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Is NHRA going to close National Trail Raceway?


SLOWLX

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It has been reported online at Dragracing on Line (DRO) that there is a strong Rumor that the NHRA is looking at closing National Trail Raceway in the Future.. The rumor mill is saying that the reasons are money...First they remove almost every money making race at the track and then they want to close it for not making any money.. This smells like a Rat to me, what are your thoughts?
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I would love it if they sold, they are just down the street from me and I think without NHRA on board that track under the right management could be epic. Obviously looking at record books the place is worth someone to buy and return it to the glory days.

 

Hell someone just bought mansfield raceway and all the land for 800k, imagine if that trails sold for around that price. I think it would be a bargain.

 

http://www.dragracingonline.com/agent1320/2013/1320-xv_2-61.html

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There was rumor a couple years ago that jegs put an offer on the table,not sure how much there is to that though. Would be great for someone to buy it and actually do something with it instead of whats going on now.

 

A new track manager took over last year but who knows what nhra will actually let him do.

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I would love it if they sold, they are just down the street from me and I think without NHRA on board that track under the right management could be epic. Obviously looking at record books the place is worth someone to buy and return it to the glory days.

 

Hell someone just bought mansfield raceway and all the land for 800k, imagine if that trails sold for around that price. I think it would be a bargain.

 

http://www.dragracingonline.com/agent1320/2013/1320-xv_2-61.html

 

Seems that drag racings glory days were in the 70s-80s and 90s. I look at how packed Pacemakers used to get each weekend and look at it now. It's a shame really to see all the tracks that have closed since 80s. We're lucky to have as many choices as we do here in Ohio.

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Trails is always packed... They may not get the spectators but they have plenty of competitors... Use Norwalk as a template. Build a better facility and run the right program... Import stuff and do small tires and 10.5 Outlaw stuff and people will come. Hell look at South Georgia motorsports park. That place has the right events and people travel from all over to run there. Trails has a great 1/4 mile and long shut down just skimpy on prep
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Trails sucks, and the staff ownership could careless about who spends money there. Ever since NHRA took it over it's steadily gone down hill.

 

I stopped going about 7 yrs ago couldn't stand the mess and disorganization of that place,plus they do a shitty job prepping the track for grudge racing IMO. Norwalk is soo much nicer.

 

Hopefully the NHRA sells it and someone buys it who gives a shit.

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Seems that drag racings glory days were in the 70s-80s and 90s. I look at how packed Pacemakers used to get each weekend and look at it now. It's a shame really to see all the tracks that have closed since 80s. We're lucky to have as many choices as we do here in Ohio.

 

I was actually remarking on this lastnight with a friend who has been in and out of the "car scene" for years. The younger crowd with a few notable exceptions doesn't to have the same fuel in their blood as some of the generations prior. Not to mention with the economy still not doing so hot expendable money to toss into a project/track car is hard to come by.

 

There aren't a lot of new platforms people get into reasonably cheap to build from either. Think of how many of us still mod/build/repair our 80s and 90s machines.

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Best thing that could happen would be a sale of the track. The NHRA really has shown they are clueless when it comes to running a track (or organization for that matter).

 

I think there would be a very good chance the track would be purchased by an ownership group since the track is not a total hole.

 

There is also the possibility someone will buy it, doze it, and put houses on it.

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I was talking with my dad about this last night, he brought up a very good point about the situation.

 

The NHRA holds their Division 3 points meet there each year, where would they move it to if the track gets shut down? Norwalk? Not centralized and is already booked up pretty good.

 

He also pointed out that IHRA has been purchased by some people who know what they ar doing, and they might swoop in on this to really stick it to NHRA.

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Straight from the horse's mouth:

 

Well, I have no problem with anyone asking, it's the blahblahblah without any actual knowledge that makes me shake my head. No. We are not closing. Every racetrack I know of, along with every business, is for sale at a price. But I sure don't see anyone stepping up with a valid business plan for buying a racetrack on 320 acres in a floodplain. That said, anything can happen at any time. Who woulda thought Fiat would own Chrysler?

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I was talking with my dad about this last night, he brought up a very good point about the situation.

 

The NHRA holds their Division 3 points meet there each year, where would they move it to if the track gets shut down? Norwalk? Not centralized and is already booked up pretty good.

 

He also pointed out that IHRA has been purchased by some people who know what they ar doing, and they might swoop in on this to really stick it to NHRA.

 

I'd be for IHRA buying Trails. They actually care about the sportsman racer.

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From someone that has been racing there weekly for the last 7 years, a couple things ive noticed that i really think could help trails be a big time player again are...

 

1. People. As of the staff from last year, i can think of only about 6-7 people i would keep employed there. Most of the tech area guys, as well as staging lane and track guys are a joke. They have a certain older guy that works down at tech that has had several complaints because he either takes 20 minutes to tech a car, has no respect for peoples property or is just out ass to people, and he had not been let go last i knew.

 

2. Great ideas, but no action. 2 years ago, our wednsday night crew started a kind of community council to get our ideas to the big guys. I heard alot of good ideas like another import vs domestic event like they used to have or even a gm vs ford vs chrysler event as well as others. And while these are more "long term" solutions, they have also had smaller things such as the first wednesday last season. We had a fellow racer in the hospitol so they did a buy back race if you went out early that you won half the earnings and the other half went towards the other guys hospitol bills. After that night, it was brought up that such a buy back race every wednesday so that the extra money could be used for better trophys and such. As lame as that might sound, we actually have lost several guys because we started paying more to race, but we started getting cheap ass looking plaques. But nothing ever happens when said ideas come up.

 

3. Last but no least, track prep. No explanation needed

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Lol at track prep on a weds. What's the point for 99% of the cars that go on a weds night race? Cool, you got a new 5.0, now take you're radials and burn them to the 60' mark. Seen it way to often and don't blame them for not prepping very good then. Waste of time and $
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