Event Coverage 2022 Bonneville Speed Week August 6-12

From the SCTA


SCTA Southern California Timing Association
30m ·

SW Update #11 – 8/6/22:
After multiple trips to the salt today, officials have determined due to the lack of sun & wind the water has not evaporated enough to consider racing tomorrow. Racing has officially been cancelled for tomorrow but check back for updates for racing on Monday. Officials will be on the salt at 7 a.m. so if someone needs to go to the pits, we will be there to escort them.
Pat McDowell – SCTA President
Bill Lattin - BNI Chairman

 

^^ Bonneville Blues

 

Not looking good.

 

Dry at the Nugget

 

I'm leaving tomorrow. I don't see racing happening til Tuesday or Wednesday.
Here's a few pics from yesterday.

 

Thanks for pics

 

A few more...

 

And more...

 

Another downpour just now....
Stick a fork in it

 

I’ve driven home a few times never unloading until Tuesday. Not much you can get done when it starts raining again on Thursday.

 

Thanks to everyone for the great pics!

 

Great pics…thanks!

 

My son that is kneeling down in the foreground of a couple of the pics with the Smith & Sons Speed Shop jacket taking pictures with a real camera (and not a phone like me) took lots of great pics. I’ll try to post some of those once we get them downloaded.

 

There is one heck of a gathering of The Culture of Hotrod, Custom, Race that helps balance some of setback for Challenging Speed...in a surreal way the flats would reflect in the evening sky as natural spectacle that evolves with the growth of this Planet...Mother will play a Hand to Go Fast as she always does...

 

I was originally supposed to drive over (from Wyoming) on Saturday, but had car trouble, but ready to go today. Intention was spectating for two or three days (would be my second time). I’d need to leave here in the next four hours or so, but is the thinking there that there won’t be any racing on Monday either? Or maybe at all? Also, even if they do manage to get it going later, will conditions be so poor that racers will just head for home early, and not even attempt runs? My car’s all loaded up and ready to go, but looks pretty iffy from here.

 

Not exactly sure what the rest of the week may bring, but we are considering trying to catch some other sites on the way back home after the downpour again last night. I mentioned this was our test run to the salt and not regretting the trip even with all the rain. These two pics made my oldest sons evening last night. He was taking pics of the Rolling Bones cars when they asked if he wanted to sit in a couple of them. Guessing a hard chopped coupe may be in my sons future at some point after last night. Those guys made the whole trip worth it for at least my son. I was impressed with how they took interest in a young guy that is ate up with this stuff.

 

Thank you for the pictures. Hope it all drys out for you guys.

 

Looks like a 2 year old truck from Buffalo. Salt kills anything.

 

no rain predicted today & tomorrow- just have to wait & see how well everything dries & stabilizes

 

Racers who were already set up in the pits, do they tend to stick around and run when it dries out, in years like this, or pack up and leave once they can, since they know conditions are not going to be great even when it does get better?
I’m still trying to decide whether to get in the car and drive over today (500 miles), hoping it will be okay on Tuesday, or just cancel my room reservation now, which I’d need to do in next 3 hours.

 

That’s a tough call. The SCTA-BNI has stated on their website that crews can be escorted to their pits today. I’m sure not all vehicles were put back in their trailers even if the were enclosed, we always did over night, cover structures were left up with no covers, and generators left out if they have never been to a speed week and new what a dark sky meant. Some will remove their ground cover and go home or at least back to town.
With only 300 entries after inspection we would have left the salt pulling our trailer and loaded up just in case as we have been stuck waiting 2-3 days and way smarter now.
Personally I would cancel the room since after Sunday it’s pretty easy to get one as the Car Show and Bonneville wannabes and many gamblers have gone home…..it’s your call.

 

Thanks, that helps a lot. I’ll probably just try for next year, I’m bummed but way more sorry for everyone there who won’t be able to run.

 

We made the call to head to Yellowstone and will meander our way back home planning to at least stop at the Speedway museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. Praying for a drier year next time we head up but are making the best of it on our road trip this year too. Might even try to catch bike week on the way home.

 

Guthrie….give a whole day to Speedy Bills. Go to all floors and if you can walk the stair case either up or down. The top floor was fantastic and many miss it. There is also a SAC air museum in Lincoln that is awesome too.

 

That show of Hotrod/Custom force is top notch...thanks again for bringing the experience to the desktops...good and bad...be safe all...

 

@guthriesmith , you can spend a day in Lincoln just at museums, Nebraska History Museum downtown is one of them. We really enjoyed our stop there on our way to Bonneville in 2012.

 

Give me a shout if you pass thru the Black Hills, be warned tho, the Sturgis Rally is going on and you probably can't find a room within a 300 mile radius. And if you do it will be expensive!