Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

I see that Tucson Dragstrip sold to new owners........I know nothing more than that and do not know the new owners.......but, it could be good news for us in Arizona.

http://sirace.com/

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

It seems that I am the only one that didn't already know that the same group that owns IHRA is now the new owners of Tucson.

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

Wow, lots of changes in Arizona drag racing in the last year!!!

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

And so far, none are for the better......

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

The only change we can 100% say is not for the better is Speedworld closing. The rest of the changes can be judged for better or worse in the future. Unless you can point out why any other change is for the worse lets wait to judge, support the remaining two tracks, and be thankful we can race 12 months a year in AZ.

Matt

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

Tucson is not Speedworld?
Sorry I'm from Long Island where we lost all 3 drag strips and our neighbors and gov't want us all off the Island to be replaced by new and better neighbors. Heck, some of the newbys here have even told me that, lol. really.
Good luck out there, hang in tight. The IHRA people did a wonderful job with PBIR, I have seen the before and after visiting my mom who lives 15 minutes from the track.

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

Arizona currently has (2) dragstrips.

1) Wild Horse (formerly Firebird), re-opening later this year? It's in the metro-Phoenix area. NHRA track.
2) Tucson - It's in Tucson which is approximately 3 hours or so south of the metro-Phoenix area. IHRA track.

Gone are:

1) Speedworld. Run into the ground by a greedy, self-serving SOB of an owner that never really wanted it. The drag-strip just came with the MX track he wanted. Ran the drag strip to often (sometimes 3x per week) and discovered "all night party madness" was a great profit center that really had nothing to do with drag racing and everything to do with young adults paying to party in the desert with DJ's, drugs, alcohol and of course the ensuing arrests that call attention to the track that you didn't really need.

2) Beeline. It was AHRA. Last race 1979? On Indian land around Mesa, AZ. (Still in metro-Phoenix). Continuous conflict with the track operator and the tribe with the tribe alleging that the operator wasn't paying the contracted percentage of proceeds. On top of that, the operator was hiring Arizona State University athletes as security and there was some issue with that. It was all a big mess and the operation folded. I started racing there at the "Midnight Drags". We'd go cruising Central Avenue Friday (or was it Saturday?) nights and around 11:30 P.M. we'd head over Beeline and race until 3-4 in the morning. Way fun!!!

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

I'm with you on this one Matt, and now it's looking better and better for IHRA to have their own Pro-Am points series for their D7 (which so far doesn't include any tracks where the tow far exceeds 500 miles from Phoenix like NHRA's D7 does)! I'm also glad that since IRG bought SIR, then NHRA won't have a chance to get it back (like they did RMR, in Salt Lake City)! 2014 may very well be a very good year to look forward to for Az., class/sportsman racers (especially those of us with lighter wallets)!!!

After talking with Scooter Peaco yesterday, and Frank Kohutek today, the Pro-Am series for IHRA's D7 is in the works, and I (for one) am excited about the possibility of it!!! :)

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

Gary, this is the response and the note I sent to IHRA



Thanks for your email, Gary. I have passed it along to the CEO and track GM.

Cheers,
______________________________

Aidy Alonzo | Vice President, Marketing & Communications
IRG Sports + Entertainment™
Palm Beach International Raceway™
Memphis International Raceway™
IHRA Motorsports™

Direct: 561.578.5638 | Main: 561.622.1400
17133 Beeline Hwy, Jupiter, FL 33478

AAlonzo@IRGSE.com | www.IRGSE.com

www.RacePBIR.com | www.RaceMIR.com | www.IHRA.com


From: PoisonDartRacing@aol.com [mailto:PoisonDartRacing@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, August 02, 2013 9:41 PM
To: INFO - IRG
Subject: Arizona Racers



Greetings, My name is Gary Hansen, an NHRA racer. We live in the Phoenix Metro area.
I just read that you purchased the track in Tucson.....I think that is great news.

The purpose of my email is to inform you of the Speedworld dragstrip that recently closed in the Phoenix area. Since we live only a few miles from Speedworld, I was obviously disappointed to see it close. It appears to me that their are some political issues that couldn't get worked out, and the prior operator got into a pizzing contest with the county. (that never works out).....I contacted the country in hopes of keeping the track open....The response I got was that it had gone to far and their was no turning back with the current operator.

You now have the Tucson track, and El Paso (290 miles from Tucson)....If......just if, you could acquire the Speedworld track, that would give you access to over 6 million people. Additionally, many of the Southern California racers are only a few hours away.

Best of good fortune with IHRA and the Tucson track.....and maybe you would consider looking into the Speedworld facility.

