Racing returns to N Wilkesboro

Man I was up there a couple of years ago and that place looked rough. They really do have a bunch of work to do. Wouldn't mind seeing a race there though.
 
I'm glad that they'll run once more on the old asphalt, that seems like a fitting tribute. But I'm not gonna lie, I'm really excited about the dirt racing.

Duane
 
Already planning to go at least one weekend each time. It's just 10 minutes up the road
 
I'm sure the taxpayers are cool with this $18m investment of their money
 
RatLabGuy said:
I'm sure the taxpayers are cool with this $18m investment of their money
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Better than the $60mil they extorted from Forsyth residents for a dumbass ball field
 
They use to have a mini truck show in Wilkesboro back in the early 90's,Bout went to jail there once back in 92 or so.
 
RatLabGuy said:
I'm sure the taxpayers are cool with this $18m investment of their money
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I like it better than all the money we wasted leaving equipment in Afghanistan or doing gender studies in Pakistan, but still less than a bone marrow biopsy.

Duane
 
CLRracer said:
I like it better than all the money we wasted leaving equipment in Afghanistan or doing gender studies in Pakistan, but still less than a bone marrow biopsy.

Duane
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That was a different set of yahoos.
This is state money, which is way tighter and can't magically operate on a deficit
 
When it benefits you, you have no issues with $18 million in tax money.

Seems like a huge waste, if the track couldn't sustain on their own, why won't the same thing just happen again after 18 million of our money gets dumped into it?
 
DSM Turbos said:
When it benefits you, you have no issues with $18 million in tax money.

Seems like a huge waste, if the track couldn't sustain on their own, why won't the same thing just happen again after 18 million of our money gets dumped into it?
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The short of it, is that NASCAR and the Smiths care about the track again in the overall strategy of where the sport is going.
 
StretchASU said:
The short of it, is that NASCAR and the Smiths care about the track again in the overall strategy of where the sport is going.
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So would the track be able to make it without the $18M in public funds? Would they care about the track if it wasn't for that?

Don't get me wrong, I think the same of general arena's for other sports that get massive amounts of public funds.
 
DSM Turbos said:
So would the track be able to make it without the $18M in public funds? Would they care about the track if it wasn't for that?

Don't get me wrong, I think the same of general arena's for other sports that get massive amounts of public funds.
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C’mon now. You’re asking questions nobody has a straight answer to. Haha. When strategy, marketing and bean counters combine we get use of public funds that have been justified because somewhere it will “benefit the local community”.
 
StretchASU said:
C’mon now. You’re asking questions nobody has a straight answer to. Haha. When strategy, marketing and bean counters combine we get use of public funds that have been justified because somewhere it will “benefit the local community”.
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I'd bet they wouldn't do it if there were not 18M in public funds. Thats a lot of beans. The politicians will say but it will bring 50M in additional tax revenue though.
 
DSM Turbos said:
When it benefits you, you have no issues with $18 million in tax money.

Seems like a huge waste, if the track couldn't sustain on their own, why won't the same thing just happen again after 18 million of our money gets dumped into it?
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Eggs Zachary.

Seems like the textbook example of tax funded boondoggle bc somebody knows somebody else and has convinced them the people want it.
StretchASU said:
The short of it, is that NASCAR and the Smiths care about the track again in the overall strategy of where the sport is going.
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Suew - so shouldn't they care enough to pay the whole bill?

Oh wait
 
StretchASU said:
Wouldn’t you desire to use someone else’s money to fund a business venture?
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Hell yes I would.

At the same time, I would not desire to be the one funding that venture :flipoff2:
 
DSM Turbos said:
Seems like a huge waste, if the track couldn't sustain on their own, why won't the same thing just happen again after 18 million of our money gets dumped into it?
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It could and did sustain.
That's just the thing. In it's day, anytime the gates opened for a NASCAR Cup or Busch Series race, it played to a packed house.
Even the weekends they ran the Dash cars, Modifieds, Late Models, and Street Stock (Bowman Gray Stadium type 6 cyl)
They would pack the front grandstand and twice the crowd in the infield (racers and crew)
The ONLY reason it was sold is New Hampshire Speedway was about to open with NO available Cup dates.
So they bought NW and shut it down just to get the race dates. Took them 10 years to make money from what the spent on NW
Had it stayed open ..... it would still be packing the stands, it's a great size to race on and one of the few tracks where you can see everything from every seat.
Everyone talks about Martinsville, but I think NW had a better show with higher speeds because of the basic design ...... Not just two dragstrips connected at each end.
I've seen 4 wide racing going there.
 
