JamesHigdon

Yea…but living on the NW side I can tell you those homes aren’t being built off New Laredo HWY they’re being built off Bandera Road. We have low income housing (mostly section 8 and section 42 apartments but some zero lotline neighborhoods) popping up on every single free blade of grass. The ultra liberal city council wants “housing equity” which means driving property values down on the nicer sides of town. Not even people with no where to live want to live south of Valley Hi.

Just to clarify I’m not trying this cause issues rather simply make a counter point. If someone built a half mile asphalt oval in Amarillo I’d happily travel up there every week, we make the 1.5 hour trip to I37 more weeks than not. Racing is racing. I just don’t (and have never) understood-under-estimating the economic potential of this area. The dirt-poor central Texas is a thing of the past, in my opinion we need to act like it.

The Riverwalk (always a top 20 site in the country), the Alamo, SeaWorld, Fiesta Texas, the Hill Country…I had to do a list of possible attractions for a previous potential SAS sponsor. People don’t think about it but within 20 minutes of the track are 5 UNESCO world heritage sites and a world-famous attraction. San Antonio has like 3 times the tourists per year (10 million to 30 million if memory serves) of Corpus, has the two most visited sites in Texas and is the biggest tourist destination in Texas. A track as humanly close to downtown SA as possible is unarguably the best site in TX.

TX and San Antonio/Austin more specifically are capable of supporting an asphalt circle track and drag strip…it just has to be the RIGHT people. Time will tell.

I’m probably more enthusiastic than I should be about these deals, makes me angry that we have to be so guarded with people in the racing community. Everyone should be VERY guarded when approaching these deals…

The land next to SAS was purchased by San Antonio, I doubt they’re building houses there.

I guess I’m the eternal optimist but I don’t see the reason for all the skepticism. These people have run tracks before (well from what I could tell) and have tried to purchase ACM which was snapped out from under them due to something 100% out of their control (the person they where trying to buy it through was stealing their payment, pocketing it and not paying the deed holder, this is not in dispute). The Stovall’s have been very publicly looking for a place to build a track and have settled on SAS, in my opinion that property has always been the most logical choice. The San Antonio/Austin Metroplex is one of the fastest growing in the country, CoTA just set the world record for the largest F1 race attendance in history and I37 (the closest dirt track to the area) regularly has car counts that would make any track jealous. Beyond all that SAS is by far the most logical place to build a track in the area. It is well within the Toyota buffer zone (by about a half mile) and as such any homes built around it are being done without the blessing of the city. Because of uncapped wells and the lead issues that property will only ever be industrial or a race track. Also…that side of town isn’t exactly hoping with activity, the city should be glad for any development going on down there.

Also…the Premium RV spots are $4k, where are they charging $10k?

They have changed the policy finally to allow “Umbrella Strollers Only” so we’re going too.

Its SMI policy for the CoTA race specifically; go to nascaratcota.com and "What Items are Prohibited from Inside the Facility". And no, I'm not leaving family at home because of moronic policy, my wife and I have been going to the races together for 15 years that's not going to change now. The whole point of racing (for my family at least) is a family activity, I can go to other events at CoTA for nearly no cost and enjoy them with my family as I see fit. I can also go to I-37 and back-up to the 1st turn wall and watch out of the back of my truck with my entire family...so if they want to stick with the nonsense then they can do it without the money of families with kids.

If only they'd allow strollers in for the NASCAR races not to mention coolers or bags...such a good event ruined by such STUPID management. We go to SVRA, to the endurance race, to nearly everything else at CoTA but as long as they keep their stupid stroller policy in place we won't be able to go to the NASCAR races.

I’m gonna say it; if you haven’t enjoyed the heats and LCQ at the coliseum you’re not a short track racing fan. Now, would I have preferred NASCAR run an existing 1/4 mile track like Bowman/Gray or Wenatchee Valley…yes 100%…but I also understand the spectacle of this race to start the year. Do I think NASCAR should run the clash and the Allstar race rotating at local short track…yes of course but again I get why they don’t. All that aside the racing has been spectacular and anyone that denies that isn’t watching. I haven’t said this a lot recently but way to go NASCAR!

