looks like we are losing another place to race... IRWINDALE

just saw thing dont think anyone posted it yet
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_19947581

 

That sucks. That's too bad, it was a very nice facility. I've been there for the Mooneyes show, late model races, and figure eights. It will be missed if it happens

 

Wonder if Mooneyes will go to Fontana?

 

wow, another one bites the dust. anyone else have more detailed info as reason for closing? we can all guess. used to live in So Cal and was very spoiled by the many tracks that used to be pretty close to each other.

 

That really sucks. My personal Mrs. Santa(Joanie) gave me a 20 lap drive yourself deal for Christmas. I haven't called for a date yet as they begin in March. Guess a call is in order tomorrow.

DW

 

What a shame.

 

closed due to lack of attendance....same old story.
Can't pay the bills when nobody buys tickets.
The formal announcement will be tomorrow.

 

what a shame

 

Easy to generalize, but wonder if this represents a wider trend in sports, especially in SoCal...Dodgers are bankrupt, LA has not had a professional football team since the Rams left, and reportedly attendance has been low at Fontana...of course there are probably other issues around the Irwindale closing, but seems that more people are doing something other than attending sports events....sad, though, but if people don't attend, places close, pretty simple, it's what happened to most SoCal drag strips....low ticket sales, too much competition for not enough butts in the stands

 

I've never been to Cal, but this seems so odd to me. I would have thought that good climate, large population, and car culture of Cal would have these places thriving.


I wonder if "our" hobby is dying out as well..

 

My brother raced late models there the last few years and he said that the racer attendance has been going down every year. He said it was hard to win a race there due to track officials favoring certain drivers and the rules for the track were always changing to favor who they wanted to win. Certain drivers had lots of track time to test and so on....
He said he knows of alot of guys that just avoid Irwindale races due to this.

 

I hope the rumors about Lucas oil taking over are true if only so the drag strip survives. Poor ticket sales are a result of lousy management and a bad economy.

 

Dayum, it sucks to lose another one. And in Ca., the 'birthplace'. Hell, there are folks attempting to build new ones here in the God-forsaken land of Lincoln!

 

i have never been a fan of circle track, but any track closing is bad. what about the drag strip?

 

We have so many distractions...I think that's why we can't keep an NFL team here. Nobody goes.
I'll admit, I live 15 minutes from Irwindale Speedway and I have never attended a circle race.
Weird, huh? I just don't care to go. I'm not going to watch cars go around in a circle.
Just down the street was the old "San Gabriel Drag Strip" that closed in 1963 and three miles Northeast of the doomed circle track was the legendary drag strip, "Irwindale" (1965-1977). I'd crawl to either of those today, but not circle track racing....

 

The drag strip is 1/8th mile, in other words, not a "real" drag strip.

 

Not a real drag strip? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63A9w8gZcLs

 

you tell um, speedyb. anything after the 1/8 is just a sunday cruise anyway.

 

Man, I was planning on taking my grandson to watch the races. That was the best track in SoCal and just recently the Orange track was closed. Just read in the paper a few days ago that the city of La Verne has been up in arms about the noise from the Pomona drag races. At least I can take my Grandson to the Industry Speedway and watch some motorcycle racing.

 

Man... There won't be anywhere left soon... Glad we were able to race there at Mooneyes X-Mas this last December...

 

Dodgers are on the rocks financially because their owner completely mismanaged the organization. NFL is expensive. IIRC, the cheapest Charger ticket in San Diego is about $55 for nose bleed seats. Like Mazooma said, "too many distractions". Weather is great most of the year and there are a ton of other things to do.
Socal real estate value as well as complaints of noise (urban development encroachment) have traditionally spelled doom for racetracks here. Sunday afternoon ticket sales at the track vs. 365 income from a shopping center or a housing development-ahh, "progress"...

 

We've been concerned about Bremerton Raceway for some time, here in Washington State. The "good" news recently was, a new track was going to be built, a multiuse facility, across from the existing track at Bremerton National Airport. This past week it was announced a drag strip will not be included in the new facility. Don't know how long we'll have Bremerton Raceway now, but we're gearing up for the fight. Too bad about Irwindale, BOTH of them. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

With out getting into the political reasons why, I'm just gonna say the the economy SUCKS in California. On a side note it seem to me the hobby is still alive and well in States that have made "different" decisions.

 

I'm with you on that Doug, So Cal has lost some wonderful drag strips. San Gabriel, San Fernando, Fontana, (the original one), Lions, OCIR, Irwindale, (the first one) and going back farther, I spent some days at Colton too. Though I've been to a few circle races over the years at places that are going away fast too like Ascot, Speedway 605 that was just east of the new "Irwindale" track, Ontario, and the road races at Riverside and farther back the road races at the Pomona Fair Grounds. This year the track at Orange Show in San Bernardino has shut down and the circle track at Victorville Fair Grounds too. The only surviving short track in So Cal is Perris which is a beautiful 1/2 mile clay track, but they are raising prices to cover expenses and are probably doomed as well.

Looks like south of Famoso all we have left for drag Racing is Pomona which only runs a few times a year and doesn't really have any races for the little guys, Fontana, where they have a pretty nice track, but no real facilities for the people and problems with the neighbors over noise and Barona to the south with an 1/8th mile track. Haven't been to Barona, but they are supposed to be pretty user friendly with more of a run what ya brung atmosphere.

Won't be long until it will be back to the old days of street racing and that ain't good. Particularly for the guys with purpose built drag cars.

 

It sure felt real to me. click on image to see video.

 

Rumor says in a few years Famosa will be the southern most strip in this state. Aside from Barona

 

I have a feeling that Fontana will soon follow. It is clinging on to it's single annual Nascar event as it is. I'm gonna go watch the Nascar race the weekend of March 24th. Never know how long it will be around. Some damn developers will want the land to build a crappy housing track.

 

I haven't gone to the drags in years. Just like so many other sporting events they priced me out of going. Id rather spend my money elsewhere.

We do go to the local circle/figure eight track here once in a while though. They also do the 1/8 mile drags, but that doesn't really interest me.

 

Well, Thats pretty much why they shut them down due to the lack of attendants to these venues.

 

I think a lot of the problem boils down to the fact the Drag Racing isn't really a "spectator sport", but something that is more rewarding for the participants. Those who are involved in it will always want to be there doing it, but to most spectators they get bored rather fast and when there is an oil down or some other problem and lose interest quickly. Personally, I love running the drags, but the current N(o)H(ot)R(ods)A(llowed) circus doesn't attract me at all. Bring back old school Altereds, short wheelbase FEDs and Austin, Anglia, Henry J and Willys type Gassers and I'll be there. Cars that have to be shifted and have a clutch, full length smoke passes and for God's sake, outlaw throttle stops, stutter boxes and all of the electronic stuff and it shouldn't be possible to lose a race by "going too fast"!