CIRF-Your Top #3

[CIRF]

Pennsboro, what was the downfall of the Mineral Wells track? I thought the place was a decent place to enjoy a race if the temperature hadn't been just a few degrees above freezing! LOL.

[Pennsboro32]

Pennsboro, what was the downfall of the Mineral Wells track? I thought the place was a decent place to enjoy a race if the temperature hadn't been just a few degrees above freezing! LOL.

A few things caused WVMS to shut down IMO. First, WVMS at one time was a weekly track. Eventually costs of racing got out of hand and local guys quit running there regularly, Carl Short brought the DTWC back to WVMS in 2010, it drew 53 late models for $50,000 to win, a disappointing car count at that time and much lower than any DTWC in recent memory, virtually no locals supported that race. I believe the low car count was the reason for Carl moving the DTWC to Atomic in 2011 and then Portsmouth. I think that if that race would have been successful that we would still have a race or two a year there still to this day. Last, they shortened the track and ran a handful of shows a few years after that DTWC. I assume they shortened it thinking that local cars would now support the place but nothing really changed in that aspect. Turns 3-4 were really bad and caused a ton of wrecks. They tore up a lot of stuff. I wish someone with a ton of money would buy the place and run 3-4 big shows a year, maybe even a couple bigger sprint car races. It was too nice of a place to be sitting idle.

[CIRF]

A few things caused WVMS to shut down IMO. First, WVMS at one time was a weekly track. Eventually costs of racing got out of hand and local guys quit running there regularly, Carl Short brought the DTWC back to WVMS in 2010, it drew 53 late models for $50,000 to win, a disappointing car count at that time and much lower than any DTWC in recent memory, virtually no locals supported that race. I believe the low car count was the reason for Carl moving the DTWC to Atomic in 2011 and then Portsmouth. I think that if that race would have been successful that we would still have a race or two a year there still to this day. Last, they shortened the track and ran a handful of shows a few years after that DTWC. I assume they shortened it thinking that local cars would now support the place but nothing really changed in that aspect. Turns 3-4 were really bad and caused a ton of wrecks. They tore up a lot of stuff. I wish someone with a ton of money would buy the place and run 3-4 big shows a year, maybe even a couple bigger sprint car races. It was too nice of a place to be sitting idle.

Do you think the size of the track was the largest contributing factor to it's demise? It's a fact of life that it costs more to maintain and prepare the longer tracks. Lighting costs more, and the list goes on. As I'm sure you're well aware, car owners tend to shy away from the longer tracks for all of the obvious reasons and spectator culture has changed substantially over the past 20 years. Dirt racing spectators these days lean heavily towards the slam bam full contact racing and away from the longer more high speed tracks that award finesse and car control.There is a safety risk factor for drivers and equipment that comes into play, as well. Safety is probably more of an issue with the dirt open wheel divisions of sprint cars and midgets than the dirt late models, modified's and stock cars.

[Pennsboro32]

CIRF, I do think shortening the track was the dagger. I sure do miss both of those places (Pennsboro, WVMS).

[Late_Model_Mark]

I am liking this area of the website due to the "experts" on the other genre on this board. Plus the fact that I still do love the sprints, Ascot Park will do that to you. I way wish I could have gone to Pennsboro as well. Used to read about it in Speed Sport news. Then really felt left out when moving to the South and hearing endless stories about the DTWC. I have been to sh%$hole tracks and I understand that Pennsboro was in that category, but it really sounds like it had a vibe and character.

One night after the races at Talladega I sat in wonder and envy listening to Ronnie Johnson describe his time there.

Late Model Mark
TST Announcer

[CIRF]

Mark, this is no slight towards Pennsboro whatsoever, but I'm going to say unequivocally that me never having seen a race at Ascot is a greater loss than you not seeing an event at Pennsboro.

But, I must admit that Pennsboro is a racing experience that will never be duplicated. At least not by our standards.