GCRS just confirmed HMP and I37 just confirmed so I’ll change the list to reflect that.

So NO 82 (For Sale) RPM (no lease) Monarch (not sure if the operators owned it, don’t get that impression) ACM The current operators don’t hold a lease for 2022 so even if the legal issues get sorted who is gonna run it? Maybes STS is for sale, nothing definite that I’ve heard either way? Probably (or yes but no schedule yet) Boyd is posting stuff about next year so it looks good? Texana Have posted 2022 Schedule or confirmed running Circle/Oval/Dirt Tracks Cottonbowl I37 TMS TMS Dirt Track HMP Drag Strips Little River Amarillo Dragway HRP (last year) Road Courses CoTA Karts L87 (Karts) Shiner (Karts) This list isn’t complete, add to it.

I’ll gladly rebuild the trans; I’ve gone through T56’s for some of our own cars and they’re stone cold simple inside. I’m in SA, is there any way y’all could pull the trans there?

Monarch RPM STS? ACM (who really knows)

Hardball with the current owners? New owner reached out to them? Maybe they’re in negotiations to buy? Maybe we’re just trying to hang on to hope? …maybe someone remember they needed an environmental survey 🤣😂. Who knows. They have stopped referring to it as the end of the track and now it’s the end of the season🤷🏼‍♂️

Essie had a specific vision he wanted to and trusted would be carried out. It is what it is.

Well; now for a change in plot, ACM has deleted the post talking about the tracks closure off their Facebook page. Who knows anymore?

All I can really say is nail on the head…Now you’re going to force me to say no comment, lol. All I can say is remember Dome Dirt? I’m 36 (I know you’ve seen me say this before) and I suspect in my lifetime SAS will never be anything other than a racetrack or a racetrack shaped hole. This has saved more than one race track from destruction (one we’ve talked about before); unless samples have been dug around the fuel site and in the pit area no race track redevelopment is EVER a done deal. I’ll be blunt; I’m very disgusted with how this has progressed and disappointed in people personally (nothing having to do with current the ACM operators). Essie had a vision and cared deeply about that track, more than many would ever have guessed. He saw it as his opportunity to give back and make something that outlasted his time on earth. THIS along with greedy cities is the real story about why race tracks are having so much trouble these days; second and third generation owners that have no ties to what goes into a facility that like or what it means to a community.

To the best of my knowledge it’s been listed as retail since the Mianabi’s bought it as they intended retail development on it (around the track). The Mianabi’s are filling bankruptcy (that’s a verifiable fact and the info has been posted other places) and to my understanding are short selling/transferring the track…why they didn’t sell it to the people currently operating it (that apparently wanted to buy it and spent money there) is the question. The reality is at this point it all comes down to the city’s that control the land. If they allow it to be re-developed it will; if they try to keep it a racetrack it will. I’m wondering if the track is being taken over by the bank/investors that financed or financed other projects for the Mianabi’s as collateral; based upon the pending (February 10th) announcement and everybody not being able to comment “for legal reasons” that would be my guess. At this point it’s another SAS story; an operator that wanted to buy the facility, that had the money to buy the facility getting it swept out from under them and that sucks. Again…it’s not a lack of interest that’s undoing this track. People wanted to buy it, where operating it and spending money on it and at the last minute had the slats knocked out from under them.

Yessir…but I37 is full time the gills every event. Go figure.

Just saw it announced on their Facebook page; the current operators are moving on to a different track and operations there are done after today. No one is saying anything “due to legalities” but my guess would be it’s not looking great. Apparently there will be an announcement about the facility/property on February 10th.

We used to plan family vacations to Corpus around CCS’s schedule; Corpus would be a great market for it second to MAYBE only somewhere between SA and Austin. Look at the Asphalt tracks doing big things now; they’re all in destination markets with ample infrastructure for big shows. Vote 2 for Asphalt.

This is great news!