Sincerely,



Gary Hansen
NHRA Super Stock 4911
NHRA Stock 4911

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

Gary H.,
If you don't have contact info for Victoria Griffey, I do.
She was track mgr @ speed world for ever. She got out before the poop hit the fan. She was not the problem, did-poop Dan M. was.
Let me know if you need her for anything. She knows the ins and outs of that track and all the legal dealings like no other!

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

From one Gary H. to another, that was a great message that you sent to IRG, and I think I'll have to call Scooter Peaco to see what he thinks about it too! I'm sure he'll like the idea, and offer his .02 to IRG with regards to that possible addition to IHRA as well.

That would be awesome for IHRA to have Speedworld added on to the other tracks they now have (at least 105 sanctioned, and growing!), and it surely would give the So Cal & Nevada racers who've always come out here for NHRA races something else to spend their class racing funds on (and less of them as well I might add)! I know they're having one of their IHRA races this weekend, so I might not reach him right away, but I know he'll get back in touch with me, and who knows perhaps I could help in the contact between Victoria, and Scooter (or he could have IRG contact her once he gets a contact number or email address, that could reach her)?

After all, how would you guys/gals like knowing that for just $1.00 more than the cost of an NHRA (only) membership (which includes the now even less sportsman covering National Dragster Magazine), you can not only get an IHRA Membership (which includes Drag Review Magazine...which puts more emphasis on us sportsman racers than it does the pros), but you'd also get your competition number (for one class). When this IHRA D7 Pro-Am series gets going (2014?), you guys/gals with deeper wallets/pockets, will only have to shell out $70 bucks for those things while you're paying $125 for the same thing from the Glendora bunch who's ok with our paying for the perks the pros get to enjoy...am I the only one who thinks something is horribly wrong with that picture???

I told Scooter I'd do what I could to get the word out about this, so here I am offering more bang for our class racing dollars...after all, $165 for a grade point, no competition points, no chance at contingency money, when the other guys offer points, contingency postings, and three positions out of each Pro-Am series division to race for the World Championship, for a divisional race cost of $135 per race (Michael Beard correct me on this if I'm wrong, but if I am I know it isn't by much, as this was their entry fee last year).

You critics should ask Mark Faul how he feels about having the IHRA option...he seems to be winning there every year in their series, at various events, and he's a proven NHRA winner too!!!

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

Interesting post today from another site:

To clarify things a little. I sent an email out to the Arizona Super Street racers asking if they wanted to race in December. I was told by Bill Schneider at Wild Horse Pass that this was when the drag strip would be finished. He said the facility is having a grand opening on October 12th but that the drag strip would just be used as a straight away for the road course.

I may just join IHRA after all; SIR is a lot closer for me than Vegas.....

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

So, there be a snow balls chance in august in AZ....that maybe Speedworld ...could maybe...just maybe...

I still am looking at property in Wickenburg, that would be icing on the deal if my favorite race track was to rise from the ash.

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

Do you have a link to the subject matter? Post here or PM me

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

I just found this from a google search.

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com...orsports-park/

Dan

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

That's all old news. I want to see the source that Stock726 is quoting from.

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

Jeff his comments were taken out of context... they are a quote from a slightly confusing post over on the "Phoenix" thread on DRR.

When the air cleared over there it was settled that the grand opening would be Oct 12th but they are not dragracing because they are waiting until Oct right after the grand opening to repave the first 750 ft of concrete and the curing times will work better during to cooler days in October than in august. It sounds like the first dragrace wont be until December sometime.

If you guys only want to afford one sanctioning bodies memberships dont worry NHRA will still be in PHX in 2014 unless something else changes down the road. Things will be changing in Tucson though and it may be worth the extra money if you want to race a few more times a year...

As far as I understand to just run a local bracket show in Tucson though you don't need anything except your current NHRA stuff. But to run the Pro-am/ Nitro Jam you will need to have your current IHRA stuff.

Brad

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

I was about to renew my NHRA membership, but now that I know of the latest from the IHRA (that has given added hope for me to run my car the way I intended to run it), I'll be adding another buck to that $69 dollar fee, and getting all of that stuff ready for the 2014 IHRA season. Thanks for that added info Brad, and I'll look forward to racing with you and Matt again soon out there and regionally!

Re: Tucson Raceway has new owners
 

While fooling around some time ago on Google Earth,I located the current Tucson facility at the fairgrounds and circle track. About two miles due north of it, the original Tucson raceway is still visible still across the desert. Unfortunately, the edge of a housing tract was put in right behind the starting line fairly recently. Whatever happened to that operation and when?