Looks like the "best short-track in America" and "The House of Drift" might be no more. The official website (http://toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.com/) is down and recent news looks grim:
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_19947581
http://www.wreckedmagazine.com/blog/2012/02/12/irwindale-speedway-updates-along-with-statement-from-jim-liaw/
Yup times are hard on tracks. Oddly the NASCAR craze a few years ago hurt the small local tracks. People stopped going to home town tracks and spent big $$ to go to "shows" instead. Now with 3 years of no economy the tracks are running out of the funds it takes to operate.
It is truly sad. I see some classes at my local tracks with 3 cars...
Thankfully the track i run at has been growing but it is and has been in a economically depressed area for 10 years. All but one paper plant has closed....
44
Thats sad. I remember the early days of Drift Days ran by MotoP and the folks of Club4AG held at the parking lot.
As long as the track itself isn't torn up, I guess there is hope for a reopening someday with a new owner. I hate to see any racetrack go under. Still mad over Riverside going away.
Gearheadotaku wrote:
As long as the track itself isn't torn up, I guess there is hope for a reopening someday with a new owner. I hate to see any racetrack go under. Still mad over Riverside going away.
Damn right, RIR was the best track I've ever driven. I still won't stop in Riverside, not even to get gas. F'ing condos.
It's official. RIP Irwindale:
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120213/NASCAR/120219947
forzav12 wrote:
Gearheadotaku wrote:
As long as the track itself isn't torn up, I guess there is hope for a reopening someday with a new owner. I hate to see any racetrack go under. Still mad over Riverside going away.
Damn right, RIR was the best track I've ever driven. I still won't stop in Riverside, not even to get gas. F'ing condos.
I never even got a chance to drive there, just saw races on tv and thought it was the coolest track ever. Ovals got boring fast....