Closing of racetracks

[Ghoste]

The recent announcement by Gateway International has me wondering, what is the bigger influence on racetrack closure?  Do you think it's the costs for the fans which is driven in large part by the pro cars that they prefer to see anyway?  Along with that, could the racetracks (and sanctioning bodies) lack of support for the little guy be the biggest factor?  Is it just the cost of racing?  Is it the shifting public interest?  All of these, none of these?

[BrianShaughnessy]

With encroaching development, NIMBY folks start coming out of the woodwork.   These can range from psychomoms to politicians.

Lazy track owner offspring who don't want to keep up the business.

Insurance costs for the track owners.

Lack of nhra/ihra support.     More geared towards big bucks racing.

My experience is that just trying to go for a street night test n tune is more of a hassle than it should be.   Track is over an hour away,  and maybe I'll get 3 runs...  4 tops.    I won't even bother on a weekend when the points racers are running.

Feel free to add on.

[RD]

With encroaching development, NIMBY folks start coming out of the woodwork.   These can range from psychomoms to politicians.

Lazy track owner offspring who don't want to keep up the business.

Insurance costs for the track owners.

Lack of nhra/ihra support.     More geared towards big bucks racing.

My experience is that just trying to go for a street night test n tune is more of a hassle than it should be.   Track is over an hour away,  and maybe I'll get 3 runs...  4 tops.    I won't even bother on a weekend when the points racers are running.

Feel free to add on.

hell, brian nailed 4 of mine in his statement!

[elacruze]

I raced motorcycles at Gateway a couple times in the '90s. The track was reasonably safe with a reasonable surface, but nobody's favorite. I can't imagine that it was a good track for cars, relatively short and narrow. Few tracks can survive by Drag Racing only.

The worst part about Gateway was the seedy neighborhood. It was hard to find accommodations for enough people in what most considered 'safe' areas, free from theft, vandalism, and crime.

Counterexamples are Road America, Mid-Ohio, and Watkins Glen; they all do fine without any Drag Racing at all. Milan Dragway and Norwalk, Ohio are Drag-only courses that flourish. Topeka Heartland Park and Brainerd, Minnesota do all of the above. One common point is that they all have perceived safe areas.  

[Mike DC]

Gateway in particular probably didn't fall victim to NIMBY.  There's nobody in that area to complain about it except a couple of scrapyards and a truckstop across the road.   It's one of those tracks built during the 1990s NASCAR boom that never quite panned out.  Sort of like a pro ball sport that creates expansion teams during a boom decade and then most of those teams end up folding during the next major recession. 

Racing seems to have a lot of audience for bottom level amateurs, and a lot of audience for full blown top level stuff.  I don't think there is enough of a fan base in the middle.  People supporting their friends & family on the racetracks are at the cheapo dirt ovals on saturday night.  People watching total strangers on TV are usually watching Earnhardts & Gordons. 

[hemigeno]

A Post Dispatch article I linked to in the Gateway closing thread mentioned property taxes on the facility being a big hurdle.  They have to pay $2.5mm to Madison County annually, before a single ticket is sold - not to mention insurance and maintenance/upkeep on the facility... or financing costs.

Gateway is a relatively new track (circa 1997), and the development costs are exponentially higher than when tracks like Watkins Glen or other older, well-established tracks were built.  I would suspect those other facilities would have an extremely difficult time building a similar facility in another location and making it financially viable.  That's if a person could even get past the NIMBY roadblocks Brian mentioned.  Having big-draw events like NHRA, Sprint Cup, etc. is about the only way to bankroll most recently-developed tracks (unless someone has money to burn).

For example:  NASCAR's affiliate ISC was able to build several awesome facilities during the same general timespan as Gateway was built, but they were guaranteed to get one or more top-tier anchor race dates that would cover the aforementioned expenses.  ISC could have absorbed the costs anyway, even if races weren't sold out.  Gateway's private developer hoped to eventually get a Cup race date as well, but quickly found out it wasn't going to happen.  They were living on borrowed time with the lower-tier racing series events (apart from NHRA, which was their crown jewel/sellout event), and the recession's negative impact on both sponsor $$ and ticket income sealed the track's fate.  Dover Motorsports does not have the deep pockets of Bruton Smith or the France family, and even people with money to burn usually don't get in their positions by sticking with bad investments - they dump and run.

From what the article said, potential buyers are scared of several issues (e.g. spectator parking) which will be difficult to solve prior to a sale.  Not to mention about 1/3 of the facility is built on land that is not owned, but is leased from adjacent property owners.  I can see this taking a LONG time to get worked out.  In the meantime, Gateway loses its fan base and the facility will probably fall into disrepair.

[41husk]

The big question, is Monster Mopar going to continue?  If so what venue will host?

[Lennard]

They are going to build a new Drag strip in Lake Havasu City pretty soon so some people still see money it.

[694spdRT]

I had heard from the same racer that whomever owned this track closed another in Kentucky awhile back as well. Don't know if that is true or not. 

[RallyeMike]

Lack of nhra/ihra support.     More geared towards big bucks racing.

All of those things previously mentioned. Nascar and independent circle tracks are going away too. Two have gone down around here including what I consider to be my "home" track, which is now a housing development. Car counts seem to be down nearly everywhere.

[adauto]

Currently the Milwaukee Mile is also dangling by a thread. And this is (i belive) the oldest operating facility in the country. Last years  the promoters didnt have enough money to pay NASCAR. I'm sure the state (its State Fair park) wants like a gazzillion dollars right off the top. I base this on rates charged to concession owners on the grounds. Its all about the $$ The economy has hurt it too, as it has everywhere.

Attendance at DA GROVE (Great Lakes Dragaway) has been in decline. Im comparing this over the last few years events I've been to. For example a few years back Mopar Day was like 150 cars, this year 30-35?? Not as many racers either. Were usually there 3=4 times a year.

Chicagoland Speedway - I've been a season ticket holder from the begining. Attendance is down. If I told you what vendor space costs you'd be in the ER right now! Vendor and fan attendance has been in decline scine the housing boom broke. Big schedule changes there next year, Joliet will be one of the "in the chase tracks".

Road America- I hadn't been up ther ein about 10 years but they had the nationwide date this year. PACKED! We had a great time and looks like everyone else did too. I looking forward to see if it will be there next year.

Hales Corners speedway and Lake Geneva Speedway both closed in the last few years.... the land was worth more than the tracks were...... now our late model gets toted out to Jefferson. I dont think allot of guys can afford to go racing anymore.

Maybe as time goes and the economy gets better allot of racers will come back.... but once a track is gone it's gone!

[Highbanked Hauler]

  dont think allot of guys can afford to go racing anymore.

    I think that has a lot to do with it.     That being said in Nc. the North Wilksboro half mile track got reactivated and the mile track at Rockingham was bought and reopened but no cup races

[bull]

As Ron first pointed out, some of it probably has to do with urban sprawl. It's the same mentality that gets dairy farmers embroiled in battles over the "scent" that permeates the new housing developments that move in next to them. Anything that creates noise or odors is immediately under attack once houses spring up nearby, no matter who was there first.