Another One Gone - Richmond Dragway (1 Viewer)

Another report:


DG
 
Of course there's no plans to reopen...........That's because the new plans are at the building department waiting for permits to build homes.........Whatever !!......Sick of people taking away our fun......It's bad enough people where I live pay 2k for a 1 bedroom shithole.......Another strip lost.........sad.......sorry I was rambling......
 
My home track. Used to race there in the mid sixties when I was in high school. More recently would take my Cobra replica over on open track nights and make a few passes just for fun. It was a very small track with a local following. Richmond Dragway closed when COVID hit and they never reopened. Gratefully we still have a world class track in our backyard. Richmond Motorsports Parkway runs a strong program that has everything from a couple of run what you brung nights each month for local yahoos like me to get their kicks right up to being a stop on the NHRA big show circuit. Drag racing is still alive and well in the Richmond VA market.
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Why do we need drag strips? We've got the Street Outlaws promoting street racing, and making more money that sanctioned racers. :rolleyes:
 
I worked in Richmond in '96-'97 and used to take my rental car there on Sundays and bracket race it. Was always a fun place.
 
Sick of people taking away our fun......It's bad enough people where I live pay 2k for a 1 bedroom shithole.......Another strip lost.........sad.......sorry I was rambling......

I covered several IHRA points races there and it was always a lot of fun. Johnny Davis worked his butt off to make sure everyone who went to the track had a great experience. If he decided to do something else with his life and no one wanted to take over the track business, I would not call that taking away your fun.

Johnny said he was moving on a year or so ago. This is just making it final. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met in drag racing and no one can blame him for putting himself and his family first.
 
It just occurred to me that nearly every dragstrip closure had making a profit on the land as its central cause. In SoCal- Lions, Fontana, Irwindale, OCIR, Ontario and Riverside all made the land owners a nice profit and kicked the racers to the curb. Let's Go Capitalism.
 
It just occurred to me that nearly every dragstrip closure had making a profit on the land as its central cause. In SoCal- Lions, Fontana, Irwindale, OCIR, Ontario and Riverside all made the land owners a nice profit and kicked the racers to the curb. Let's Go Capitalism.
San Antonio Raceway just sold too....
 
Approximately 2 months ago, Drag Racing Historian/IDR Hall of Famer Bret Kepner, in an interview on WGO, stated that currently there are more active drag strips than anytime in the last 40 years. He would know as he is one of the group that is recording drag racing history and they have lists of active and closed tracks here in North American and all over the world.

While we do loudly hear of track closings, we rarely hear about the "re-openings" and last second saves, etc.
It seemed inevitable to us locals that both the landowner and the long term track operator/lease holder, Carl Wisinger, were scant days from forever closing Orlando Speed World about 7-8 years ago. Then Ozzie Moya stepped in at the last second and in addition to keeping events like the World Street Nationals going for now over 25 years; he along with DI's Wes Buck have promoted the highest paying Pro Stock events the last two years that Pro Stock has ever had.

And I really thought Pro Stock was toast 5 years ago. Its not and neither are drag strips. .
 
San Antonio Raceway just sold too....
Just the mention of San Antonio reminds me of it's owners from the 70's, the Martinez Bros. Spent days with them annually at Tice's AHRA Track Owners Meeting in KC. Great guys.

Wonder how many different owners that track has had since them and why each one either "had" to move or choose to move on. Obvious that not one of the buyers thought the land was worth more for something other than a race track. Perceived or real, perception of value will dictate land use and track operations. Once profitability is proven wrong, it takes someone with guts and somewhat deep pockets to prove that "negative opinion" wrong.

Sometimes that doesn't happen..
 
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