In reply to SpeedwayFan :
Economics. At some point, the rich people who could blow the money move on, and new owners want to make sure the property pays them back. Tracks are not used often enough to take space that someone else will use it 24/7.
And looking at a map, MIS is far to close to Memphis to be used so infrequently.
In reply to alfadriver :
True but is office space or retail not more profitable? Also won't the warehouse on the site of Memphis International Raceway just further pollute the area?
In reply to SpeedwayFan :
If it was, they would be standing there. Maybe when Memphis expands into that area, the warehouse can be turned into a mall. edit- since most new massive warehouses are for online sales, it IS a shopping district.
And why would a warehouse pollute more than a race track? They are not likely spilling fuel during a refill, and the trucks that are operating there are being used well within the envelope where the emissions were designed to run in. Let alone, there are no accidents where you need to put oil dry out to get the leaking fuel, oil, and coolant.
In reply to SpeedwayFan :
If the area is badly polluted now, it may be that it would require more remediation to put people working/living items on it than warehouse space.
SpeedwayFan said:In reply to alfadriver :
True but is office space or retail not more profitable? Also won't the warehouse on the site of Memphis International Raceway just further pollute the area?
Office space? Probably not. Retail? Probably not.
I haven't worked in an office in 2.5 years. I can't tell you the last time I went into an actual store for something. Maybe the container store 3.5 years ago to see in person if they had anything we could use.
I suspect most of those warehouse are going to support eCommerce companies to cut down on shipping times.
https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/amazon-warehouses/
Don't get me started on warehouses.... we built our new house in 2004 in rural farm country. We are now surrounded by million sq ft warehouses. traffic has gone through the roof, trash everywhere. People are rude and angry etc. We fought tooth and nail, banded together, paid lawyers, went through remonstrance and was told "sorry, you are eiher in a town or will be even if everyone being annexed is opposed."
In reply to bobzilla :
At this rate there's gonna be more warehouses than homes in America
alfadriver said:In reply to SpeedwayFan :
Economics. At some point, the rich people who could blow the money move on, and new owners want to make sure the property pays them back. Tracks are not used often enough to take space that someone else will use it 24/7.
And looking at a map, MIS is far to close to Memphis to be used so infrequently.
Yup, follow the money.
If race tracks were super profitable, you'd see them on every corner.
Let's also clarify that when we say racetracks, we're talking about roundy round. Not knocking it, I love all kinds of racing. Road courses seem to be having a resurgence. Hopefully it won't fade.
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
2 of America's greatest road courses were abandoned Riverside and Augusta
Riverside wasn't abandoned. It was sold off for housing and a mall. They even still raced on it (1989) when part of the course was being torn down. It was a premier course though, it's where IROC started!
The final years
The circuit soldiered on for a few years but in 1988 it was announced that this would be the final year for professional racing at Riverside, as the land was being sold off to create housing and a shopping mall. NASCAR held their finale (won by Rusty Wallace) in June, while a further farewell event was arranged in July for club racers and the vintage cars. A SCORE International Off Road World Championship event in August was one final hurrah on the grounds of the circuit, before the bulldozers moved in a week later.
However, it wasn't the end of the story. Slightly surprisingly, the circuit enjoyed one further year as a club venue – under the moniker of Riverside Regional Raceway. As new housing had already encroached the centre of the back straight, a new section of track was laid to link Turn 7A with the dog-leg. After use for just one year, the track closed for good. All traces had virtually gone by the time the Valley Mall at Towngate opened in 1992, while the old Administration Building remained until 2005, when it was torn down to make way for a complex of town homes.
Not being completely destroyed, but California Speedway is being "downsized". They are going to turn it from a super speedway, into a mini-speedway (more of a Bristol size I think). The worst of it is though is they are going to sell off a lot of the surrounding parking lots (to Amazon warehouses no doubt) which are commonly used for various auto events. They will also of course be loosing the infield road course.
Next Gen in California revealed
With enthusiasm for short 'bullring' ovals on the rise, in August 2020, plans were filed with San Bernadino County for approval to turn the complex into a half-mile oval, centred on the current pit lane and front stretch area. The so-called “Next Gen in California” plan would see Fontana shrink dramatically in size, forming a paperclip-shaped high-banked oval which would be akin to a hybrid between Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
It would also release large tracts of current speedway land for commercial redevelopment - which could prove particularly lucrative for NASCAR. Similarly rising land values led to the eventual downfall of nearby Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside Raceway.
https://www.racingcircuits.info/north-america/usa/riverside.html
(a great site if you want to look up old tracks)
SpeedwayFan said:In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
2 of America's greatest road courses were abandoned Riverside and Augusta
Perhaps they're gone, but in the past few decades there have been plenty of new ones opening. Barber, NCM, Pitt Race, The Ridge, etc.... I'm all for nostalgia, but it's necessarily tragic if old and outdated tracks close and new ones open.
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
A bit of pedantry, but PittRace expanded, rather than recently opened. It used to be called BeaveRun, and already had the south course there years before PittRace was a thing. Which I find even more encouraging.
Ranger50 said:spitfirebill said:Ranger50 said:Memphis may be sold but the buyer can't do anything with the property. The track was built on an old WW2 factory and the ground is heavily polluted.
Build a race track.
EPA will say no.
It's been done other places.
bobzilla said:Don't get me started on warehouses.... we built our new house in 2004 in rural farm country. We are now surrounded by million sq ft warehouses.
Near my house is a lot rural property with warehouses popping up. This guy I feel sorry for as a big banana warehouse popped up in his backyard.
Crazy thing is the land was annexed in got this 25+ years ago so they kinda had time? A lot of folks lived quietly only to now have a Speedway Gas Station flashing all night.
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