Any update on Firebird/ SpeedWorld Phoenix

[Sean Marconette]

Sounds similar to KCIR ( Kansas City International Raceway). City buys track due to neighbors complaints, and politics. City says they need another park and after a couple of years now still sitting vacant. Oh and BTW, D-5 director was part owner in the track. Now latest rumor is that snakes have halted city from making it a park. The only snakes are the politicians and the D-5 director.

Sorry to hear about the track.

Sean

[Pat Cook]

I have been going to Phoenix Raceway/Speedworld since I was 16 years old, I am currently 59, I had a short career as a starter there back when the Freeman brothers still had their Nova stick cars, back when dials were only a tenth a part and the starter had to figure the difference as the cars were doing burn outs then you put the dial it to a little box with a rotary dial on it,

Really is a sad situation. I was slowly convincing my better half to move to Wickenburg partly to be a little closer to a race track that has always had a special place in my soul. Who knows....I was born and raised in the great state of Arizona, but it is slowly becoming too much like CA. no offense to my California buddies. My it is time to move, but not to Wickenburg.

[RobbieRacer]

We have been thinking about Portland Or.

[Walt Frey]

Phoenix is now scratched from list of places to relocate to.

WF

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by RobbieRacer

I.
I Like Hal but he is a Dirt Biker at heart.

Robbie, I think you ought to cut Hal some slack here..He's a car guy.He just likes those old pipe rack things..He did a lot of work at the M/C track., because that's where the business was..The drag strip under Dan, and I don't know before that, never held up it's end of the deal.
They tried Wed night , Fri night ,Saturday day and night, and Sundays, but the racers and T& T-ers never came out in any great numbers.
Some of our independent promotions did okay, and propped up the drag strip, but bottom line, the numbers just weren't there for what it costs to open ,staff light up ,and prep a dragstrip in this century.
This Valley was hard hit by the recession and paying spectators were scarce.
We talked to plenty of old timers with our race promotion at the various FREE cruise nights.
Most of the comments were ; Oh that ol' Mel Larson's place ?
They still open ? I haven't been out there since they started that " go too fast and lose stuff".
We'd manage to drag a few former racers and fans, and some of the younger retro guys out there for our nostalgia deal, but in reality , I think the market for a local strip dried up with the last century...at least in this part of the country.
It's a shame ...but that's how I see it .

[MattConte]

[QUOTE=RobbieRacer;365509I Like Hal but he is a Dirt Biker at heart.
JMO[/QUOTE]
That is not true at all about Hal. Hal is a HUGE lover of drag racing. If you ever saw what is in his little shop out behind his home. You would not say that.

That is my daughter sitting in Hal's front engine dragster. (Get the name in the cowl?)One thing I know about Hal. He has ALL of his heart into that dragstrip. Always had.

[MattConte]

I spent some time in the early 90s back east. saw some GREAT racing at some GREAT tracks. But the first thing I did when I got back to Phoenix. I headed on out the Speedworld (Back then Phoenix Raceway Park. I always liked that name better.) I missed that track. I lived out there for the rest of the 90s. That is my favorite drag strip of all time and places and I am really hating to see it go. No place like it in the world. This really saddens me.
Phoenix will really suck if we loose both tracks.
I never was ever really able to get involved with the drag racing like I would had liked to. Just never had the money. At my age now and income. I do not ever seeing it happening. But at least I could always keep a little of that dream alive with the drag strips being close by. Maybe hoping that one day I could have some sort of a race car to run. But with both tracks gone. I just cannot see it ever happening. Just a big bummer.

[RobbieRacer]

Mark and Matt, You both have good ponts. He is a "Pipe Rack" guy..LOL Speedworld is my home track and I will miss it as much as anyone else. Guess I'm just lashing out. If we loose both tracks that will so suck. Guess SIR wil be the home track for a while.

[Jeff Lee]

Originally Posted by RobbieRacer

Mark and Matt, You both have good ponts. He is a "Pipe Rack" guy..LOL Speedworld is my home track and I will miss it as much as anyone else. Guess I'm just lashing out. If we loose both tracks that will so suck. Guess SIR wil be the home track for a while.

I started @ Phoenix Raceway Park in 1978. It will be missed but as I said earlier, I saw all the nails going in the coffin long ago.
I do have high hopes that Firebird will remain. Heck, it may even improve with new management. Speedworld USED to always have the track prepped nicely. Firebird only had good track prep for special events (Super Class races, Divisionals & Nationals), forget weekly T& T sessions.
SIR is good but quite a drive.

[aspen7709]

My take is this...I am an EAST valley racer(Firebird is my "home" track) and the racers at firebird will and do travel to Speedworld for select events BUT maybe 10% of Speedworld racers will cross that invisible barrier called th i-17 to race at Firebird. People that live in AZ know what i am talking about. East will go west but WEST WILL NOT GO EAST! The economy has had a devastating effect on the racing community in the valley especially on the west side. Speedworld has always been good to racers but never was able to attract spectators or top shelf attractions. Firebird will survive. Speed world needs new ownership, new events and fresh life put to it to make it. And as for Firebird conditions I have only had problems when I did not call ahead to let them know I was coming with a serious car on a friday night.
Long story short is that for all the concern about losing speedworld the west valley community does not have the funds, dedication, car count or the ability to save it.Plus the current ownership could care less about the Drag part of it(he has made that PERFECTLY clear) and WEST side racers will rather street race on happyvalley road than drive to Firebird...Yes I am talkin to you RAY LEWIS and co.
Firebird is already on the fast track to renovations and Tom Compton himself is involved with making sure Firebird stays open for what thats worth.
Yes I will miss Speedworld but when one door closes another opens. Maybe this will bring the eastside and westside racing communities together.

Kenny Newsome 7709 ?/SA