I mentioned the hillside across the road from the backstretch at Pennsboro. The promoter had no control over people congregating over there to watch the racing for free. So, legend has it that he (the promoter) got permission from whoever owned that property to spread pig sh!t and fish guts up there. That did not deter some folks from watching for free, nonetheless. As the story goes the opportunistic spectators would lay down Visqueen, pack their noses full of cotton and set right down in it and enjoy the races.

The permanent toilets on premises (not the port-a-potty's Kevin Gundaker used to turn over and set on fire) were mere holes in concrete and there was raw sewage within 3 or 4 inches of the bottom of the concrete. It stunk so bad it would gag a maggot off a gut wagon and the fly's were in there by the trillions. My wife walked in the ladies and immediately walked back out gagging. If nature called she would go into the woods behind the bleachers, find a big ol' tree and take care of business there.

The tops of the old rickety bleachers had no back of any kind on the top row. If you sat in the top row and leaned back too far you'd fall to the ground. We saw a guy that weighed about 300 lbs. who was setting in the top row behind us actually break the wood seat part of the bleachers and he fell to the bottom, which wasn't all that high, maybe 8 or 10 foot. However, he got hurt to the point that the EMS people had to put him on a back board and it took 8 men to get him down the hill. When we came the next day for the finale' the broken wooden bleacher seat was still there and they just put yellow crime scene ribbon around it.

There was a hell of a party off of turns 1 & 2 after day 1 racing was over. They had bands and there was enough beer and booze on hand to get a small city stone drunk! I must admit, we got right in the middle of that scene and thank God my wife doesn't drink too much!

I will defer to Pennsboro32 and let him confirm whether or not I'm guilty of any degree of embellishment. If Pennsboro32 says I'm a bit off on my descriptions I digress because I'm sure he was there many, many times more than I. But that is the way I remember it and I wouldn't have changed a thing! LOL!

[Raceready]

Lucky enough to have always owned 4 wheel drive units, we would camp in the infield or clear up on top the hill on a lease road on the East side at an oil well location. The porta poopers were horrendous. This is why they were stacked in a pile and covered with worn racing tires, soaked with Turbo Blue then lit on up ! Oh what a bright display ! Even in the last races when they had the trailer toilet units, the sh1thouses were so full of crap that the sh1t would be piled up a foot higher that the top of the seat ! There were log skidders and backhoes on site on Sunday night towing the stuck rigs on up out of the infield swamps. They would water the track on Saturday after qualifying and the boys with their homemade pack cars would ride around for hours while hooting and hollering to anybody that would watch them. One of the buggys would have a keg of beer and the only time they would stop for hours is when somebody needed another gallon jug of beer or had to take a big old pi-s ! ! When I see Wal-Mart and other stores sold out nowa-days due to the Corona virus, I'm thinking that we sure could have used all of that poop paper at the ledgendary Pennsboro Speedway !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pennsboro32]

I love this. CIRF, you are spot on. I'll admit, I'm probably one of the younger users on this thread. I'll turn 30 this year so I was young when a lot was going on at the Boro. My dad and I would attend almost every race there in the mid 90's until it's demise. I saw a lot of firsts at that place, as you can imagine what I'm talking about. One time during Hillbilly 100 weekend, we sat on the front stretch hillside just before turn 1 in a remote area, for some reason people weren't sitting there. There were a couple old rotten boards laid on the ground, I was a young kid and thought kicking and moving them was a good idea, 13 yellow jacket stings later, I was out of there. I toughed it out, and my dad took me to our local subway to I guess try to calm me down, I was still picking bees out of my shirt in the parking lot when we got there. I would kick those boards around again if it meant experiencing another race weekend in Pennsboro.

[CIRF]

Pennsboro32, that is some great stuff...........except for the bee stings...........OUCH!! I appreciate you vouching for my recollections of our trips to the 'Boro. I'm sure I've told these tales to people who thought I was making up a good story but had the courtesy of not showing it!

Looking back, the things that took place at Pennsboro and were accepted as normal were incredible, especially in the toilet department.

I don't remember the wheel packers on-track party but my attentions most likely were elsewhere on the property! In comparison, the first time I went to the Indy 500 I was a sophomore in college and by that point we'd done some pretty nutty things while under the influence. I was astounded by what I saw go on at Indy, especially in the real Snake Pit in turn #1. But Pennsboro on the Saturday night of DTWC weekend equaled or surpassed anything I ever experienced in The Snake Pit.

