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Dragstrips Closing Around The Country. Why?

DavidKFla

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Mean Cat

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1. For the money (show me the money !) :LOL:
2. Tracks were built years ago out away from homes & businesses, but now everything has built up around the tracks & become a nuisance & so the land is more valuable now than for a race track.

Sad to see it happening but it's understandable.
Hopefully some tracks survive & new ones will be built.
 


GBLWRMR

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I agree. The cost to update aging tracks to meet safety and insurance regulations has got to be enormous. Track surface, bleachers, restroom and concessions, meeting ADA requirements that weren't around when tracks were built... blah blah blah.. Not enough money to be made at most tracks.
 


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1. For the money (show me the money !) :LOL:
2. Tracks were built years ago out away from homes & businesses, but now everything has built up around the tracks & become a nuisance & so the land is more valuable now than for a race track.

Sad to see it happening but it's understandable.
Hopefully some tracks survive & new ones will be built.
I agree with this but I also think it’s a culture thing too. Half the kids nowadays don’t even know how to change their oil let alone wrench on a car. You’ve got a shrinking customer base, neighbors bitching about the noise and greedy developers with cash on hand.
 


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I agree. The cost to update aging tracks to meet safety and insurance regulations has got to be enormous. Track surface, bleachers, restroom and concessions, meeting ADA requirements that weren't around when tracks were built... blah blah blah.. Not enough money to be made at most tracks.
Thanks to all the codes and lawsuits and bs. Makes me sick people scared to play dodge ball for fear of injury. Shame all this happening
 


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DavidKFla

DavidKFla

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Thread Starter #6
I agree with this but I also think it’s a culture thing too. Half the kids nowadays don’t even know how to change their oil let alone wrench on a car. You’ve got a shrinking customer base, neighbors bitching about the noise and greedy developers with cash on hand.
Drifting and burnout competitions are a big thing right now. Just look at what Cleetus and those guys are doing across the country.
 


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Piening2150

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Milan Dragway near me was recently bought and they are refurbishing it. Due to reopen sometime this month I think. Hopefully the new owners will bring in lots of events/$$$ and keep investing in the facility.
 


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Money. Period.
Liability insurance costs are astronomical. All of the road courses I've raced on are required to have two ambulances on site. Upkeep, track maintenance. Dwindling interest.
It all adds up (actually it doesnt lol) to money.
 


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Race tracks don’t make much money. If it’s family run they can make a living off it.

but a big business who’s focus is solely on profit, there just isn’t enough in it. At PBIR that closed just the other day, they released a statement about the closing. They had third party companies do a profitability analysis for them, as different investment ideas for the property. Every single one of the companies had similar answers, rezone, light industrial commercial, or residential. Not one of them made a recommendation for keeping the land in its current configuration. They also sited enormous insurance costs.

if it was your family running the track I see going the same way almost every time.

you and your family start up a race track, why? Because you love racing, and you love the people, it’s a passion. You run it your whole life, and it provides. Then you get old and the youngins take over, and they may or may not be as interested as you, maybe the run it for the lives, then the third generation is up, and they have no interest, and it’s just money that comes in to live off. And times change, the land is worth more and more. And now the third generation family is lookin at a 20-40 million dollar check for the track. Which would take 10-20 lifetimes to make that kind of money.

it’s just how it goes. As much as we love the tracks, the families that owned them did really good by their families. That old race track turned into one hell of a golden egg after all those years.
 


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DavidKFla

DavidKFla

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Thread Starter #11
Race tracks don’t make much money. If it’s family run they can make a living off it.

but a big business who’s focus is solely on profit, there just isn’t enough in it. At PBIR that closed just the other day, they released a statement about the closing. They had third party companies do a profitability analysis for them, as different investment ideas for the property. Every single one of the companies had similar answers, rezone, light industrial commercial, or residential. Not one of them made a recommendation for keeping the land in its current configuration. They also sited enormous insurance costs.

if it was your family running the track I see going the same way almost every time.

you and your family start up a race track, why? Because you love racing, and you love the people, it’s a passion. You run it your whole life, and it provides. Then you get old and the youngins take over, and they may or may not be as interested as you, maybe the run it for the lives, then the third generation is up, and they have no interest, and it’s just money that comes in to live off. And times change, the land is worth more and more. And now the third generation family is lookin at a 20-40 million dollar check for the track. Which would take 10-20 lifetimes to make that kind of money.

it’s just how it goes. As much as we love the tracks, the families that owned them did really good by their families. That old race track turned into one hell of a golden egg after all those years.
Don't the owners own the IHRA?

