JamesHigdon

Yea and when the owner posts on facebook one day "screw all the nonsense I'm buying a boat" everyone will act surprised. Racetracks a racetrack, we need to support them all.

They'd have to get rid of the splitters, may even tow the cars in on open trailers. Seating at the track would be irrelevant, that kind of race would make all it's money on TV and maybe it would force NASCAR to invest in some of the tracks that made it what it is. Hell, Brian probably spend more on blow in a year then it would take to repave all three tracks!

I’d love to be able to hold a grudge but COTA is an opportunity to experience a kind of racing we’re lucky to have around here. My opinion is worth exactly what you’re paying for it but boycotting a local multibillion dollar track isn’t any better for the sport than boycotting the local dirt track because you don’t agree with all the choices they’ve made or don’t like the owners. I support the racers having a place to race, kids being able to experience the events and keeping racing alive regardless of my opinions of the periphery.

I still call my wife if I’m working late on a Saturday and ask her to tape the Busch race for me...she reminds me it hasn’t been the Busch series in more than a decade and we’ve never owned a VCR 🙄

From my perspective you’re being too literal; at I37 you don’t have everyone diving into the pits under caution to change tires for a performance advantage. Yes there are “live pit stops” but not in the way NASCAR means; live pit stops in the vast majority of local short track races are for damage. I can’t recall multiple cars ever pitting for fresh tires at I37, CTS, HMP or CCS when many cars where in the pits and time was of the essence. Maybe I’m forgetting it but even at SAS I don’t recall green flag pit stops for tires and fuel, I’m only 34 so maybe it was before my time? Eliminating live pit stops saves money, makes racing more affordable for small teams, puts the race back in the drivers hands and makes races like Eldora viable. As far as why NASCAR wasn’t running smaller tracks pitting cars was certainly given as a reason not to run smaller tracks and anything that can be done to eliminate barriers for smaller tracks is good. If someone at NASCAR isn’t looking at tracks like Rockford, Slinger, Winchester, Kingsport and the like and thinking they need to be at those tracks then they’re missing the boat and THIS change makes that possible.

I figured someone with roots in local tracks would like this; makes the races more about the drivers and less about who can buy the best crew. Would live pit stops make 30 car purestock races at I37 any better...don't think so!

Maybe I'm in the minority but I think it's a good change; people have been bitching for 20 years NASCAR needed to "go back to it's short track roots" and this makes that easier. Many of the tracks we'd like to see NASCAR races at don't have the room to pit 30-40 cars and going to old-fashioned pit stops makes it easier to justify going to smaller tracks. I don't really get excited about watching guys change tires but if this makes it easier for smaller tracks (more dirt tracks, maybe some 3/8 or even quarter mile tracks) to get on the schedule I'm all for it. My favorite NASCAR races of the last few years didn't have live pit stops; Eldora, the lower divsions racing on the back stretch at Daytona, etc.

Yes, thank you.

I am the person that had been working on the project with Club Loose Texas (CLT, the drift group) and Essie. As many know Essie passed recently and at that time I spoke with the head of CLT and we agreed to re-approach things at a later date. I plan on working with CLT to work towards making progress on their facility with the hope of at some point working towards the circle track but Essie's son was much more open to the idea of the drift facility than the circle track. I don't currently know where any of the projects do or don't stand but as of yesterday I got the impression CLT still had an idea that their project has life. ...in the meantime Rodney is correct; support your local race track and racers. I37 has been running amazing shows, HMP is looking up, SAR is bringing in big shows and has brought back their midnight madness program, there are new Kart tracks in the coastal bend area and we have a lot to look forward to.

I'm confused Tim, there are more entries this year and on top of that a few more TX guys, is your position that FEWER drivers are present this year or?

Thank you for posting this; people should understand that according to the EPA's current interpretation of the laws every racing vehicle built out of 1) Vehicles which where ever emissions certified or 2) engines which where ever emissions certified are illegal by federal law. If this doesn't pass and 2020 goes badly racing in America is in very real trouble.

Don’t know anything about that; I was just reading the text and noticed it was referencing 2009 and the filing date is 2010. Maybe it’s an ongoing case or has again become relevant?

That’s from 2009/2010 regarding fuel a competitor to VP sold.

You and me both.

