Desoto Super Speedway

[Racefan99]

Russ Thomson is an older guy and runs Legends Cars of Florida... They ran a tour race at Desoto, but their results are never provided or posted on their website... I expect they probably had 15-20 cars there...
I hope Russ sees your post... he'll think it's funny since his son has run Legends up thru ARCA for the past several years...

Sorry, you are correct. I just found Saturdays recap, and there were 14 Legends cars at Desoto, for a turnout of 29 cars at the track, in all divisions.

Don Ketterman #22
Doug Hall #55
Justin Brown #8
Dave Gleason #07
Alex Kempf #99
Mason Ketterman #71
Tyler Smith #4
Gerald White #38
Erik Eichelberger #47
Jake Perkins #59
Jimmy Norman #2
Rick Wetmore #06
Zach Harris #54

[Rick Williamson]

Man those are some really bad numbers. I can remember 5 years ago when we raced in the Southern Sportsmen Series. And just the Series had 28 cars in the race. Plus there was a concie race for the rest that didn't make the main event.

[Gary J]

They have school buses this week,probably get about 17. Good racing.

[Opp fan]

Article about DeSoto Speedway for sale in today's Bradenton Herald

http://www.bradenton.com/sports/story/1702618.html

[Edm]

“It could be low-cost housing,” Sarppraicone said. “We need low cost housing somewhere in this county. Why not put apartments for $400 a month out here? That would be great. Or it could be a golf course."


John,
I always new you were a piece of crap and this proves it. You ran your track into the ground, now your gonna give up on it? Some business man you are. Its an awesome little track, its a damn shame.

[JackTripper]

I hope they printed that article in the comics section, because it is pure comedy.

He only need look in the mirror to see why no one comes to his racetrack any more. He blames everyone and everything else for that track's woes. God forbid he should actually PROMOTE at that track.

Shall we pitch in and buy him a Greyhound ticket to go check out Bowman Gray up in North Carolina? Hell, just go to Citrus County, every time I've been there for a sprint car race the place has been pretty packed.

[Todd McCreary]

God forbid he should actually PROMOTE at that track.

while he may be part of the problem, i don't know that "lack of promotion" is the specific issue.

[Racefan99]

If Desoto closes and/or sells to someone who doesn't want to keep it as a race track, what will become of the TBARA??

Desoto has been their home track for 2009.

[USAMedia]

EAST MANATEE — DeSoto Super Speedway on State Road 64 in East Manatee is up for sale for $4.5 million.
Owner John Sarppraicone put the 3/8-of-a-mile oval track nine miles east of Interstate 75 up for sale on eBay recently, and said he has had 14,000 hits on the listing.
“We put it on eBay for the heck of it,” Sarppraicone said Friday. “But we are in negotiations. There is action on it. I’ll let you know when it sells.”
Sarppraicone, who has been around racing since he was a teen on Long Island,N.Y., has owned the track and its 63 acres for 10 years, but he said an economy in the pits has left his business about 70 percent off.
“I did it for 10 years, and I love what I do, but we are off with the numbers,” Sarppraicone said. “It’s not just us. Look at NASCAR. They’re off 30 to 40 percent. If you look, you’ll see the empty seats. I will tell you, this is going to be the worst Christmas you ever saw. We’ve got to have jobs.”
Always the salesman, Sarppraicone says he is selling the land for $69,000 an acre and tossing in the track for free.
“I don’t want to close it down,” Sarppraicone said. “I don’t want people to think I’m leaving them without racing. But this is a business. If people love our track, they have to come out and support it.”
Sarppraicone blames his troubles and those of his fellow business owners on politicians being out for everything but the little guy.
“I’ve got people coming to my ticket booth with quarters, nickels and dimes,” Sarppraicone said. “We need to get some people with business sense and let them run the country. We need jobs so people can buy cars and go to races. I would love to run for office. I would run it as a business.”
Back in 2003, when the economy was strong, Sarppraicone introduced school bus races at the track and he drew 3,800 fans the first race. Now, the bus races may draw 900 to 1,500 on a good night, he said.
Recently the combination of a Tampa Bay Racing Association winged sprint car race and school bus races on the same night drew 930 fans. That same combination drew 2,500 fans in past years, the owner said.
“That’s unheard of,” Sarppraicone said.
Sarppraicone said he owns the track and land free and clear. He suggests the track could be turned into a large apartment complex or a golf course if it is not used for racing.
“It could be low-cost housing,” Sarppraicone said. “We need low cost housing somewhere in this county. Why not put apartments for $400 a month out here? That would be great. Or it could be a golf course.”
Sarppraicone said he has a special permit for racing but otherwise the land is zoned agriculture.
Chris Bryson of Nokomis, who owns two race trucks with his brother, hopes Sarppraicone is teasing or posturing about the track being turned into housing.
“It’s a great race track,” Bryson said. “It’s layout is like no other. It has higher banking in the corners than you normally find on this size track. Its location is great. It’s perfect for us.”
Sarppraicone invites those interested in purchasing the track to contact Blakeley & Associates Realty of Sarasota at (941) 809-5511.
Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 708-7917.

