Per M40 web site ! www.m40speedway.com

[racer-x]

Wow that was a shock to hear..You can ad that to the closing speedways of Avilla @ South Bend motor speedway in the North part of Indiana..I also received my last paper from the Marc Times racing news that has gone out of buisness also.:thumbsdown:


Maybe our new president B.O will figure out how to CHANGE the sport of auto racing.He sure seems to have the new answers to everything else in our lives!

[Mud Packer]

I went there last year for the first time to see the supermodifieds & midgets run. A nice little bullring. If memory serves me correctly, isn't this the same owner/promoter who formerly owned the South Bend Motor Speedway? Sorry to see it close but with the economic climate it isn't surprising.:thumbsdown:

[unclebuck]

The Brown family, who currently owns M40 tried to buy South Bend, last year or so, in the off season. They put up M40 for sale in the meantime. Rumor was that the owner of S. Bend was unreasonable at the very end of the negotiations.

The Browns turned around M40 which had been mismanaged in the past. Good people. They announced that track was for sale at the beginning of the season. This was to be they're last season as promotors.

This is very distressing news.

D.Weis
Valparaiso

[AlkyMadness]

Also learned today that Lakeland Speedway in Florida is closing and that NASCAR driver Rick Crawford lost out on his attempt to re-open Montgomery Speedway in Alabama.

Lakeland doesn't surprise me. Great facility that held a lot of Hooters, ASA, and Florida LMS races, but every time I saw video from there, the stands were more than half empty.

Central Florida fans apparently don't support their local short tracks. Sunshine closed in Tampa and Ocala laid down dirt in an effort to stay alive.

The All Star races at North Florida this year were not exactly sell outs and people have always said that the crowds are pretty thin at East Bay during the season.

Hate to hear about M40.

I suspect by the end of the year this list will grow.

[Dwight Clock]

Originally Posted by AlkyMadness Also learned today that Lakeland Speedway in Florida is closing and that NASCAR driver Rick Crawford lost out on his attempt to re-open Montgomery Speedway in Alabama. Lakeland doesn't surprise me. Great facility that held a lot of Hooters, ASA, and Florida LMS races, but every time I saw video from there, the stands were more than half empty. Central Florida fans apparently don't support their local short tracks. Sunshine closed in Tampa and Ocala laid down dirt in an effort to stay alive. The All Star races at North Florida this year were not exactly sell outs and people have always said that the crowds are pretty thin at East Bay during the season. Hate to hear about M40. I suspect by the end of the year this list will grow.

Alky, do you mean USA Speedway in Lakeland? If so, that is very sad news. :thumbsdown:

[Mud Packer]

[QUOTE=AlkyMadness;55264]Also learned today that Lakeland Speedway in Florida is closing and that NASCAR driver Rick Crawford lost out on his attempt to re-open Montgomery Speedway in Alabama.

Lakeland doesn't surprise me. Great facility that held a lot of Hooters, ASA, and Florida LMS races, but every time I saw video from there, the stands were more than half empty.

Central Florida fans apparently don't support their local short tracks. Sunshine closed in Tampa and Ocala laid down dirt in an effort to stay alive.

The All Star races at North Florida this year were not exactly sell outs and people have always said that the crowds are pretty thin at East Bay during the season.

Hate to hear about M40.

Alky,

I certainly hope that it isn't USA International. I have been there for a couple of the CRA Speedfest shows in January and they have had decent attendance. They seat a lot of people there so I am sure that it looks to be half full but that still is a lot of people. I think that it is owned by USAR and I know that they are a special events only track, so I hope that this is just a rumor and not a fact. I guess with todays economy nothing should surprise us.:thumbsdown:

[AlkyMadness]

I just confirmed that it is USA International. After this weekend's races, it will be torn down to make way for an industrial park.

I suspect Hooters knew this was coming because they moved their championship finale this year to Rockingham.

Speaking of Hooters, I got a hunch they are about to bail out of racing completely. I was checking their website recently and there is little if any mention of their racing involvement. I had to dig thru the links section to even find it. