Listener emailed me and asked if I would post it here

[Dawn]

Dawn,

I have been going to SAS as a fan for many years. My brother started racing there about ten years ago. Since that time his two sons have started racing. This season they actually purchased a late model with the intent of getting my youngest nephew ready for late models next year. With all this excitement going on, I decided to build my own car. For nine months I worked very hard putting this car together. Unfortunately, this did not sit to well with my wife. We now are in the process of getting a divorce.We still care about each other, she just could not understand how I could spend so much time and energy on something like this. Well, I love auto racing and finally was going to live a dream. I was consumed with racing, and for two awesome weekends, I was able to race this car that cost me so much financially and personally, memories I will cherish forever. Now the track closes.

 

At first I was angry at Toyota, thinking they muscled their way in and are taking over all the property. After a lot of thought and reading the forums on Texas Speedzone, and watching the media coverage of the closing, I have come to a conclusion. I have listed some ideas below:

 

I DON'T THINK TOYOTA STANDS TO GAIN ANYTHING FROM 1800 NEW HOMES, A STRIP MALL AND HOTELS IN THE AREA?

 

TOYOTA IS TRYING VERY HARD TO MOVE INTO THE AMERICAN AUTO RACING SCENE ( Nascar Truck series, Nextel Cup) Why would they want the negative publicity of closing down a race track that has actually produced 2 time Winston Cup champion Texas Terry Labonte?

 

LOOKING AT THIS WEEKENDS ADD FOR THE RACE AT THUNDERHILL RACEWAY, IT IS PRESENTED BY TOYOTA!!!!

 

No, I personally don't blame Toyota any longer. I BLAME THE DISHONEST POLITICIANS WHO STAND TO GAIN A LOT OF REVENUE TO LINE THEIR POCKETS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT AREA.

 

 

 

 

With that being said, what can we do being a small minority of race fans in this big city of politics?

 

I DON'T THINK WE WILL WIN IN THE LONG RUN. THEY WILL GET WHAT THEY WANT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

 

BUT FOR THE SHORT TERM, CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE APPROACH TOYOTA FOR SOME TRACK SPONSORSHIP? WE COULD ALL PULL TOGETHER AND REPAIR OUR TRACK TO AT LEAST ALLOW US TO COMPLETE THE 2007 SEASON. MAYBE TOYOTA WOULD EVEN GET ON BOARD TO HELP BUILD A NEW TRACK IN THIS AREA. IN THIER EFFORT TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES IN THIS SPORT, THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY IN WINNING OVER SOME DIEHARD STOCK CAR RACING FANS.

 

MAYBE EVEN THE CITY COUNCIL COULD GIVE AN EXTENSION ON REPAIRS KNOWING THAT WE WILL NO LONGER BE RACING THERE AFTER SEPTEMBER.

 

I THINK EVERYBODY WINS HERE.

 

TOYOTA RECEIVES POSITIVE PUBLICITY TEMPORARILY SAVING A TEXAS RACING LEGEND.

 

RACERS WHO HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY, BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS TO PREPARE THEIR CARS TO RACE THIS SEASON AT SAS, WOULD GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO FULFILL THEIR DREAM THIS SEASON AND WILL HAVE MORE TIME TO PREPARE FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD.

 

WE CAN SEND SAN ANTONIO SPEEDWAY INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS IN A MORE FITTING WAY. 2007 FAREWELL SEASON!

 

DEVELOPERS AND POLITICIANS CAN THEN BUILD AWAY.

 

EVERYBODY WINS!!

 

I KNOW THIS SOUNDS LIKE I'M DREAMING, BUT ISN'T THAT WHAT THIS COUNTRY AND THIS GREAT SPORT OF STOCK CAR RACING WERE BUILT ON?

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT DAWN.

 

JEFF STANLEY

RACE FAN #44

[racer61]

welcome to the headscratchers club Jeff

[Definitive]

Mail that to the landowner....but $5 million is still alot of money...even with everyone that is affected by this.

[Dawn]

I say start contacting Toyota and all other parties involved as much as possible. Call into EVERY radio show you can around the country and make it known what happened here. The more attention maybe the better. A lot of Drivers are looking to get more involved with owning short tracks around the country. David Stremme told me just 3 weeks ago that he has not ruled it out. He RAVED about what all he had seen and heard about SAS from the guys in the ASA series. You never know....

