Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone...

Jeff Lee · 04-23-2013, 07:40 PM

I spoke to Victoria Grifffey last night. She was track Manager for I don't know how long, 20 years? Anyways, two parties approached the State of Arizona about taking over the track with refurbishments. The laundry list of refurbishments the State handed them was long; water, sewer, permanent building structures, the whole nine yards. Guessing a $5,000,000 or so investment. Way over the top for all involved. And the underlying theme was the State was no longer interested in being part of the drag racing, motocross, truck racing, etc., industry.
The Arizona Department of Transportation will use it as a storage facility. Someday it will be something else. But not a racing facility.
Oh, the Radio Control Flyers club, primarily retiree's that operate and fly from the asphalt model airplane airstrip, will remain. Don't want to piss of the retiree's!
Dan the ***** had a rummage sale last week. Anything and everything left was for sale. Of course he already took the bleachers and sold them for scrap metal. I hear he was selling stuff for $5.00 and up. Anything to make one last buck. And therein lies his problem. He never gave a crap about the racers like the previous track operators did.
I hear Firebird is getting some improvements like a new opti-fibre timing system.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TRACK BEFORE IT'S GONE!

FINESPLINE · 04-23-2013, 08:16 PM

It truly is a shame to hear about another track closing, especially in a state with the available land. It just seems that politics and greed pose a very serious threat to the automotive racing industry. Jeff, you better hurry up and finish that car while there is still a place to race. I don't think your ready for car cruise night yet !

SStockDart · 04-23-2013, 09:10 PM

Just great.....so glad we moved close to Speedworld....

Mark Yacavone · 04-23-2013, 09:51 PM

I guess it's easy to just blame Speedworld's demise on Dan Matthews (not my favorite drag race promoter), but there were other factors as well.
The drag strip portion of the venue never really did support itself ,and was being propped up by the other venues on site..or so we thought.
I had been out there for test and tune nights before our events. There weren't even enough cars to cover the cost of the glue and the salaries. I knew then ,it wasn't a money making deal for anyone.

There are tens of thousands of retirees on fixed incomes just down the road from the track. We managed to pull a few of them out for our nostalgia events, but the free, lawn chair cruise nights were generally more appealing to most of these folks....And they certainly weren't going to come out and watch bracket racing...Sorry boys, but those are facts ...that were relayed directly to me.

This valley was hit hard by the recession. Housing prices spiked during the middle of the last decade, and then dropped like a rock toward the end of it. They are just now starting to climb out of the cellar.
Disposable income was hard to come by. All those great rust free car bodies were hauled off and scrapped in the last five years.
This is what, the fifth largest metro area in the country ? , but a very diverse culture.
You have other distractions here, besides motorsports...Sports teams, high end auto auctions , bike nights, horse shows,casinos, even gang- banging activities, to compete with.

There are many dedicated, creative ,talented people here in motorsports and the car culture...But by and large it's not a car and racing driven city.
Let's see if it will support one nice drag strip now...I'm not so sure it will, but we'll do our part.

Dan Bernay · 04-23-2013, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

I guess it's easy to just blame Speedworld's demise on Dan Matthews (not my favorite drag race promoter), but there were other factors as well.
The drag strip portion of the venue never really did support itself ,and was being propped up by the other venues on site..or so we thought.
I had been out there for test and tune nights before our events. There weren't even enough cars to cover the cost of the glue and the salaries. I knew then ,it wasn't a money making deal for anyone.

There are tens of thousands of retirees on fixed incomes just down the road from the track. We managed to pull a few of them out for our nostalgia events, but the free, lawn chair cruise nights were generally more appealing to most of these folks....And they certainly weren't going to come out and watch bracket racing...Sorry boys, but those are facts ...that were relayed directly to me.

This valley was hit hard by the recession. Housing prices spiked during the middle of the last decade, and then dropped like a rock toward the end of it. They are just now starting to climb out of the cellar.
Disposable income was hard to come by. All those great rust free car bodies were hauled off and scrapped in the last five years.
This is what, the fifth largest metro area in the country ? , but a very diverse culture.
You have other distractions here, besides motorsports...Sports teams, high end auto auctions , bike nights, horse shows,casinos, even gang- banging activities, to compete with.

There are many dedicated, creative ,talented people here in motorsports and the car culture...But by and large it's not a car and racing driven city.
Let's see if it will support one nice drag strip now...I'm not so sure it will, but we'll do our part.

Well said Mark.

Belair 7548 · 04-23-2013, 10:35 PM

Not all is lost for "you" racers.........there may be another option developed. If the land deal closes very soon things may be different.........but think of a "motorsports complex" which will support itself......straight, round additional motorsports "attractions".......hush.

I say you racers as I'm out........sold the car locally and had a hunch they were "flippers".......and alas found out the car went across a local auction block like a week or so after I sold it.........so much for my principle of trying to sell to a racer........it cost me but it's only money right.

I still may make a Saturday breakfast soon and catch up.......

