I'll believe it when people are leaving after the successful completion of the event, without a police escort.
I'm glad Schottenstein is still focused on building something like SPARC at Cooper Park - I understand better than most that after spending $40MM on a unique, limited-use property to establish an even MORE unique property, it truly is a dance of players and whom is going to commit funding when. Carts-before-horses sort of thing; even with a lot of money in play, there are a lot of egos and agendas that developers have to align to get commitments.
If the city owned Cooper Park, it would've been a great venue for Fortress Obetz and the Ohio Machine...instead of destroying an already-respected motorsports venue already within Columbus MSA.
Even more reason why I hope SPARC still happens at some point...
Regarding OP: My only complaint about this happening in the parking lot (aside from Wags' experience in the actual "track" conditions being entirely unsafe for legit drag racing) is that it introduces an unwanted hooligan aspect to this property that has been largely left alone. Think about it: now idiots that forgot about CP still existing are now going to want to do stupid stuff in the parking lot, PISSING OFF the neighborhood. Those of us that volunteered our time for SPARC a few years back know that if it's not people living there to worry about, it's the dead ones at Greenlawn Cemetary and their well-connected relatives that will raise holy hell if sounds/smoke offend a peaceful cemetary after zoning-enforced noise ordianances are violated. It will only take one bad event to set SPARC plans off by several years, if not forever...