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tuna55
tuna55 MegaDork
1/19/18 10:42 a.m.
NickD said:
tuna55 said:
NickD said:
tuna55 said:

In reply to rslifkin :

NYIRP - New York International Raceway Park is an excellent track in Rochester.

 

ESTA dragway is in Cicero, but they not-so-affectionately call it "the dump" for a reason.

 

Apple Valley is a good bit farther away, and is 1/10th mile IIRC EDIT, name is spencer dragway and apparently, they are not drag racing in 2017.

 

Lebanon is also nearby, but I have never been.

ESTA is godawful. Been to Lebanon, it's nice, just not sure if NHRA runs nitro cars there.

When were you at ESTA? You may have seen my Dad there. I spent lots of time there. Like I said, the nickname isn’t affectionate and cute. 

Jeez, it had to have been 7 or 8 years ago. Supposedly it's been cleaned up and repaved and stuff, but I haven't been there to see.

 

Dad's car looked like this, but it may have been gone by that time

 

ultraclyde
ultraclyde PowerDork
1/19/18 11:12 a.m.

there's a lot of awesome in that photo

racerfink
racerfink UltraDork
1/19/18 4:23 p.m.

The dragstrip in Baytown, Tx., and Texas World Speedway have become large parking lots for flood cars from hurricane Harvey.  Glad I got to run TWS a few times before that, as that’s where my dad did his driver’s school in 1969.

racerfink
racerfink UltraDork
1/19/18 4:37 p.m.

TWS these days

 

Really loved driving this track.  T1 and T7 were what separated the real drivers from the weekend warriors,

Vigo
Vigo UltimaDork
1/19/18 9:40 p.m.

we're now down to 4 tracks that at driveable on a weeknight.

If it ever gets that good around here it'd be a new golden age of drag racing. cheeky 

z31maniac
z31maniac MegaDork
1/20/18 12:06 a.m.

Apparently there aren't enough people to support the tracks. Drag racing may have been invented there, but it seems the general public doesn't care.

My entire state has what like, 1/4 of the population of the LA metro area? And yet there is a drag strip near each of the two major population centers and one if the favorite club road courses in the country. And this is a poor state, why?

Because people go. So don't piss and moan to us that places are closing blame yourselves for not getting more people engaged, growing clubs, and putting on events people want to participate in.

jfryjfry
jfryjfry HalfDork
1/20/18 2:22 p.m.

I don't care if someone has 5 tracks of any kind within a 10 minute walk - it's always a bummer to lose one. 

So yes, it sound a like there are still a lot of options for the op but I, as a so-cal resident, am bummed for you guys. 

As I am for me and us other gearheads down here as well!  

iceracer
iceracer UltimaDork
1/20/18 5:34 p.m.

Lebanon Valley also has a wicked fast half mile dirt track, in a circle.

Casual Six
Casual Six UltraDork
1/21/18 10:24 a.m.

At least drifting will continue at E-town.

Floating Doc
Floating Doc GRM+ Memberand Reader
1/21/18 11:43 a.m.

My first career was racing harness horses. I left that business at the end of 1986, as attendance was falling off and tracks were closing all over the country.  Same thing is happening with thoroughbred racing.  

Even though I don't have a family connection to Motorsports or depend on it for my livelihood, this still is painful to read about. 

On the downside, street racing (I refuse to call that drag racing, they're not the same thing) will be a bigger problem with fewer safe and legal options available. 

z31maniac
z31maniac MegaDork
1/21/18 2:31 p.m.

^Nope. People street race for the "thrill" of it. There is a great drag strip 30 minutes from my house, and plenty of locals still would rather go to the highway and do "pulls."

APEowner
APEowner GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
1/21/18 3:55 p.m.
iceracer said:

Lebanon Valley also has a wicked fast half mile dirt track, in a circle.

They used to have really good French fries as well.  Do they still?

iceracer
iceracer UltimaDork
1/21/18 5:47 p.m.

In reply to APEowner :

From what I hear.    Haven't been in awhile.

iceracer
iceracer UltimaDork
1/21/18 5:48 p.m.

In reply to Floating Doc :

Saratoga seems to be doing quite well.

Floating Doc
Floating Doc GRM+ Memberand Reader
1/21/18 6:53 p.m.
iceracer said:

In reply to Floating Doc :

Saratoga seems to be doing quite well.

That's nice to hear, however I wonder if you're referring to the thoroughbred track, the harness racing track, or both.

Some of the smaller NY tracks are mostly hanging on by providing Casino gambling. I don't keep track anymore. 

I love Saratoga. Never spent much time there, since we based out of Vernon Downs, but never lost a race there. 

All of this his begs the question: What has changed in society in the last 20 years to cause the population at large to seemingly forget that motor sports even exist? I remember when even the most oblivious people in the country could still still recognize the, at the time current, successful race drivers and teams in everything from drag racing to NASCAR, to Indycar, to F1, to sports cars. I can't figure out what happened to cause the general population to just completely drop racing from the collective consciousness.

NickD
NickD UltraDork
1/22/18 5:22 a.m.
APEowner said:
iceracer said:

Lebanon Valley also has a wicked fast half mile dirt track, in a circle.

They used to have really good French fries as well.  Do they still?

Yes and yes. They also do figure-8 racing with school buses. Never watched it, but I'm certain it's mad.

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