The 2020 and 2021 seasons have seen the introduction or reconfiguration of several racing facilities that aim to be major players in the racing industry in the coming years
The 2020 and 2021 seasons have seen the introduction or reconfiguration of several racing facilities that aim to be major players in the racing industry in the coming years. Bridgeport Speedway completely reconfigured its facility from the monster 5/8-mile track to a new high-banked 3/8-mile, complete with more modern wall and fencing. Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis and Bloomsburg Fair Raceway in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania both took advantage of existing infrastructure at fairground facilities to construct new dirt tracks.
While initial results at each facility have been mixed and varied, I believe it is crucial for the motorsports community to support these new venues and be understanding of any early challenges.
Bridgeport had the best existing infrastructure in place, as they were an operating track already. I think they made an extremely wise choice to build a track that is unique and stands out in comparison to other tracks in that region. I have written about their great fan accommodations before; while they may not be extravagant, they provide great and unique food and snack selections as well as having the now infamous-to-my-kids monster truck playground.
During our stop to Bridgeport during this year‘s Eastern Storm most of us were surprised with how slick it got considering the dirt looked particularly good with a dark brown color. Having a high-banked track can be difficult to figure out track prep procedures, as they have a higher tendency to get rough, especially on corner entry, and it‘s customary to err on the side of caution, especially with non-winged sprints.
The feature turned out to be racy and went green-to-checkered. I look for the crew there to only improve and continue figuring out what different track conditions work best for each division of cars.
Circle City Speedway had, in my opinion, the most anticipation for its opening. The track‘s location on the Marion County Fairgrounds just off two major highways in the southeast corner of Indianapolis give it an undoubtedly prime location. With so many involved in the motorsports industry in and around Indianapolis, Circle City has a unique potential to draw crowds any day of the week.
The construction of the track came down relatively close to its opening with the All Star Circuit of Champions and it, admittedly, had its ups and downs. The track crew is still working on getting the dirt settled in, but in each of my three visits to Circle City the track has been better than the previous.
Bloomsburg Fair Speedway is located on a rather enormous fairground complex, which gives it an exciting opportunity for the growth of its motorsport events in the future. Bloomsburg had some similar issues as Circle City for their debut and similar time obstacles getting the track construction completed before their opening night during Eastern Storm. The track prep crew addressed and fixed some of the track problems throughout the night and have a plan of action for many more changes and improvements. Central Pennsylvania‘s fans are passionate and supportive and the great crown on hand for Bloomsburg‘s first event shows promise for their future.
There have been many critics and complainers, including competitors, surrounding these tracks‘ early events and that is very disappointing to me. I would encourage those people to ask themselves a few questions: How many new tracks are being built? How many tracks are closing their gates every year? How many tracks can pay purses for National touring series? Do you think these tracks‘ intention is to have track condition problems? How much work, effort, and money is involved in each of these projects?
In my opinion, the tight timeframes in which some of these tracks have been constructed have contributed to the issues with the track surface. The dirt does not seem to have been able to be properly compacted and combined in such a short amount of time, but fortunately this should be able to be vastly improved with every event, and in the case of tracks that have had chance to make improvements, they have.
Tracks that have been around for half a century or more can still have track issues due to weather and other factors. Also, we must consider influences that may be behind the scenes that have forced the hand of these tight timeframes. There may be challenges from fair board members or nearby residents, and the supporters of the track may have needed to complete an event quickly to start showing progress and promise.
I am confident that with the understanding and support of the racing community these new facilities will continue to advance and hopefully blossom into premier facilities and stops on the schedule for all the major dirt racing series.