[Definitive]

Hmmm....would he ring your neck if you posted a link to his e-mail on here.If we had easy access to it more people would be likely to send him a bullet.

[Racer Duck]

Dawn, I envy your position because you have "contacts" that can make a difference. I'm just a poor old race car owner who doesn't mind opening his mouth from time to time, but who only knows of a few folks with the necessities needed to pull something like this off. I'm sure Stremme is just one of many you've talked to over the years that might be interested in "putting back..."

 

Did anybody corner Terry Labonte at the West race?

 

Does anyone have an email address for Toyota .. hopefully in their marketing division? I'd really like to see a flood of positive emails supporting Toyota and requesting they work with the central Texas racers in resolving this situation. I even have a name that could be used to get the ball rolling: "Toyota Lone Star Speedway"

 

Lastly, I'd be proud to give whatever time I have to furthering this idea and bringing it to fruition.

[Rookie49]

...No, I personally don't blame Toyota any longer. I BLAME THE DISHONEST POLITICIANS WHO STAND TO GAIN A LOT OF REVENUE TO LINE THEIR POCKETS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT AREA...

 

 

...With that being said, what can we do being a small minority of race fans in this big city of politics?

 

I DON'T THINK WE WILL WIN IN THE LONG RUN. THEY WILL GET WHAT THEY WANT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER...

 

 

...MAYBE EVEN THE CITY COUNCIL COULD GIVE AN EXTENSION ON REPAIRS KNOWING THAT WE WILL NO LONGER BE RACING THERE AFTER SEPTEMBER.[/b]

I THINK EVERYBODY WINS HERE.

 

DEVELOPERS AND POLITICIANS CAN THEN BUILD AWAY....

 

EVERYBODY WINS!!

 

JEFF STANLEY

RACE FAN #44

 

Mr. Stanley,

That sure does seem to be a great way of building support in the political arena and even the development arena. I'm sure that being called a criminal always influences me to support the accuser's position <

[Ford27]

I say Tell Toyota to keep their racing money and go home...I'll race an american car at an american track ....Does'nt make it right no matter how much money you throw at it.

[dancer52]

american car? who makes that?

[bigfat]

Toyotas are made in America. Chevy and Fords are not.

[jracer98]

Hmmm....where do the Toyota conpany's profits go? Chevy and Ford don't make a profit..but if they did, it would go to Detroit Michigan. Chrysler has made a profit the last year or two but it goes to Germany (M. Benz has shown big losses recently so as a whole Daimler/Chrysler is showing a loss).

Toyota is showing the highest profitability of any carmaker in the world. I don't know where they chose to bank it but that decision is "made in Japan".

 

Jay

[bigfat]

You are exactly right, Jay.

 

I wonder how many Americans are employed building foreign cars and how many foreigners are employed building American cars? After all, that is what the whole buy American thing was all about. I'm not well versed by any means on the topic but I'm sure I will be shortly.

Edited April 1, 2007 by bigfat

[dancer52]

The profits...lol So the income of all those workers for Toyota dont count....cause I bet that they spend there money in America, If bet if you add up all the money returned back into our economy from each group...chevy, toyota etc.... your "american cars" would not be on top....

[neon14]

Well my dodge neon was made in mexico.

[bigfat]

I wonder where my 79' chevy I race and my 02' Dodge that I haul it with were made?

[oldsoldier]

I wonder where my 79' chevy I race and my 02' Dodge that I haul it with were made?

I dopn't know if this is revelant or not, but I am a parts advisor at a Chrysler dealership.

Chrysler products country of origin(where they are built) are identified by the first letter of the VIN

 

2-Canada(except 04> Durango)

1- US

3-Mexico

4-Germany

W-Germany(Sprinter)

J-Japan(applies mainly to the old Dodge Colt, Plymouth Sapporo, etc.)

[bigfat]

My 02' Dodge was made in the USA then. 1D3H is the 1st four of the vin. It even says "Vehicle made in USA" on the door plate. That's assembly though, I'm sure the parts used are a different story. I know the 79's vin doesn't have any letters so that rules out Japan.

Edited April 1, 2007 by bigfat

[neon14]

I just went outside and looked at my wifes dodge neon, its a mexican too!

