Moments in time like this make me recall a favorite tune from the 60's. Y'all remember Sunny and Cher "Time keeps pounding a rhythm to the brain. la di da di di .. la di da di da.. The Charleston was once the rage uh huh, History has turned a page uh huh The mini skirt's the current rage uh huh. Teeny bopper is our new born king uh huh And the beat goes on The beat goes on..." As told to me once "the only thing constant is change" That there. is what makes us H.A.M.B.rs special Preservation of a great time of growth in personal transportation and it use as a sport. The beat goes on Other than that the news is sad
I am sad to see this. Apparently it's just going to be a parking lot. I've raced my OT Karmann Ghia there for dozens of years, and made hundreds of runs there, even though it's five hours away. I've also won more money there than anywhere else. The other sad thing is that it is scary to go down there and have to park your rig in a hotel parking lot, as theft is rampant. On the other hand, a new track is now in operation in Central California, and much closer to home. Mendota Raceway, out on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.
Sold in 2022 to be used as another industrial development. With all the businesses in Cali either going out of business or packing up and moving out of state it sure doesn't seem that planning 63 acres more industrial development is productive. Still Developer $$$$ total up to a lot higher amount than prospective track owners $$ do most of the time.
On Long Island, N.Y. we lost Islip Speedway, Freeport Speedway, New York National and Westhampton Drag strip. The only track left is Riverhead raceway, which is an oval track. Times change and auto racing is not what it used to be here. The average person here sees their car as a large appliance.
About a year ago, one of the guys in the tower told me that they had been looking for another location, close by to put up another track. True or not, no idea. Many sides to a comment like this. Mike
Millions of people and cars in the LA metro area, and no place to legally race. What could go wrong? The commercial development is likely going to be warehousing. I am surrounded by nature preserves which are being slowly parceled out to be developed as warehouses for online retailers. I am very curious to see what happens when the bottom falls out.
We have the same thing here, build, build build!!! Politicians want that tax base, they are money drunk. Problem is once they are build no tennents. So, empty buildings just sit. So far the main track has been spared for the time being. However the developers are sitting there waiting.
Such a bummer to loose another track. Through the advent of Google Earth via your computer, if you really want a sobering experience, just log into it and go take a look at any of the places you once lived at or any of the places you remember as a kid growing up! Truly amazing what technology can show you when looking at the past through the lens of the present!
Same thing happening down here in NZ. Western Springs Speedway. Auckland Council split over Western Springs speedway decision | RNZ News
It's a sad we are losing speedways, however in one case here in NY the towns people want the racetrack not a development! I don't know what the current status is, but the business owners and towns people have in Malta been outspoken about keeping Albany-Saratoga Speedway open! https://www.news10.com/video/developer-presents-redevelopment-plans-for-albany-saratoga-speedway/9758591/
I grew up racing at Carlsbad ... its gone. Iv'e been the engine builder and tuner at Irwindale for three of my friends. Great times, awesome memories.
The West Coast largest metropolitan area and now it does not have a drag strip... It's not like irwindale was good at an ⅛ mile but it worked good enough it was an excellent venue for car shows too plus it was almost centrally located between the Inland empire and the Los Angeles. Now all that is left I think is a 1/16 mile at the Perris fairgrounds and Barona deep in San Diego both of which are a fairly long long drive from Los Angeles and that's without traffic. Pomona fairgrounds hasn't had a run what you brought type race in probably 20 years now from what I am aware of... So this is the end of organized drag racing that isn't done on the historic Compton quarter or on the historic Mission boulevard drag strip. It's a shame, I don't like to talk politics on this website so I'm not going to but a good portion of the car culture has left the state already and this is just yet another nail in the coffin for my home of California. The question is how much longer until I finally give up and bail out too, I mean this state is absolutely hostile to the car hobby and everything that made the state an icon for the car culture is disappearing.
I was born in 53 and raised in the central valley of California, (Winton/Atwater/Merced area) I left California back in 79, relocated to Seattle. Been here ever since, no regrets! There is still a lot of great car culture in Oregon and Washington state. Thanks from Dennis.
Just like every Californian for the last 10 years I got to crush on the Coeur d'Alene/Spokane area lol I was watching a car show the other day that somebody filmed in Coeur d'Alene and I am totally okay with the styles of cars. The plus side is if I ever choose to move I would imagine I could sell this house off for cash move a little bit out of the city to get a decent size property and I can probably afford two different buildings one for finished cars (the drivers) and another for the shop stuff. It's the year long good weather and the beach that I think I would miss even though I don't really go to the ocean too often it's nice knowing it's there.
I wonder what will happen to the Moon Christmas show. I have been going to that show since I was pretty young and it was in front of their building on Norwalk boulevard, I think it was their first one. Now that it is at Irwindale it's an all-day event and it's the perfect venue for a bunch of hot rods and custom cars. I wonder if that will be the end of that show too because it has grown way too big to go back to Nowalk blvd or the police training station.
Gonna be a few more places to "street race" here (SoCal) soon ! That and or...a bunch of cars for sale. I'm scouting, straight and as level as possible, freeway onramps ! Mike
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