Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2013
 

Just got official notice from staff at Firebird raceway here in AZ that it WILL BE closed effective April 2013. No lease will be renewed. There are no solid plans as yet for a new facility. I guess it will be Tucson and Speedworld from here on out. If Speedworld can keep the sheriffs dept from closing them down.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/19...erage-drinking

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Buggar !!!!

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

That really sucks, especially for us in Arizona.....I understand that the land that Firebird is on would be much more valuable for something else. When Firebird was built, it was "out in the country"....now it is surounded by casinos and homes. I hope someone invests in a new drag strip and/or Speedworld can get their dispute handled and then expand.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Ruins my weekend! :mad:
Rumor has it Charlie Allan (Firebird's owner) has land for a track. If so, he better get on it; about 6 months ago! :mad:

And I've said it before, Speed Worlds wild party atmosphere or attitude will not be tolerated by the locals (or the Sheriff).

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Speedworld needs another Bob Curly.

I really like that track.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Where is Sheriff "JOE" !

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Maybe not all is lost for local racers in Arizona. We are talking (in my architecture firm) with a group that is considering a multi-motorsport complex here in AZ...........of course I can't say more and it is highly speculative. Actually, we've not heard from them in a while..........they've gone quiet so who knows, it could go either way as many of our architecture projects do.

I think there are some groups who understand the importance of motorsports as a business venture and the benefit in the west and Arizona. If they resurface again I'll let you know.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

I was in the area of Luke Air Force Base today and there's a SCCA track that I've heard about but have never seen so I decided to drive by it. It's Arizona Motorsports Park @ 152nd Avenue & Camelback in Litchfield Park. Damn impressive track! They are at the tail-end of LAFB (for those that don't know, worlds largest Air Force fighter training base) runway. Plans take off and fly directly over this SCCA track. It was shut down in litigation for two years due to noise complaints! There is a large subdivision (Palm Valley) across the street; also under the flight path of F-16's! From what I understand, the track has a strictly enforced WOT DB level of 94 that is enforced. I was told a Ferrari or Lamborghini with stock exhaust would not pass. Gates open at 8 and no racing allowed until 9:00 A.M and racing stops at 4:00 P.M. to appease the neighbors.
I'm going to have to give the track a whirl with my SVT Focus someday soon. I've never done this & sounds like a fun way to kill 4 tires and 8 brake pads!

Back to the architects looking at a track, there's definitely a lot of cars in the Valley and surrounding states. If you drive to California there's a little spit of a town called Dateland on I-8. I'm told there is a Marine reserve field in the area which is only used for emergency landings (Marines use Yuma, AZ for fighter training). Every time I drive by there I think it would be a great spot for a drag strip to serve both southern California and Arizona. Just a thought...

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Sheriff Joe is the one who busted the party at Speed World!

Pat,
I grew up racing at Speed World back when it was Phoenix Raceway. Started in '78 or '79 after Beeline closed down. It's always been a great track in my opinion but I never liked it when it turned into Import night (as in ALL night) with DJ's, Bikini contests and mud / Jello wrestling. Now I like pretty girls just like everyone else here but I stayed after a race once to witness one of these events. To say it involves the dredges of society would be a complement. If track management can't see drugs and alcohol are part of the scene, they obviously have a blind eye.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

I haven't seen a 2013 schedule yet,, but if Firebird is closing in April, then am I right in assuming there will be the one last national event there next year after Pomona as usual?
If so,, will you be out with the AMX, Jeff? Inquiring minds want to know!
Danny Durham

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

That's the plan!

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Just got E-mail from Stepahanie at Firebird. The National WILL be held Feb 22-24 2013. This will be the last one in the current facility til further notice. I have also heard 2 different rumors on the tracks future. One being leveled and turned into a Grand Hotel and resort to compliment the casino. The other is that the tribe may renovate it and reopen it as their own. (They want ALL the revenue not just lease money). More updates to follow as I get them. My work place is a major program sponsor so they want us in the loop. I got the national event poster but I cant resize it to post it yet.

Kenny Newsome 7709 ?/sa stock eliminator

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

A few years ago, a group of developers filed a lawsuit requesting to be allowed to develop land at the Gila Bend firing range and additional land near Luke AFB.

The government refused and they filed a lawsuit. The government won the case and the state and the AG have supported the limits to developments in the area. The US Air Force testified that if homes were built, the next thing it would happen was the home owners would request closure of the base due to noise.