[kn1ghtblade]

Hmmm....where do the Toyota conpany's profits go? Chevy and Ford don't make a profit..but if they did, it would go to Detroit Michigan. Chrysler has made a profit the last year or two but it goes to Germany (M. Benz has shown big losses recently so as a whole Daimler/Chrysler is showing a loss).

Toyota is showing the highest profitability of any carmaker in the world. I don't know where they chose to bank it but that decision is "made in Japan".

 

Jay

The figures are somwhat mis-information at times though... For mercedes benz you have to look at what numbers they are putting out and what they consist of... Mercedes not only owns Daimler/Chrysler it also has the Mercedes brand, Unimog brand, Freightliner Brand and so on.... I know Freightliner made a profit, and daimler did as well... So were is the loss comming from???? These auto makers like to say they are loosing, but when you really look into it you might be surprised!!!!

[direct-flo]

Johnny

 

Not all politicians are dishonest, most of them will tell you what you want to hear.

 

It would be interesting to find out if a politician is acting as a middleman in a deal for the land. (If it has been sold or an offer made). It’s amazing that the city went straight to the speedway.

 

What if someone wanted some land. They made an offer, but could not build on it because of a current contract. In steps someone with city government to speed the process up. They send a wrecking crew out to red flag the hell out of whatever is operating on the site. They basically insure that the cost of repairs will make it impossible to continue doing business. The business manager has to turn it back to whom he/she was renting from. The person who was subletting the business/property out to the manager has now lost his/her source of income. They in turn have to try and get out of a contract with the building/property owner. They succeed in ending a contract allowing the building and property owner to close the deal without having to buy a contract out.

 

Politics and big business do mix. It’s usually the little honest guy that gets crapped on.

[PAPA]

Whats really sad is that they are going to start building all those "Cracker Box"homes out there that in a few years will become section 8 housing. Then the city is going to start having problems with all the little punks. Then the police will need more police so "WE" will have to pay more taxes to put them on the street. So in the long run we lose a race track, increase the drug and gang problem, and pay more taxes. Dont you just love it?

[tps48]

I can GUARANTEE you that with all the environmental issues as well as demolition needed to be done that the SAS property will be the LAST piece of ground out that way to be developed. There is still a lot of property for sale out that way that wont take millions of dollars to remedy. I think the land that Pick n Pull sits on would have fewer problems to address. Same with the flea market.

Something fishy might be going on here with the inspections, but I dont think it is a land grab.

Edited April 1, 2007 by tps48

[Definitive]

TPS48,HEB and Wal-Mart will fight for the right to have their facade facing directly towards the Toyota plant.If that corner sells for ten million,the one next to it will go for three million.It is the intersection that is the key.They are already building the houses,as we speak,right up to the land the track is on.Along the highway is zoned commercial with the residential behind it.It will be all store fronts along that stretch of road in a wink.Behind the stores will be fifty thousands homes,dozens of which just had their ground breaking.We need to grab onto Rookie49's coat tails and ride with him until his plans hit an immovable road block.If they do,we'll find other hope to grasp onto.Save me a seat in Cibilo.....still hoping.

 

p.s. were they building homes right behind the grandstands when Longhorn closed?...it might be apples and oranges.Not only that,mufflers won't help when there is an infant trying to sleep in a house just sixty feet from the front straight.

[direct-flo]

I wonder how many established families in that area would pull up and move into a new mortgage. I would guess that the upper management would travel to a place away from the area and call it home.

 

A real estate friend of mine told me that the residential boom in that area is over rated. They will move people in using mortgage gimmicks. Unfortunately some of those homes will be foreclosed on creating a large over burdened rental market. When this happens, owners tend to lower the rental price and application requirements. Sometimes this tends to lower property values, initiating a domino effect.

[Definitive]

What is overated is the fact that Toyota is the full reason for the growth on the southside.It is only a small part of the urban sprawl that was headed that way anyway.That sprawl ian't stopping at the highway 1604.National Geographic did a scary study on Texas' urban sprawl over the next fifty years.It includes Dallas to San Antonio being one metropolis,with it actually ending halfway to the Valley.They may have exagerrated a little but even half that growth means a new track would have to be at least fifty miles outside the city,towards the south.The west has all but filled in to Medina lake,and Lavernia is almost the east side of S.A. now.