the definition... Just don't blame everything on those of us who think our environment should be a cause of concern..... Us environmentalists can be blamed for a lot of things, though. National Parks, State Parks, game preserves, natural habitat preservation including grasslands and wetlands. Yup, we sure are an evil bunch!!!!

No offense Mr Severson but in Cali LIBBIES ARE a threat to most race tracks. They use a liberal/envirinmental agenda to stop development of almost everything they dont have interest in. Thats why so called 'enviros' lack credability because they use trumped up 'facts' cited as enviro concerns to help/hurt causes. Thats why when something legitimate spills out nobody will listen. I really think you need a california view before saying that enviros are no threat to race tracks here. Just look up the problems the park in atwater ca is up against and tell me that enviros are one of the MAJOR players thats fighting to stop this particular track. OBTW i dont think many arent concerned about habitat preservation but rather dissagree on whats considered 'habitat', 'wetlands' etc.

[QUOTE=Mike in Motown]

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

No offense Mr Severson but in Cali LIBBIES ARE a threat to most race tracks. They use a liberal/envirinmental agenda to stop development of almost everything they dont have interest in. Thats why so called 'enviros' lack credability because they use trumped up 'facts' cited as enviro concerns to help/hurt causes. Thats why when something legitimate spills out nobody will listen. I really think you need a california view before saying that enviros are no threat to race tracks here. Just look up the problems the park in atwater ca is up against and tell me that enviros are one of the MAJOR players thats fighting to stop this particular track. OBTW i dont think many arent concerned about habitat preservation but rather dissagree on whats considered 'habitat', 'wetlands' etc.

One of the reasons Lions had to close.

[QUOTE=Mike in Motown][QUOTE=Dave Severson]



No offense Mr Severson but in Cali LIBBIES ARE a threat to most race tracks. They use a liberal/envirinmental agenda to stop development of almost everything they dont have interest in. Thats why so called 'enviros' lack credability because they use trumped up 'facts' cited as enviro concerns to help/hurt causes. Thats why when something legitimate spills out nobody will listen. I really think you need a california view before saying that enviros are no threat to race tracks here. Just look up the problems the park in atwater ca is up against and tell me that enviros are one of the MAJOR players thats fighting to stop this particular track. OBTW i dont think many arent concerned about habitat preservation but rather dissagree on whats considered 'habitat', 'wetlands' etc.[/QUOT


LOL, if you say so..... We're guilty of everything, Money and Power have nothing to do with it. I think you, as with many Californians I've come to know, should soon come to realize that maybe you should do something about the problems you have. I don't know the specifics on whatever track it is you are talking about, but I do know what goes on at most tracks. It's not environmental concerns, but MONEY concerns... Money talks. And most tracks in and around big cities were there before the town spread out, and now the once worthless land has become valuable to BUSINESS. Look what happened at Ontario Motor Speedway, that wasn't environmentalists, it was MONEY. Now the used to be track is a huge business park. But hey, you're there and I'm here. Just keep blaming the liberals and watch everything you enjoy be gobbled up by the MONEY folks..... Check out who is behind the environmentalist front......and what their real reasons are. I realize we are a very easy target, so just keep blaming us liberals-----while the real guilty parties keep gobbling up everything.

Anyway, what is a Liberal anyway??? Just someone you blame when things go wrong???? Or, perhaps the people who take political action and bring about changes that suit them???? (They get this done because the majority of folks don't concern themselves with the issues, but would rather wait til things go wrong, then blame the "liberals") Libbies, huh???? Ok, it's your story, tell it any way you want.... But us "liberals" won't be the ones building the office complex and shopping center when your race track is gone.....

[QUOTE=NTFDAY]

Originally Posted by Mike in Motown

One of the reasons Lions had to close.

Lions closed for the same reasons. The city grew out to it, and the developers took it over..... Is the old facility, along with Ascot Park, San Gabriel Speedway, Ontario Motor Speedway now a park for us "liberals" and "environmentalists" to lolligag about in and perpetuate our causes, or has it been converted to just another mall, apartment comples, business park????

I realize it's much easier to blame the liberals, then dedicate yourself to a course of action that will prevent MORE track closures and MORE business parks springing up in their place.

Or, as others have said.... Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution....????? Or, as my Dad used to say, Lead, Follow, or get the heck out of the way...

Some people wait, and watch to see what happens.
Some people take charge, and make things happen.
The majority wait until it's all over, then wonder what happened!!!!!

If I remember right, Lions had container stacked on it for years. Now that's
important. OCIR the yuppies house kept getting closer and it was then too
noisy.I think Santa Ana Drags closed because the airport needed more space,
not sure. There was not any homes close enough to bother. Riverside closed for a shopping center. It's mostly money, like Dave says. Money rules all.
Look what happened to NASCAR !!
Later< Ron

Unfortunately, containers, airports, shopping centers, and business parks generate a lot more revenue then a drag strip.... And the yuppies who generate this increased revenue need a place to live. Just a fact, not the liberals or anyone else's fault.....