The same issues that happen to many racetracks; people build and purchase homes near airports, military bases and racetracks and then want them close because of noise or traffic.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Wow, this is the same kind of mess that tried (and failed), to mess up Bandimere Speedway in Denver...right around y2k! Fortunately the Bandimeres owned their land, and put up a very credible argument for why the track needed to stay there and in operation after the election ruined their plans for a "World Park" out east of Aurora, so as to enhance Bandimere in Morrison....

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Kenny, can you find out if they're having the divisionals like they had this year, afterwards too? If so, count me in for that....some good news for NHRA buffs is that Rocky Mountain Raceway is back into the fold. However, the track is over 700 miles away, so it'll be a bit of a haul...better than going to Fallon, Nv, or Sonoma, Ca., from Phoenix though... :)

I wish developers would leave our race tracks alone, or laws would be made that would hinder them from developing land near race tracks and airports...DIA was created after residents kept complaining about Stapleton International Airport as well, and now those flippin' developers are again getting closer and closer with houses and businesses to DIA. However, I think they (Denver) zoned enough surrounding land to keep those developer jerks from becoming next door neighbors....we need to do that here, with our race tracks (like our Phoenix airport has done with allowing only businesses to be close to the airport)!

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

The tribe taking over the track and running it as their own would be an interesting twist and something I'd think the tribe has taken or should take into consideration. The drag strip is not the only revenue source on that large piece of property. Firebird Lake is used for boat racing and Bondurant has their road course racing school there too. I think hotel/casino expansion could be accomplished on existing tribal land close to the current casino without leveling or closing any of the racing facilities.

There are always risks involved when building and operating a business on leased land. I know of three national event drag strips that are on leased land - Firebird, Pomona and Heartland Park Topeka. Heartland Park is probably the safest of the three as far as longevity of use is concerned. The land is owned by the city of Topeka and they know how much residual revenue is generated by racing through racers and fans spending money in their city. I've read that the Topeka NHRA national event alone injects somewhere around $8 million into the city. The local businesses love that, and the city really likes their cut collected in sales taxes

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Gary, if you haven't been to Bandimere in the last few years, you would be amazed at how many new homes have been built on the other side of the valley south of the Alameda Parkway. It's only a matter of time before some people who buy or rent those homes with a direct view of the drag strip will start trying to change the zoning designation of the Bandimere property. If or when they manage to force the closure of Bandimere, some of the same people will be complaining that they can hear music from Red Rocks.

DIA was inevitable. Stapleton couldn't handle the ever expanding air traffic and had no options for growth. It was better to build a much larger airport and close Stapleton than try to keep it open while still building a much larger airport ala Chicago Midway and O'Hare.

Construction of a NASCAR track with a drag strip next to it (a "new" Bandimere Speedway) close to DIA was stopped by the vote of 184 people in Adams county who were supposedly opposed to the facilities due to more automobile traffic in the area. That was a very small tail that wagged a very large dog.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Does anyone have a factual update on racing in Lake Havasu City, AZ?

Al

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

My brother owns a home in Queen Creek Az. I go there each winter in Feb, usually around the time of the National or divisional at Firebird depending how they fall on the calendar. While driving around, I noticed a cattle farmer in area posted a large sign, on the edge of his propery that faced a development. Basically it said "this is a working farm, sometimes it stinks, if you don't like it don't move here". Maybe it's something all race tracks should do.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

My grandmother lives in Havasu and continually gives me updates from whats in the paper there. She said the site for the potential track has moved from Sara Park out to the other side of town near the airport. Said that there has been activity in that area with earth moving equipment leveling the site.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

1st I've heard of this...any more info?

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

They were running ASA trucks & Bondurant Road Course cars there on Saturday using the 1/4 mile as a straightaway.

There was construction equipment in the area around the Casino on I-10!
I asked a few spectators about the closure, no-one there had heard anything?

Cars, Boats, Bikes, You name it, the facility is AWESOME!
Hopefully it will remain a racing complex

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

That really sucks.....its that kinda qwap that gives drag racing a bad name. Bob Curly wouldn't put up with it.

Jeff, I worked the starting line at Speedworld when it was Mel Larsons,. Dial in were to the nearest tenth, there was a small aluminum box that had 2 rotory dials that the dials were set to. The Freeman brothers (Jesse & Joe) got really mad at me because I took to much time to put their dial into the box.....the next weekend I was sweeping the starting line and water the burn out box...