SStockDart · 04-24-2013, 12:05 AM

Well, Mark, I fall into your category of retirees on a fixed income. The days of us traveling the country and racing are over. Even though we are really close to Speedworld, their is no way we would risk hurting our Dart at a local event there. We would race our roadrunner and show our street rod, however.... We live about 7 miles off Grand Ave and Patton Road, so we are close to Speedworld. I frequently would drive by Speedworld on a Friday or Saturday night to see what kind of crowds they were getting. It appeared to me that they had a great turn out....the staging lanes would be full on a "street" night. That doesn't mean that they were making any money.......it just means that I think they had a lot of street cars.

If you look at the successful racing venues around the country, you will see that they are diverse. Dirt tracks, NASCAR tracks, road courses at the same location.....And some of them are not doing well. So, other than the "large venues", I believe the only ones that make money are the 1/8 mile "outlaw" type tracks......Ozark Raceway in Springfield, Mo comes to mind where the 10.5 cars bounce off the walls. It is my belief that something similar would work in the Phoenix area.....too bad.......it is probably too late for Speedworld.

Philip Saran · 04-24-2013, 12:42 AM

Those of us here in SOCAL feel your pain, we are lucky in that we have
the 1/8th mile at Irwindale and maybe someday they will raise the $$ to
build the sound wall at Fontana, but after spending most of their $$ to
fight the law suit, it will take time.

And hey Bakersfield is only a 3 hour drive north of us over the Grapevine.

Jeff Lee · 04-24-2013, 01:12 AM

To be fair to Dan Matthews, it looks like the Speed World drag strip probably would have gone out of business when the last track operator left. So maybe Dan prolonged the inevitable. But then again, a good operator could have turned it around. Guess we will never know!
Personally, I like the operating style of Al Corda (who is an Arizona snow bird if you don't know). His track is closed a lot of the year. Yes it snows there. But when it's open, the racers come in the hundreds. I always felt that Speed World was open TOO MUCH. Too much overhead for a few through the gate.

Stock726 · 04-24-2013, 02:35 PM

"Wittmann, ARIZ. (April 20, 2013) – The reality that the Valley has lost a fixture that has been in existence in Arizona drag racing for more than 50 years has begin to set in for many. Generations of drag racers have grown up at Speedworld Dragstrip. Any future for a motorsports facility on the property managed by the Arizona State Land Department looks bleak as lost law suits from injuries sustained on the motocross have left a the state in a position that they do not want motorsports venues on state land. The reality of this position may be seen when the leases of other motorsports facilities on state land come up for renewal."

I think this says alot about the situation there. Sad to lose another track.

04-23-2013, 07:40 PM	#1
Jeff Lee VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Anthem, Arizona Posts: 2,766 Likes: 0 Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... I spoke to Victoria Grifffey last night. She was track Manager for I don't know how long, 20 years? Anyways, two parties approached the State of Arizona about taking over the track with refurbishments. The laundry list of refurbishments the State handed them was long; water, sewer, permanent building structures, the whole nine yards. Guessing a $5,000,000 or so investment. Way over the top for all involved. And the underlying theme was the State was no longer interested in being part of the drag racing, motocross, truck racing, etc., industry. The Arizona Department of Transportation will use it as a storage facility. Someday it will be something else. But not a racing facility. Oh, the Radio Control Flyers club, primarily retiree's that operate and fly from the asphalt model airplane airstrip, will remain. Don't want to piss of the retiree's! Dan the ***** had a rummage sale last week. Anything and everything left was for sale. Of course he already took the bleachers and sold them for scrap metal. I hear he was selling stuff for $5.00 and up. Anything to make one last buck. And therein lies his problem. He never gave a crap about the racers like the previous track operators did. I hear Firebird is getting some improvements like a new opti-fibre timing system. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TRACK BEFORE IT'S GONE! __________________ Jeff Lee 7494 D/S '70 AMX

04-23-2013, 08:16 PM	#2
FINESPLINE Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Island of high taxes, N.Y. Posts: 541 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... It truly is a shame to hear about another track closing, especially in a state with the available land. It just seems that politics and greed pose a very serious threat to the automotive racing industry. Jeff, you better hurry up and finish that car while there is still a place to race. I don't think your ready for car cruise night yet !

04-23-2013, 09:10 PM	#3
SStockDart VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Arizona, Texan forever Posts: 1,176 Likes: 878 Liked 574 Times in 212 Posts	Re: Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... Just great.....so glad we moved close to Speedworld.... __________________ Gary Hansen - SS/FA 4911, B/SA 4911

