Sad Sad Day For Florida Racing

[Sandy Nerone]

USA International Speedway will hold it's last race on August 2. It's a bad day for Florida racing.

Everytime I have to hear this kind of news I think that soon we will run out of tracks to go to. USA Speedway has been sold to a land developer and will be torn down after this race for room to build a large industrial park.

When the land use becomes worth more than the use as a race track this is what you can expect to happen. Let's try this hope that the land developer sees this large crowd and cuts a piece of the property out because it might be worth more as a race track. I beg you as I have in the past to support your race tracks or lose them all. I bought the track in Lakeland with 3 partners at an auction in 1988 to save it from developers. Billy Martino and friends saved it last year. This time we will have to try to tell them it is worth not tearing down.

Let's get all of our racing friends together and make a statement and maybe we can save this one. Think about tracks left and their land worth with all of them not making enough to cover the note.

I never post so there it is go get it...Todd118brokebackbillybobredneckfan.com

LOVE ME, HATE ME, BUT HELP SAVE USA SPEEDWAY!!

Don62

[Jane]

I, for one, want to save Lakeland. This is our Daytona for short track racing. I was there the day it opened it's doors with the Hooter's Cup race and I still have that race on tape (VHS) to this day. I will never forget how my daughter was so excited that her favorite driver in the world was there, David Rogers, and it was the first time we saw Dick Anderson and Jody Ridley, and got die-cast cars of the Hooter's drivers. Over the years many famous faces have passed thru that track - Matt Kenseth, Scott Wimmer just to name a few.

I hope and pray that everyone cares about this track and can save it if at all possible. Recently I went by Pike's Peak International which is a 42,000 seat track that sits there totally empty because of land development. What a waste and I hate more than you know to see Lakeland go away.

I have done reporting for many years now, more than I want to say, and if you ask a driver what track he/she wants to run at the most, it was always Lakeland. That was their dream.

So Saturday, if you can, please come to the second leg of the Triple Crown and just maybe, the new owners will see that we need Lakeland as it is now, our Daytona for short track racing. It is worth the effort.

[JackTripper]

This is terrible news. And double terrible for me since there is no way I can make the race since I'll either be in the pits at New Smyrna or out of town.

If this turns out to be true, I sure will miss Lakeland. I've seen tons of late model races out there but I'll always remember the race with the former USAC Silver Crown cars and the ARCA race where Wayne Anderson gave the regulars fits.

[TINYTIMDSS]

what about the pro cup race in oct.

[Jane]

As the post said, August 2 will be the LAST race at Lakeland if the new owners don't see support of the track. It is worth more to them as development property than a race track.

[Joe]

Who actually owns USA Speedway? Bill Martino just leases it right?

[Frasson118]

The whole thing just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. There is a bunch of open land surrounding that track and in the surrounding areas. Why would someone spned the money to tear all this stuff down and haul it away, when the rest of the land near it doesn't require that much effort & expense? It's not like that spot is being squeezed out of existance, at least at this time.

There have been some great races there, and some even better parties in the campground. I always loved that place. But, in all honesty, the racing has gone WAY downhill, the greed at the ticket window became too much to bear, and the shows are no longer worth the money they are charging. Don't blame it all on developement... the track itself had a hand in this too.

If all of this is true, the developers aren't gonna give a damn if the place is packed wall to wall, or if it resembles a ghost town... neither one is gonna get the bulldozer crew cancelled.

So, as much as I hate seeing any track go away, the front ticket greed will once again keep me away. I'll keep my fond memories of USA Speedway... as well as $30 in my pocket for a show that is worth $15 at best.

[pitcrew]

I've enjoyed watching/working the races at Lakeland as it is maybe the nicest shorttrack facility I've been to BUT...... If they wanted fans to support the place $30 for grandstand seats to a Sunbelt show with the trucks is the wrong way to get it. Always a 2 day show, $30-$40 a day to get in the pits added to the normal over and above costs(impound tires etc.). It's sad to see it go, but if racetracks want support from fans they need to try to provide what fans want - Affordable prices, entertaining races, clean facility - and support the drivers (who ARE the SHOW) instead of wringing every last cent from their pocket.

[carolwicks]

Sad hardly describes what I feel.....

I actually have tears in my eyes... this is by far the best race track i have ever been to in Florida and we have enjoyed many many races at USA SPEEDWAY....
I seriously doubt any of us can save it. If the owner can make alot of money and has his mind made up, I think thats the way it is.....I know there are some very sad people in Florida right now.As far as the costs of getting in etc. I am not a track owner and have no idea what it costs to operate the facility... but I do know this....almost every race I attended...the stands were almost empty. The only time i saw nearly full stands was for the ARCA race..I NEVER EVER saw any advertisements for the big special races. If not for this message board i would have missed alot of races!
Usually when rumors start about a track closing, it is within the year they do! We knew this was coming so why are we waiting til now to try and save it?
besides being sad, i am a little angry...even at myself.
carolwicks aka OZ

PLEASE TRY TO GO TO USA SPEEDWAY THIS SATURDAY!!!! Show your support !!!

[ancrdave]

With the exception of the Lakeland area in general, this track has never been promoted very well... Big events like ARCA and Pro Cup - nothing ever advertised at all in the Metro Orlando area... Tampa too... There are a lot of couch potato NASCAR fans who would have probably come there had they actually known something was going on...
It surprises me that the new owners would not continue to rent out the facility to the many NASCAR/ARCA etc. teams that use it for testing... I have heard from a very reliable source that this revenue is the only thing that has managed to keep the track going over the years, since the race programs most always lose money...
Wish I could be there too, but like so many of you out there my current financial situation is keeping me pretty much at home this year with the exception of Speedworld...

[Joe]

Alright. We've got a story up about it now... Still trying to track down the owner, but phone calls are out. Here's the link.

http://www.ocala.com/article/2008073...ce_on_Saturday

[Benny The Mule]

As far as the developement standpoint, take a look at an aierial photo or google the track. It is surrounded by wetlands and with the EPA driven by tree huggers, (environmental activists). I'm an (active environmentalist)...BIG DIFFERENCE. It is almost impossible to fill in a wet area because it is now protected. Sometimes you can move it but it's too expensive. The track land is high and dry for developement and is worth it's weight in gold for an industrial park where the developers will "built to suite" and get huge lease payments from all the companies that base their operations there.

A racetrack that runs occationally is worthless to developers who can offer industrial space right off the interstate.

Remember.......Money is the root of all evil.

Proper investing will always prevail no matter who or what gets stepped on to do it.

I think it sucks.............

[ovalracer44]

My grand father used to live about 3 miles from USA. We would go down there at Christmas and I remember passing the track and telling myself that one day I would race there. It looked like the holy mecca of short track racing from the high way.

[carolwicks]

Dave

you said it all in a nutshell. the place has NOT been promoted properly and if it was it would be worth more as a race facility than a one time land deal! i know ads cost a fortune as well as TV and radio...but whatever it costs it would make people aware... half the people in our county dont even know we have a race track and we promote it!...
Is there anything we can do to save USA? please post!!! we have to try...
carolwicks aka OZ

[Boneman]

So the rumors were true. I'll go this weekend, but I think the notion of saving the track by having a big turn-out is a bit quixotic.

Could it be more clear? High expenses, low participation and a great deal of sub-par (in my opinion) racing will always lead to this end. I am sure this is not lost on Florida race organizers. I hope it also sinks in with the fans to get off the couch and go out to have some fun at a track.

The best race I saw at USA was the "one hit wonder" PRA race in December 2006, and the biggest crowd I witnessed was for Crash A Rama in April 2007.