Oh yeah that was when they were driving 63 Nova's called "Bumble Bee" they were painted yellow and black and 4 speeds, old 4 speeds like muncies...

I think that is why i like that track, I grew up there....in a drag racing way

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

I started when Mike had control. I can't think of his name right now...dangit! It was In 1978 or 1979. Mike Donnelley! Bob Curly followed Mike.
He had a great bracket program that encouraged new racers by giving a trophy to everybody that won 1st round. He did that because by and large, that was the hardest thing for most newbies to accomplish. Of course if you won the finals, you got a much bigger trophy. I've got a lot of those first round trophies in Dad's attic (I hope).
I used to tack pictures there. I had a 35mm with various lenses and Mike never said nothing if I stood just past the 60' mark and stretched a leg onto the track as far as I could reach to get a front end shot as the car was launching. I need to scan those prints someday and get them on here. A few were pretty good. Now all I can operate is my iPhone camera.
And of course we could do burnouts while holding the car in the water box at the quarter panel or even worse, maybe a finger or two along the lip of the rear quarter wheel opening. Yikes! :eek:
But one of my best experiences was he let me and Brian Griffey borrow the track for the day FREE and we had the use of the timers. We did everything we could think of to make better ET's. Today, that's a $1500 minimum, if not $5,000 fee!
I know those were the good old days but I surely don't want to see that track go. :(
And another...I remember the Freeman's but it was when they had that Camaro. Wasn't it a Modified? I ended up working at Lou Grubb Chevrolet as a line mechanic and one of the guys bought that car as a roller. I remember him putting a tired 307 in the car just to move it around and he reved it to the moon and dumped the clutch. It actually pulled the wheels off the ground!
Remember the Knoblock / Yancer / ? (can't remember the third guys name) white mid-year Modified 'Vette? That car got me wanting to build a class car more than anything else in my life. And about 25 years latter Bud Yancer is my engine builder. I think he's one of the smartest engine builders there is. Just slower than molasses on a cold morning.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Just got back from a meeting called by Chuck Sundstrom. Firebird operations WILL CEASE as of April 1 2013. However the Gila River Indian tribe is in talks with NHRA to reopen the facility after making improvements. Charlie Allen and Co. Will NOT be building a different facility and WILL NOT be involved with the possible new venture. Chuck could not speculate as to when or if the tribe will reopen the track or who will be in charge. As far as current staff goes NONE of them will be working with the tribe at this time. Firebird will be running a compressed schedule and will be feilding a Summit Series team for the ET finals in 2013 having all the races before April 1.

Long story short the indians are taking over lets hope them and NHRA see eye to eye and no one gets greedy or cheap.......
Word on the street NHRA wants ALOT OF improvements.......
"We shall neither help nor hinder,but wait and see"

Kenny Newsome ?/sa stock eliminator

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

"Remember the Knoblock / Yancer / ? (can't remember the third guys name) white mid-year Modified 'Vette? That car got me wanting to build a class car more than anything else in my life. And about 25 years latter Bud Yancer is my engine builder. I think he's one of the smartest engine builders there is. Just slower than molasses on a cold morning."

The third person involved in the Corvette was Joe Faulkner (the driver most of the time). The engine was a de-stroked small block around 288 CI if I remember correctly. This picture was taken at Pomona in 83 or 84. After one pass Joe showed me the tattle tale on the tach (pre electronic) and it showed just shy of 10,500. Joe was good friend and previously raced a 66 El Camino in partnership with Bob DeYoung.

Kelly Lane

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Yes Bob, I've been by there in recent years, and it bums me out the new homes built near Bandimere Speedway, but since John Bandimere Jr. (and Sporty...aka John III), put up a credible argument about why it needed to stay there to thus have that C470 highway built next to it, instead of going through the facility (the original plans), back around the time that massive expansion that created their current timing tower/suite building, evolved from.