I probably left a couple of years off the top of my life at those places but as the song says, they are the best times I'll never remember, but I wouldn't take a million for all of it! LOL!

[Late_Model_Mark]

I have heard these exact stories mentioned in the last pack of posts. What we put up with then, like it was said in the movie Goodfellows, it was a glorious time. Could you imagine the folks that had to deal with the wee-wee and excrement following the race, yikes.


How was the spectator parking there? The food?



Late Model Mark

[CIRF]

We always parked on the roadside a couple of hundred yards from the track property. It was not on the main highway past the track but in a very small residential area. I couldn't believe they allowed that but we never had any problems. IIRC the on-site parking was limited. It was a ways off of turns 1 & 2 and we were a bit apprehensive about parking in there due to what always appeared to be a bit of a wait to get out.

As far as food goes we did the basic hot dog, hamburger and chips and made an honest attempt to keep those purchases to a minimum. We figured given the abhorrent toilet conditions the food might have been contaminated from the contact odor! LOL! I don't recall there being any permanent concession stands on premises. It was edible but nothing remarkable either good or bad. It was all trailer contained vendors. Beer was sold out of a temporary stand that was set up at the bottom of the hill leading up to the bleachers.

I'm going to venture a guess that the permanent restrooms didn't appear to ever having been serviced. It's been a while but I think they were basically large privy's similar to outhouses that everyone had prior to running water and sewers. They seemed to be just holes in the ground. I doubt they were ever pumped out. As far as the port-a-potty's go I never had the nerve to go in one after I'd seen the look on some users faces upon their exit!

[Raceready]

If those dirt walls on both sides of the track could talk the stories they would tell ! It is the loudest track I have ever been to. Even louder than Bristol. The noise just echoed trough the holler there.

[Pennsboro32]

There was once a guy who brought his BBQ food stand and parked it across from the IGA. He had delicious sandwiches, we normally would walk over there to get a couple. Talk about good food. I don't remember much about the concession stand inside the track, maybe because we never got much there? I can't remember.

[HoosierDirtFan]

Pennsboro was one of those tracks that folks have many fond memories of. Some of what you saw there was like going to Eldora back in the day. You can't talk about it due to the nature of thing that happened that you may or may not have witnessed. The Southern Gentlemen Freddie Smith dominated that track. If the walls of that track and the grounds it sat on could talk to stories would be epic.

[CIRF]

You're correct about the fond memories. I somewhat liken the Pennsboro experience to my high school football days. The two-a-day practices in late August in 90° temps and 80% humidity were rather unpleasant but once we got past all that and got to scrimmage and ultimately hit someone wearing a different uniform the heat, humidity, gut busters and practice ending laps around the practice field didn't seem quite so bad. As with Pennsboro, when you got past all the facility unpleasantness and the racing started it seemed to be worth it. And as is usually the case the memories get fonder with the passing of time

I must say this, what I saw after the sun went down at Pennsboro was equal to the astonishment I experienced the first time at Indy in the Snake Pit as a 20 year old college kid who thought they'd seen it all but hadn't! And yes, there are things I witnessed at both places that I won't post! LOL!

[Late_Model_Mark]

I'll right Mr. Cirf, I want to hear some night stories from Pennsboro! You can word it right, I assure you I will not be offended.




Late Model Mark

[CIRF]

Let's put it this way, Mark, the degree of debauchery was well beyond my naivete' at that time. I've since become a bit more attuned to the ways of the world. Believe me, it was gratuitous. How much of it was pay to play is a mystery but I suspect much of it was. In the Snake Pit at Indy there was every recreational drug known to science for sale and being consumed. Didn't see as much of that at Pennsboro. I really don't want to get graphic but lets put it this way, naked titties and buttocks were not in short supply. I suspect there was ample recreational sex being had, although at Pennsboro I never saw any of that out in the open like we did on rare occasions at Indy.

The incredible overindulgence of alcohol was at times astounding. LOL!