Lizooki said:
It could and did sustain.
That's just the thing. In it's day, anytime the gates opened for a NASCAR Cup or Busch Series race, it played to a packed house.
Even the weekends they ran the Dash cars, Modifieds, Late Models, and Street Stock (Bowman Gray Stadium type 6 cyl)
They would pack the front grandstand and twice the crowd in the infield (racers and crew)
The ONLY reason it was sold is New Hampshire Speedway was about to open with NO available Cup dates.
So they bought NW and shut it down just to get the race dates. Took them 10 years to make money from what the spent on NW
Had it stayed open ..... it would still be packing the stands, it's a great size to race on and one of the few tracks where you can see everything from every seat.
Everyone talks about Martinsville, but I think NW had a better show with higher speeds because of the basic design ...... Not just two dragstrips connected at each end.
I've seen 4 wide racing going there.
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So in the end it didn't sustain then.

Businesses buy out their competition all the time to get the market share. This is no different. If it could make enough money on its own, the owners wouldn't have sold it. They got an offer that was too good to refuse.

I just don't agree with using tax dollars for stuff like this, then we all bitch about how much we pay in taxes.
 
Unless I misunderstand, the 18 mil is to be used to build infrastructure. The 2 main things being water and sewer. Ive also heard that they will be redoing the roads around the track.
 
Lizooki said:
It could and did sustain.
That's just the thing. In it's day, anytime the gates opened for a NASCAR Cup or Busch Series race, it played to a packed house.
Even the weekends they ran the Dash cars, Modifieds, Late Models, and Street Stock (Bowman Gray Stadium type 6 cyl)
They would pack the front grandstand and twice the crowd in the infield (racers and crew)
The ONLY reason it was sold is New Hampshire Speedway was about to open with NO available Cup dates.
So they bought NW and shut it down just to get the race dates. Took them 10 years to make money from what the spent on NW
Had it stayed open ..... it would still be packing the stands, it's a great size to race on and one of the few tracks where you can see everything from every seat.
Everyone talks about Martinsville, but I think NW had a better show with higher speeds because of the basic design ...... Not just two dragstrips connected at each end.
I've seen 4 wide racing going there.
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thats great and all, but if its is going to be so profitable then why the need to bum $18m from your fellow taxpayers?

JSJJ388 said:
Unless I misunderstand, the 18 mil is to be used to build infrastructure. The 2 main things being water and sewer. Ive also heard that they will be redoing the roads around the track.
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ok...? Shouldn't that cost be borne by the people bringing in the need for the infrastructure?
DSM Turbos said:
I just don't agree with using tax dollars for stuff like this, then we all bitch about how much we pay in taxes.
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Exactly. The big irony to me is the vast majority of the portion of society who will be all excited about this are the very same who bitch about wasteful government spending, how taxes should be lower, taxation is theft, governemnt shouldn't be meddling in private business, etc etc.
 
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DSM Turbos said:
So in the end it didn't sustain then.

Businesses buy out their competition all the time to get the market share. This is no different. If it could make enough money on its own, the owners wouldn't have sold it. They got an offer that was too good to refuse.
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The reason the family decided to sell is because none of them lived or worked there. ( as far as I remember)
Enoch Staley built , opened, ran. and worked at the track every day.
When he died, they didn't really want it. Didn't want the work that went with it.
It sold for only 8 million .....

I do agree about the where the 18M is coming from, BUT the city, county, and state has literally been working for years to get the track back open.
I doubt the new owners went looking for the incentive ..... it's been on the table a long time.

And like was mentioned earlier .... better than a baseball field like Winston Salem. (that wasn't really needed because the old is still fine)
Also, they didn't have to condemn and take away centuries old family land and hit the area ( and whole state ) with a price tag of almost 200M.
At least it's being built on something people want.
 
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