5 replies to this topic

[3 link]

I just saw some photos of the track on face book......Never attended there ....how was the track surface ....the car count....fan attendance...... facilities.....pits......generally what kind of a place was it for racing......When I see photos like that I think ...what a shame to lose another track...... and to add....the photo caption said something about controversy in the end.........fill me in..........thanks

[BRC27]

I personally raced there when it was AMP, my dad raced there back in the early 90's and we would watch frequently.  The surface was fairly smooth, slick and dry.  It got dusty when it was AMP.  I don't recall it getting too dusty under previous ownership though.  The track is a bull ring with a unique configuration.  Pretty tight turn 1 & 2 but 3 & 4 is a larger sweeping corner.  In my opinion it was a "Driver's track".  Big Engines didn't afford you as much as being able to wheel a car.  the way the track is set up there was always a dip that would form in turn 1.  I've heard rumors that there is an underground spring there, that it was filled with old tires, and also hear it was due to the entrance to the pits being right there not sure but that dip almost always showed up.

 

There is a large pit area that is fairly flat, but sits below the racing surface in the bottom of the valley.  So it gets swampy from time to time.  The spectator parking has a lot to be desired and the road into the race track could use a little love.  The grandstands are all on the hillside that makes for a good view pretty much anywhere but a hike to get back to your vehicle.  There is also space for hillside parking that allowed spectators to watch the race from the beds of their trucks in turn 3 & 4 all the way down into turn 1 and above the pit area.

 

I, like so many others, loved this track.  It's tucked away in the rolling hills, has some beautiful views, and always produced some good racing.  If this track was managed properly it would do very well.  The issue with the last time it was opened was a combination of poor management and drivers taking problems into their own hands.  It's a bullring!  There is going to be close racing, rubbing, and tempers flaring.  The flagman and officials need to be on their game at a place like that.  That's just what I've observed and is my opinion.  Wish someone would open it back up.  would be a good sunday track.

[3 link]

That about covers it ....thanks for the input.......I appreciate your help....

Edited by 3 link, 22 November 2017 - 04:41 PM.

[kip77]

The track is a tight paperclip with about 325' straights. I was originally told the straights were 350'. But when I surveyed it I just couldn't get it to fit right until I tried 325'. Technically the track is close to symmetrical. The difference is twofold. Turns 1 and 2 have about 5-7 degrees of banking compared to about 11 or 12 degrees in 3 and 4. And the track is lower in turns 1 and 2 compared to 3 and 4. So you would race downhill to 1 and 2 and uphill to 3 and 4.

[T-440]

Neat little track, saw some really good races there over the years.  Car count and fan count varied like any other track.  For a while when Delisle was running the track, the car count was getting better each week.  When Taylor took over the place, there were a lot of improvements in the track and the grounds, and the place looked really good the last race I was at  it is a shame to see it looking the way it does today in those pictures.  A lot of folks complain about the track being too small for late model racing, but I saw some really good races there.  Like every other track, there were good nights and bad nights for track surface, on the nights it was good, the racing was excellent.  

 

The current Semi-Late division that continues to grow in this area was born at AMP.  

 

Personally, I think one of the downfalls the place always had was trying to include every class in the region.  I think if they would have gone with 3 classes, Late Models, Semi-Lates and one of the stock classes, (streets or pures) and tried to corner the market on those 3 classes, they would have done a lot better, as opposed to trying to run the same 5 or 6 classes that every other track in the area was running.  

[BRC27]

I agree T-440 too many classes.  I've always said that tracks need to reduce the number of classes.  5 classes max in my opinion.  If I were running the track, I would run Supers, Semi Lates, Open stocks (combination of Street and Pure), and a FWD class.  Loved watching the 358 modifieds back in the day it would be nice to bring them back not sure how that would go.  Again I would open it as a Sunday afternoon track so you don't compete with Hummingbird/Marion Center and Thunder Mountain/Dog Hollow for cars.  FWD's are a fun class to watch.  Annoying as all get out, but they put on a pretty good show.  I've always said that we should look into combining the stock classes.  rather than get 8 cars in each class lets have 1 class of 16.  There is a way to combine the classes so that guys could run multiple tracks, but that's for another topic.  The Semi Late class has blossomed into something pretty big.  If we could tech these cars hard and keep them honest to the rules, then it will be a good class for years to come.     

 

This track definitely isn't too small for LM's.  It's the same length or larger than Tyler County  Just a lot more off Throttle time.  Definitely 18-20 car max start.  I started a feature with 26 cars before there and it doesn't end well.