Iowa Speedway

[balljoint]

Biggest SLM race in NW was the Montana 200. Tiny 13 sec 1/4 mile. A lil bigger than slinger. Closed.

[Rajflyboy]

I do believe Kansas is worse than Iowa. I thought Iowa would outlast that bore fest of a track.

[CIRF]

A race track doesn't bring down the national economy when it fails. The companies that were bailed out in 2008 should have been broken up. Too big to fail means too big to exist. TARP wasn't the mistake. The mistake was not punishing after the fall stopped.

It's one thing to cheer on the fact that a poorly operated business, in this case a race track business, failed and went away. That could be seen as a proper response, a harsh one, but comprehensible, nonetheless. It's a whole other thing to wish for, and cheer that a racetrack facility should be razed and disposed of because you had the misfortune to attended a racing event that wasn't up to your lofty standards, whatever those are. Anyone who wishes for, and takes satisfaction in seeing a racetrack of any kind, of any form of racing be torn down and done away with isn't really a fan. You may call yourself a race fan but you're not. There's other words to describe those kinds of folks but we'll leave that to everyone's imagination.

I saw as many entertaining and exciting events at Iowa as I saw bad ones. If the division of cars isn't your particular cup of tea, or if the surface isn't to your liking that is understandable and in the eye of the beholder. But, to say a track isn't worthy of it's own existence because you experienced an event that was not to your liking is rather childish, don't you think?

[Rajflyboy]

Iowa just never had any sex appeal

[mcarter815]

A race track doesn't bring down the national economy when it fails. The companies that were bailed out in 2008 should have been broken up. Too big to fail means too big to exist. TARP wasn't the mistake. The mistake was not punishing after the fall stopped.

[lurker]

Race tracks are businesses and bad businesses should fail.

Using that logic --- therefore you were not in favor of the auto bailouts and the bank bailouts of 2008, nor were you for TARP. Correct? Or are “those situations” different because Obama was in office?

[mcarter815]

Post number 25, wow, just boggles the nogin" on that viewpoint. Nice attitude sir. Very disappointing.



Late Model Mark
Talladega Short Track Announcer

Race tracks are businesses and bad businesses should fail. Race tracks have to compete over a dwindling fan base and racer pool. This isn't a "build it and they will come" situation.

[intel8]

I agree with post 25, not gonna Support poor racing. Good track know how to get you to come back. See I 80, Cedar Lake, Fairbury.

[Late_Model_Mark]

Post number 25, wow, just boggles the nogin" on that viewpoint. Nice attitude sir. Very disappointing.



Late Model Mark
Talladega Short Track Announcer

[dmr37]

drm, do you remember what year the ASA/midgets were at CMS?

I think it was in 2000

[mcarter815]

It puzzles me that some folks (mcarter815) would not mind or feel any remorse on yet another track going by the wayside. So u found that some tracks may not dazzle u so then u would not be "shook" that a track dies into some non racing development. If ya been around a long time like myself and CIRF, we have seen way to many venues go away. Wake up dude, racing, especially in 2020 is fragile and subject to changes in a heartbeat. Appreciate what we have and don't be so cavalier.


Late Model Mark
Talladega Short Track Announcer

I'm not going to support a track just because it's a race track. A facility that puts on a consistently poor show isn't going to benefit the sport. All those tracks do is chase away potential fans because they chose the wrong track to go to for their first experience.

Iowa Speedway isn't grass roots racing, anyway. They run a handful of professional races a year and then sits dormant for the rest of the year.

I'm also not sad when a poorly managed dirt track shuts down. That just means likelier even better car counts at the tracks that put on a better show.

[CIRF]

I went to Chicago Motor Speedway to see CART race in 1999. It was the first race at the place and it was packed. I went back for the ASA/Midget and Nascar trucks races and the crowd kept getting smaller. As you said, the neighbors didn't want it and it closed up after about 4-5 years and there is a Home Depot there now.

drm, do you remember what year the ASA/midgets were at CMS?

[dmr37]

I never knew the bikes raced at PPIR! Had to be a good show. Those guys could put on a good show on a Walmart parking lot!

Raj, that was Chicago Motor Speedway. Nasty Ganassi owned and operated it. It was in the Cicero area of chitcago and was doomed from the get-go. The neighborhood around the speedway was not all that great and there was a whole lotta' bitchin' about the noise and traffic connected to the track. I went there for an ASA 200 miler with the USAC National Midgets as the support class. It was a world class facility but it was flat and it was a huggy pole bottom feeder track for the stock cars. There was more action and excitement in the 25 lap midget A-main than in the whole 200 lap ASA stock car race.

I don't know for sure but I wouldn't be surprised if ol' nasty took a bath on that deal!

I went to Chicago Motor Speedway to see CART race in 1999. It was the first race at the place and it was packed. I went back for the ASA/Midget and Nascar trucks races and the crowd kept getting smaller. As you said, the neighbors didn't want it and it closed up after about 4-5 years and there is a Home Depot there now.

[CIRF]

It puzzles me that some folks (mcarter815) would not mind or feel any remorse on yet another track going by the wayside. So u found that some tracks may not dazzle u so then u would not be "shook" that a track dies into some non racing development. If ya been around a long time like myself and CIRF, we have seen way to many venues go away. Wake up dude, racing, especially in 2020 is fragile and subject to changes in a heartbeat. Appreciate what we have and don't be so cavalier.


Late Model Mark
Talladega Short Track Announcer

Take a bow, Mark. Yet again you presented the facts and commons sense in a clear and superb manner.

Mark and I have watched the likes of Ascot, Manzy, the Sacramento Mile, The Indiana State Fairgrounds Mile, The Missouri State Fairgrounds mile, the New York State Fairgrounds Mile, the Iowa State Fairgrounds 1/2 mile, the Minnesota State Fairgrounds 1/2 mile, Rockingham, North Wilkesboro, Ontario Motor Speedway, Texas World Speedway, Flemington, NJ all go away forever, and that's just the tracks that I can name off the top of my pointy little head!! LOL!

That's not counting the hundreds of bull rings that have disappeared that are way, way too numerous to mention.

No true race fan is indifferent to a track being closed and watch it disappear forever.

[Rajflyboy]

It puzzles me that some folks (mcarter815) would not mind or feel any remorse on yet another track going by the wayside. So u found that some tracks may not dazzle u so then u would not be "shook" that a track dies into some non racing development. If ya been around a long time like myself and CIRF, we have seen way to many venues go away. Wake up dude, racing, especially in 2020 is fragile and subject to changes in a heartbeat. Appreciate what we have and don't be so cavalier.Late Model MarkTalladega Short Track Announcer

Amen👍 But I also think Iowa was another cookie cutter track with no unique features. Doomed for failure from the start.