Not saying that the report isn't true but I can hire a firm to write a report on anything and say anything that I want.
 


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Stupid Article said:
But part of this whole bad trend is the sad truth that the hobby of drag racing is aging out. The generation that created, developed, and participated in drag racing is dying. And the subsequent generations haven’t grown up with that car-culture interest. .
How many people do you see doing high way pulls in Mexico on youtube and other places?
1/2 and 1 mile races?

There are plenty of youth who love cars, modify cars, and even try to race cars.
But its gotten damn expensive.

I saw a whole lot of youth up in arms on social media with Cobb deciding that they will no longer do a "stage 2" tune due to emissions.

Back in the day, it was swap a carb and add headers and go. Now it takes a damn software engineer to hack into the computer and make adjustments.

I think the performance car arena is as strong as its ever been. And I think we will see more and more highway racing and drag racing on streets again until another Wally Parks comes along and decides its time to do it differently.

Right now, tracks are caving to money and political pressure. But I don't think its from a lack of younger generation interest.
 


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$$$$ Taxes, liability insurance never goes down. Pressure to sell the land and clean up. Had a pleasurable experience today at the dealer shits afterd school to ones that wanted to hear. Most did knot. But the dealer shits have extended my warranty for a year.Now, this move being I showed int in new tires and wheels. Not from them. They quoted me Pirellis 275/40R20s all seasoning $318 apiece. Then alingement $130 blanc $100tire fee $4 shop supbend ovke it, $60 sales tax $110 total fer 4 $1686.31. Awful.
 


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Race tracks don’t make much money. If it’s family run they can make a living off it.

but a big business who’s focus is solely on profit, there just isn’t enough in it. At PBIR that closed just the other day, they released a statement about the closing. They had third party companies do a profitability analysis for them, as different investment ideas for the property. Every single one of the companies had similar answers, rezone, light industrial commercial, or residential. Not one of them made a recommendation for keeping the land in its current configuration. They also sited enormous insurance costs.

if it was your family running the track I see going the same way almost every time.

you and your family start up a race track, why? Because you love racing, and you love the people, it’s a passion. You run it your whole life, and it provides. Then you get old and the youngins take over, and they may or may not be as interested as you, maybe the run it for the lives, then the third generation is up, and they have no interest, and it’s just money that comes in to live off. And times change, the land is worth more and more. And now the third generation family is lookin at a 20-40 million dollar check for the track. Which would take 10-20 lifetimes to make that kind of money.

it’s just how it goes. As much as we love the tracks, the families that owned them did really good by their families. That old race track turned into one hell of a golden egg after all those years.

Spot on take IMO. Well said post
 


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Byron dragway is for sale for 4M give or take.
Wish I had the cash, i'd buy it up.

Ron started a trucking company just to fund the track. But the drag racing was his passion.
The guy who owns it now also loves drag racing but getting up in years himself.
 


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Property taxes. Land value. Insurance.
 


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The only track here in Penis County closed 4 years go do to forceded government intervention of take over. They took it over to make a free way through it. Bubba The Sponge took it over he loves racing. To revive the traaxes, insurance killed his efforts. I ran with them years a the beach. Diaz, Hogan, Crazy Boys, Lennall of em. We all steriod monsters except me. Of course. I did shows and the like that were tested. On point I was. Proud to the day I still am. No moe 16 inch bicepts but impressive. I did solely personal training brought on by cooperate sponcers. Hours were taxing and non conducive with a relationship plus a 9 to 5 job.
 


1971demon

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Property taxes. Land value. Insurance.
It all adds up to one thing...the hey day is over...ICE age days are numbered..tracks aren't viable..times are changing..:(:(
 


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It all adds up to one thing...the hey day is over...ICE age days are numbered..tracks aren't viable..times are changing..:(:(
road courses are a different story. I’ve been traveling to allot of them over the past 18 months. And I will tell you, the average income per racer at road courses verses drag strips is massive. Road course guys allot of them have fuck you money, and they will spend it to keep racing.

Unfortunately drag strips are more the everyday guy/kids. And those tend to be the declining trend.

in the palm beach driving club that I was a member at, it had 150ish members. And once palm Beach was closing they were already talking about building there own race track. In our club we had about 3-4 billionaires, more money than Jesus, and the can do whatever they want, and about 50 other members were well over 100 million dollar dudes. The rest were doctors, lawyers and business owners like my dad and I. I hope to see another road course get built local.
 


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I am glad the local drag strip "Bristol Thunder Valley" will most likely not close anytime soon. The test and tune night was packed last night. Its too bad they do not prep better for faster cars though
 




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