Allegedly VP Switched from using Methyl tert-butyl ether ((CH₃)₃COCH₃) to using Etylr tert-butyl ether (C2H5OC(CH3)3) which doesn’t oxygenate fuel as well thereby dropping the octane rating of fuel (from 110-107 approximately). They then used “return fuel” (waste product) to cut their base fuel. Customers started loosing engines and went to their supplier (Dion Fuels who was buying house fuel from VP and rebranding it as their own) and wanted to know why, Dion ran tests and figured out VP had changed their contractually required formulas without telling anyone and intentionally hid it. VP essentially sold (or sells) two grades of some fuels; MTBE (the good stuff) and ETBE (the cheap stuff) with MTBE going where they think it may be tested and ETBE getting used otherwise. If your VP fuel barrel has “reg” printed on the front by the product name it’s what you’re paying for otherwise it’s the cheap stuff.

Every track in TX oughta pass the helmet tonight and make sure these folks don’t end up needing for anything. A little money could go a long way to helping them and preserving HoT.

I'd hate to make this a habit but I agree with Tim, I'd much rather watch a spec Miata race where the cars are bunched up on top of eachother than a F1 race where there is 10 seconds between each car. In NASCAR's 'heyday" the cars weren't making 850hp, maybe bringing them back down to "stock car" levels is whats been needed all along. Again, I'd much rather watch 550hp cars with limitied aero and 8" slicks run in a pack than 900hp cars with massive aero and 10" slicks run spread out.

No; it was the best NASCAR race at a cookie-cutter track in a decade or more. I watched 1/2 to 3/4 of the race and never thought “this is boring I wonder if there’s a renovation show on”. I’m last in line to give NASCAR credit these days but they nailed it at Charlotte; if the race is that good at Texas it may be the best race of the year.

Let’s keep our options open.

Hey, stop being reasonable, we’re gathering up a lynching mob... In all seriousness another meeting was had yesterday; I couldn’t make it to that one but I’m meeting with the parties that could this week. I’ve got to do some re-drawing based upon some new concerns so it’ll be another week of late nights and I’ve got to sit down with all the powers that be and the parties involved again so we can continue moving forward. In the meantime stay positive, make it known the stock car guys are out there, keep social media positive and if you have any corporate sponsorship connections PM me. Thanks.

😂

Someone really oughta beat the guys working on this project with a rubber hose; I can’t believe it isn’t done yet! How long could it possible take to organize, design, fund and build a race track?

From Wikipedia “Raised outside of Houston, Texas,[3] Poole was born in Folsom, California, living there until the age of seven.[1] He is known for his surfer-like appearance and persona including his long hair. Poole earned the nickname "The Bull" early in his career, after charging from the rear of the field to earn several victories.[1][2][5][6][9] Poole's father owns a Midas Car Care Center in their hometown of The Woodlands, Texas. Poole graduated from Woodlands Christian Academy a year early in 2008, at the age of 17.[6] Poole maintains a presence on the video game-streaming service Twitch.tv, and has a dormant YouTube channel. Poole is an avid fan of the late rapper Mac Miller and in his free time makes songs and raps.”

I’m going to agree with you 100%; the All-Star Race was without a doubt the best NASCAR race I’ve seen anywhere besides a road course in years. The teams seemed a lot more evenly matched, the drivers seemed to both have to really push to be fast BUT they where also able to pass and the cars looked to move around some but not so much they couldn’t get 3 and 4 wide. I haven’t said this in a while but NASCAR nailed the All-Star race; after catching the open just off-hand I set down and watched the invitational and wasn’t disappointed!

Thank you for offering the explanation; you’re 100% on the money. This isn’t the first or even the second time I’ve helped with a project like this; I’d much prefer no public announcement be made until the project is at a much later stage but in the case of Essie and the first individual I was helping they have both been very interested in reading what people have to say about the potential for a track. I’ve got a thick skin so I don’t mind being the middle man if the end result is what we’re all working for. In both cases mentioned above have also been asked to look for sponsorship help and as such had to reach out to the public. I didn’t realize the truth of what Nick Holt has been saying for years until the first time someone I was working with on a project said “Metroracer said such and such online”. People making posts on ACM’s Facebook page is what got me the first meeting with Essie BUT more often than not when we talk other less-positive conversations pop-up. It is what it is; my point is to reiterate what I’d said last night and what Nick Holt has been saying for years; social media can be a huge tool or our biggest road block. If you DO still feel the need to lay into someone send me a PM, I’ll bring a six pack and you can berate me as long as you’d like...it’ll be good practice for when a track finally is in place!