As for Stapleton & DIA, I'm puzzled as to why it needed to be built, when Stapleton had not only their original two east/west runways (like Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport), but they had three north/south runways that extended north of I-70 east of Quebec. Given that Denver is only the nations 27th largest city, and Phoenix is either 6th or 7th on the list, I'm surprised that Denver needed such a large airport, when in reality Phoenix needs it more, because they have many more residents than does Denver...bigger city, smaller airport? I don't get that one, except to say that Denver made the mistake of letting private residence be near the airport plane paths, and Phoenix was smart enough to not allow that to happen. Your expanding air traffic comment has some merit, but I remember hearing many times while I lived there that neighbors would complain about the noise of the planes, yet they chose to buy houses that were in Park Hill and Aurora that the planes flew over or near to...these people should've bought houses somewhere else if the planes were an issue for them. :<

As for that vote that stopped "World Park" from happening, I'll never like that one since people associated with that now-defunct "Pikes Peak International Raceway" (south of Colorado Springs), and Former Governor Richard Lamm's son (as well as a Wall Street Investor, with ties to the raceway), helped smear what I believe was "Amendment 2B", which would've allowed the building of that facility to occur, but people were complaining about the potential noise there, and "FALSELY" claimed it would do harm to the horses nearby. That was a bunch of CRAP, because an Equestrian Center, a skeet shooting range, and even "Burt Automotive Group", plus other family friendly things were going to be built out there. Moreover, there's a horse-riding ranch near Bandimere's current location, and they have no problems with the race track (even during the Mopar Mile High Nationals)!!! I laugh now that the lowsy track is closed and has been collecting cobwebs for several years.....they got what they deserved.... :)

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Any racer who has lived in So Cal for 50 years or so could tell you about race track closures.Nothing new anywhere else.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Greg, I don't like race track closures anywhere...especially when residential development messes up the efforts of a track to stay operational. Colorado has lost a few historical tracks as well, and I was hoping when I moved here (Arizona), that Fontana would've kept itself going as a regular Div. 7 track, with a divisional event and/or the Jegs Sports Nationals on the schedule as well....although I preferred the divisional living here in metro Phoenix, due to it's being much closer/easier to get to than Sonoma, or Fallon. Back east they have many tracks in a specific area of regions/states (it helps that many of the eastern states are geographically smaller than out west too), however we don't have that luxury out west, so when any of our states lose a track, it hurts us worse than it would eastern racers. I'm sorry to know about the other historical SoCal tracks, but again I'm equally bummed about any track losses anywhere. :(

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

I'm in an organization that hosts the ASA speedtruck races and we are waiting just like everyone else on the news.

only people that really know whats going on are people who are working on it directly. I see everything else are rumors and gossip.

P.s I was at the event in Oct. we ran "mondo" configuration. First time for ASA to run that configuration.
Just last weekend an Off Road group was running over on the east track area. NASA was running main, Proauto was running West and this weekend Drag boats

If you guys would like more details check out proautosports. Lets hope FIR stays open

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

My first house was one offramp away from OCIR in Irvine, CA back in the late 70's.

Yes I could hear the funny cars coming off the line on a Saturday night, but I enjoyed
it. Was sad to see it go and have business's built on the land.

The track was seperated from the Marine Base by a chain link fence and a set of
railroad tracks.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Official press release from Team Firebird site:

http://www.teamfirebird.com/News.aspx?a=154

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

This Arizona Republic story from 10/11/2012 with the Tom Compton quote sounds a lot more encouraging!
Firebird future

NHRA drag racing might not be finished at Firebird International Raceway even though track president Charlie Allen's lease will expire shortly after the Arizona Nationals next Feb. 22-24.

NHRA President Tom Compton said he is working to continue the almost three-decade old event under different management. "Based on our discussions with the Gila River Indian Community (which owns the land), we are very optimistic that the venue will be on the schedule in 2014," Compton said.

Allen has been the lease holder for 29 years but wasn't able to successfully negotiate a seven-year option. Allen said last February he was studying a replacement site about 15 minutes south of Firebird, but has dropped that idea and isn't actively pursuing any other location, according to track vice president Franki Buckman.
Allen will remain at Firebird through April.


Al Corda

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

Always about money one person has it another wants more than there fair share.aint a dam thing funny in this land of milk and honey.

Re: Official: Firebird International Raceway closing april 2
 

First of all I wouldn't get involved with any race track venture unless the land is mine or I have a long, long term lease. I heard thats what killed Bee Line Dragway. I heard the property was on Indian Reservation and the track owners couldn't come to a lease agreement. Bee Line still sits there abandoned. Just think someone could have been making money all of those years it has been sitting.

A guy that runs a motocross track on Ironwood south of the US 60 in Apache Junction just put in a 3/8 dirt oval. This would be a great location for a new dragstrip. I was told the track is on state land not Indian Reservation property.

It was sad to see Manzanita Speedway close and now Firebird. Liked going to both tracks.