Sad news the other day for British Columbia drag racing as the Eagle Motorplex in Aschroft BC announced they are closing due to high costs and dwindling car counts. The plex has been opened since the early 90's and hosted some major events in division 6 racing. i have attended races there and was on my uncles pit crew since the track opened. Seems to be a sad state the sport is in with a tough economy and the cost of racing not getting any cheaper. Having seen other posts on here about other tracks closing,one has to wonder where the sport is headed and even our hobby for that matter. here's hoping this trend turns around and we get to enjoy both for a long time to come!
One by one , they're disappearing. I started going in the 60's to the Sanford Maine Airport, back with flag starts and pretty much a "run what ya brung" at***ude. All changed when the Big Three entered the scene with bottomless pockets. It's depressing getting old and watching all this fade away. My condolences to all who race in B.C.
look for new book that covers many that are gone: Lost Drag Strips II - More Ghosts of Quarter -Miles Past by Scotty Gosson
I've heard of it and was thinking about that today! I think one of the problems with the tracks today is they sit idle so much in the big picture, the owner has all this carrying cost with really few days in a calendar year where it is generating revenue. In our area that is so rural really in the big picture you just don't have the population to support it anymore.
The Eagle is right where a drag strip needs to be, out in the middle of nowhere. But, that's also what it has going against it; it's too far away, and so too long a drive. Our only "attempt" to get there ended with car trouble at the Bridal Veil Falls area. I thought the First Nation Group, who has the property it's on, wanted to close it some years back? Maybe someone, or a group will step up, and take it over. Sometimes, it's really a management issue that keeps the racers/spectators away. It takes a LOT of promoting for everyone to want to show up for a drag race; it's not just the locals. I remember the days of 64 Funny Cars, Fox Hunts, and the big Nostalgia events; where did they all go? They werer also running under the IHRA banner as of late; maybe NHRA membership could help? I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
You're right on the location, it's in the right place to not bother anyone but is too far from a good size supporting population. It was an nhra track for most of its life then did run under ihra for a few years but just switched back to nhra last year which was being applauded as a good step in the right direction. From everything I have heard the people "running" the track were busting their ***es to make it happen the underlying issue seems to be with the native band and politics. I agree with you, I think the "event" type races is what's going to put bums in the seats vs a regular points meet with a bunch of bracket cars today. The old time drags last year at eagle was the biggest since it started so that tells you the demand is there for that kind of race. ****s but I guess mission is the only real choice now. I like going to mission and usually attend a couple of the big races there every year but it's a 3 hour drive each way so really has to be planned as a weekend for us guys in the interior.
Lifestyles change and things around us change with it. The car culture isn't what it used to be and dragstrips are one of the casualties.
So sorry to hear of yet another track closing. But thanks for mentioning the new book, Jalopy Joker! Maybe we'll put Eagle in the next edition... RIP Scotty (AKA Jangleguy)
There never was an "actual" drag strip in Kelowna. It was held in an industrial park (1/8th mile?), and was just a setup/takedown sort of deal. There are a couple of "short" strips on roundy-round type tracks, and a couple held on airports once or twice a year (Seachelt and Port Alberni). You've still got Fort St. John and Northern Lights, but those are WAY up north. We're sweating Bremerton and Pacific here, they've deleted the drag strip from the NEW Bremerton Motorsports Park (fighting it), and the The Ridge Motorsports Park still has't come through with the drag strip that was planned in Shelton. There's still Riverdale Raceway's 1/8 mile (I think that was originally meant to be an Airpark/private residential airport, but then the recession hit), and Spokane County Raceway (COUNTY owned!). And here I'm building another drag car, even with the uncertainty that I may not have a place to race. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
When drag strips were being built and being used there were not the other distractions that we have now. 250 cable tv stations ,amusment parks everywhere, video games almost free,its hard to compete with that kind of compe***ion for peoples time and money. Just another way progress has changed things.
Always hate to see another drag strip simply faded away into time. There is an N.H.R.A. event taking place today in Houston and when I looked at the car counts I was in shock. 9 TF/AC cars 13 entered in Pro Stock and 17 T/AD Times are changing because of people having other interests and the younger crowd appears not to interested. Jimbo
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