04-23-2013, 09:51 PM	#4
Mark Yacavone Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Miles From Nowhere Posts: 7,809 Likes: 2,900 Liked 5,113 Times in 1,948 Posts	Re: Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... I guess it's easy to just blame Speedworld's demise on Dan Matthews (not my favorite drag race promoter), but there were other factors as well. The drag strip portion of the venue never really did support itself ,and was being propped up by the other venues on site..or so we thought. I had been out there for test and tune nights before our events. There weren't even enough cars to cover the cost of the glue and the salaries. I knew then ,it wasn't a money making deal for anyone. There are tens of thousands of retirees on fixed incomes just down the road from the track. We managed to pull a few of them out for our nostalgia events, but the free, lawn chair cruise nights were generally more appealing to most of these folks....And they certainly weren't going to come out and watch bracket racing...Sorry boys, but those are facts ...that were relayed directly to me. This valley was hit hard by the recession. Housing prices spiked during the middle of the last decade, and then dropped like a rock toward the end of it. They are just now starting to climb out of the cellar. Disposable income was hard to come by. All those great rust free car bodies were hauled off and scrapped in the last five years. This is what, the fifth largest metro area in the country ? , but a very diverse culture. You have other distractions here, besides motorsports...Sports teams, high end auto auctions , bike nights, horse shows,casinos, even gang- banging activities, to compete with. There are many dedicated, creative ,talented people here in motorsports and the car culture...But by and large it's not a car and racing driven city. Let's see if it will support one nice drag strip now...I'm not so sure it will, but we'll do our part. __________________ "We are lucky we don't get as much Government as we pay for." Will Rogers Last edited by Mark Yacavone; 04-23-2013 at 10:23 PM.

04-23-2013, 10:35 PM	#6
Belair 7548 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tempe, Arizona Posts: 75 Likes: 3 Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... Not all is lost for "you" racers.........there may be another option developed. If the land deal closes very soon things may be different.........but think of a "motorsports complex" which will support itself......straight, round additional motorsports "attractions".......hush. I say you racers as I'm out........sold the car locally and had a hunch they were "flippers".......and alas found out the car went across a local auction block like a week or so after I sold it.........so much for my principle of trying to sell to a racer........it cost me but it's only money right. I still may make a Saturday breakfast soon and catch up....... __________________ Brad Vokes SS 7548

04-24-2013, 12:05 AM	#7
SStockDart VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Arizona, Texan forever Posts: 1,176 Likes: 878 Liked 574 Times in 212 Posts	Re: Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... Well, Mark, I fall into your category of retirees on a fixed income. The days of us traveling the country and racing are over. Even though we are really close to Speedworld, their is no way we would risk hurting our Dart at a local event there. We would race our roadrunner and show our street rod, however.... We live about 7 miles off Grand Ave and Patton Road, so we are close to Speedworld. I frequently would drive by Speedworld on a Friday or Saturday night to see what kind of crowds they were getting. It appeared to me that they had a great turn out....the staging lanes would be full on a "street" night. That doesn't mean that they were making any money.......it just means that I think they had a lot of street cars. If you look at the successful racing venues around the country, you will see that they are diverse. Dirt tracks, NASCAR tracks, road courses at the same location.....And some of them are not doing well. So, other than the "large venues", I believe the only ones that make money are the 1/8 mile "outlaw" type tracks......Ozark Raceway in Springfield, Mo comes to mind where the 10.5 cars bounce off the walls. It is my belief that something similar would work in the Phoenix area.....too bad.......it is probably too late for Speedworld. __________________ Gary Hansen - SS/FA 4911, B/SA 4911

04-24-2013, 12:42 AM	#8
Philip Saran Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Parker, CO. Posts: 728 Likes: 165 Liked 14 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... Those of us here in SOCAL feel your pain, we are lucky in that we have the 1/8th mile at Irwindale and maybe someday they will raise the $$ to build the sound wall at Fontana, but after spending most of their $$ to fight the law suit, it will take time. And hey Bakersfield is only a 3 hour drive north of us over the Grapevine. __________________ Phil Saran Parker, Colorado

04-24-2013, 01:12 AM	#9
Jeff Lee VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Anthem, Arizona Posts: 2,766 Likes: 0 Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... To be fair to Dan Matthews, it looks like the Speed World drag strip probably would have gone out of business when the last track operator left. So maybe Dan prolonged the inevitable. But then again, a good operator could have turned it around. Guess we will never know! Personally, I like the operating style of Al Corda (who is an Arizona snow bird if you don't know). His track is closed a lot of the year. Yes it snows there. But when it's open, the racers come in the hundreds. I always felt that Speed World was open TOO MUCH. Too much overhead for a few through the gate. __________________ Jeff Lee 7494 D/S '70 AMX

04-24-2013, 02:35 PM	#10
Stock726 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 71 Likes: 24 Liked 13 Times in 9 Posts	Re: Speed World Arizona - Going, going gone... "Wittmann, ARIZ. (April 20, 2013) – The reality that the Valley has lost a fixture that has been in existence in Arizona drag racing for more than 50 years has begin to set in for many. Generations of drag racers have grown up at Speedworld Dragstrip. Any future for a motorsports facility on the property managed by the Arizona State Land Department looks bleak as lost law suits from injuries sustained on the motocross have left a the state in a position that they do not want motorsports venues on state land. The reality of this position may be seen when the leases of other motorsports facilities on state land come up for renewal." I think this says alot about the situation there. Sad to lose another track.