[Jane]

Good, bad, whatever, it is yet another racetrack up for sale and who knows if it will stay a racetrack. Yea, you may not like the owner and he may have nickle/dimed everyone too death, but I am sure somewhere in there that John did love his track and wanted to make it work.

Heck, I doubt there is a track in the state that has not had unhappy racers at one time or another. When the Goodyear Challenge use to go there, there was a decent car count and fans in the stands. And yes, the economy has changed and people really have to watch their nickels right now. But I am sure alot of you have some fond memories from Desoto and you also don't want to see yet another track go bye-bye.

Owners and their staff have alot to do with whether or not drivers and fans come. You need a staff that actually cares about the track and is nice and friendly not only to the drivers but the fans. They need to feel welcome and appreciated because they are spending their hard earned money with you. If your staff is only there because they want to make money and honestly don't give a hoot about the track, well, you have already lost part of the game.

There was a time, many years ago, when someone told me that New Smyrna Speedway was the most unfriendly track they had ever been to. Of course I told them they were wrong but they felt like an outsider, not someone who was there week after week, was not welcome. Of course that was not true but evidentally someone had been very rude to them and made them feel that way. Thank goodness they took my words to heart and gave New Smyrna another chance and were happy and did come back quite a few times after that. But maybe whoever that person was was having a bad day but you can't bring that bad day to work with you and make people feel welcome.
Rusty use to always tell us, the staff, if you did not want to be there and could not put on a happy, smiling face, GO HOME. He did not need you there that night. Rudeness does not get you anywhere and people won't come back if that is how they are treated.

I admit that I am not one of John's favorite people because of working with Jack for so many years. But whenever I needed to go there and write, he was always nice to me and thanked me for coming. And sometimes he would even use my story for his website. He could have been nasty and he could have not let me in but he never did that. He knew I was there to write a story and that it would be a fair story to everyone and that is what I did.

But My only hope is that whoever does buy it, does keep it a racetrack and we don't see yet another one something else. And whether you like John or not, you still need to support your local track. Heck, none of us like everyone and we all have had our moments in life but I am sure that at one time John did care and want to make his track work. But you need good, caring people and that is something that is hard to find these days at a local track. Most everyone just wants the bucks and could care less if the drivers or fans are happy or not. And that, will never work for any track.

[Joe]

If you don't like your local track, why do you have to support it?

I hate that race tracks have to close, but most that do close for a reason. Same thing with restaurants, bars, and any other business that provides a service.

The best way to get things changed is to vote with your wallet. Apparently, that's what's happening at Desoto. Maybe that's what's happening at other tracks around the country.

As for changes, sometimes unsuccessful tracks have to close. Maybe they get sold to developers and turned into parking lots.

If that happens, it's NOT because you didn't support your local short track. It's because your local short track didn't do enough -- whether it's pricing or service issues -- for your business. That's the race track's problem, not the fans' problem.

[Boneman]

Joe, your point on businesses responding to their customers is well taken, but there is a difference between comparing a track to a restaurant, bar or other service industry. You or I could get in the restaurant business in a matter of weeks. There are uncountable locations available, not to mention hundreds of franchise companies that have their business down to a pre-packaged art.

Racetracks, on the other hand, are so difficult to get off the ground that no new stock car track has been built in Florida for at least 15 years. They are a rare commodity, so we need to give them a break (to a point).

[Joe]

So we should just keep going to track that we don't like just because it's there?

There are some tracks I've driven eight hours to go see and will gladly do again. Then there are a few within 100 miles of me that have lost me -- and I don't go back.

I know tracks are dying, and that's a shame. But a lot that offer a great product are still doing well.

(Of course, I've also been known to get in the car and drive about 2 hours to get great barbecue.)

[Jane]

It is your choice whether to support the local track or not. I know that none of them are perfect just hope if someone does buy Desoto, it is still a racetrack.

[AJ14]

The brightest and best part of this whole sad charade is that if he sells , racing will finally be rid of John . And that might almost be worth losing a race track .
I can't help but smile at his posturing . I'd say its pretty unlikely that an apartment complex , or anything else would go in there just yet seeing as how theres a drag strip right on the property line next door .
And John may possibly , i said possibly , actually own the land , but how many hundreds of liens must there be on it .
He took over Desoto as an ego trip and to show Fascar they couldn't fire him and get away with it . Since thats all the interest hes' ever had in actually making it succeed , its a wonder it lasted this long .