Spokane is for sale: http://www.jpking.com/index.asp?aid=2587&p=2587 Spokane Raceway Park will be sold at public auction within 90 days, capping a five-year legal fight by more than 500 limited partners who say theyve seen no return on investments they made to build the facility in the early 1970s. The auction was approved today by Superior Court Judge Robert Austin, who granted an order submitted by court-appointed receiver Barry W. Davidson to hire J.P. King Auction Co. Inc., of Gadsden, Ala. The firm will market the 600-acre site nationwide and sell it at public auction by April 13.
I bet the Kalispel Indians would like to get their hands on this property for future casino expansion!
It's looking more and more like we're going to lose our dragstrip. Tinbender and I were just talking about this the other day.
I'm a native MT man, and we used to take a trip out there every summer and watch the top fuel guys come to town. I still have a shirt from '96. Too bad. All things must come to an end...I also agree on the casino bit
Thats too bad. My family and friends have been racing there since 1988. I've seen some cool stuff there. Force,Gartits,Prudomme,Muldowney,The Mob,the list goes on and on of racers who have ran there. I watched my first and only FIRE burnout there!!!
Hopefully some investers will buy it! I would like to see the NHRA top fuel cars run out here and maybe put in a high banked oval dirt track and run Outlaw Sprints.
Dam I remember Senior Drags there rocked! I havent been home in years. I remeber are auto shop teacher had the fastest van with Jack Danials rear windows. That thing was sweet! Ahh the good old days.
Well it was going to happen. Like Chris said, it was turning into a shamble of a track. We hit it a couple of times last summer and it was truly sad how run down everything has gotten. It wasn't going to last the way it was headed, and that decline was started many, many years ago. I hope someone picks it up and puts some funds in it. If not, it was headed down the drain anyway. Too bad....
The worse thing is that some "developer" is jumping up and down at the chance to get his slimy paws on it. I've never been ti a race there but have a lot of friends from this area who race there or go to the big races there. I hope someone jumps in and saves it.
Used to go there in the late 70s went again last yr and nothing much has changed. Would like to see it saved
Makes me sad to think about it. Not a done deal, but the tribe wants it, and they have more money than God, so my guess is they'll buy it. I've always wanted to get involved in drag raceing, and got started last summer after years of putting it off due to other commitments. At least I had one good season I took my 72 yr old father for a few passes. We did a 12.75 @111. I was able to win my bracket for the first time ever at what will most likley be the last race at that track. Thanks for the memories SRP!
It is a great place to watch, if you are in the front row you are real close to the track, nothing like a tf funny car going by 30 ft away..... I was going to take my kids when they were old enough, now that is up in the air...
Awe man! I love that place! Been to it a number of times while up there to work at the Air base. oval track on one side and straight track on the other. How can you go wrong?
It's a pretty fair bet that the Indian tribe will buy it. They have a huge casino right next door that's ever expanding, so the land is most valuable to them. The trick would be if someone could convince them to put some money into the track and keep it, while using the rest of the land for developing their casino. If they could draw in some major events, they'd fill their hotel and keep people at the gaming tables and we'd still have a local dragstrip. Unless something like this happens, I don't think we'll have a dragstrip anymore.
The coolest idea that track had is the Friday night street drags. No tree, just a "flagger" and a run what you brung. Goes til the early hours. Like legal street racing. Everything from Mom's minivan's to full on built cars running. AND it's like 5.00 or so to get in. My old 64 Fairlane "Thunderbolt" took a many passes on lae Friday nights there!
My Son and I were just talking about SRP and how We have never raced there. I worked with a guy who has an old 80s T/A rear engined dragster. The only place He could race it was at Spokane. The car needs serious upgrades to race NHRA. Spokane was AHRA and one of the very few left in the country. Randy did however win the Top Alcohol championship in 05 and 06. Was a HUGE deal for this Guy. Working as a Union Boilermaker, no sponsers and old parts He did it. I was so happy for Him, little guy wins deal. Didnt have the fastest car by any means. Alot of the faster guys overpowered the track and Randy would slide by in the 6.30s and 40s. That was the only track He could race at. His car will be good for parts only when the track goes away. Too bad. FEDER
The county Parks department is considering buying the track and keeping it open. There's a public meeting tonight at the fairgrounds for them to hear public input. For you guys out of town that would like to keep this track open, shoot an email to the parks department or one of our commisioners. http://www.spokanecounty.org/parks/prhome.htm http://www.spokanecounty.org/commissioners/#contact
It seems that drag raing is really coming around again. I know some of you guys dislike the NHRA but they are making inrodes to bringin in the public. Other major tracks are spending big bucks to upgrade and improve, as well as entirely new facilities (Lowes in Charlotte). Hopefully someone will step up and save this place. Shit if the indians want it....they should grab it up. Put the casino on one end of the property and operate the racetrack too. One supplements the other!!!!
Just some news guys, the county bought the raceway today at auction, so it looks like we will still have our track.
Sounds Good! Any plans on who is going to run it? I herd the manager from Pacific Raceway in Kent, Wash wants to manage it and get some NHRA races there?
I have no idea, all I knew was that two racing corporations and the county were supposed to be bidding on it. The auction was at 1 this afternoon and I just read that the county bought that part of the property. I know that they're planning on operating it as a track and trying to improve it enough that it can generate some revenue, but I have no idea who they're planning on getting to run it. At least we'll have a track.
The Jalopy Journal
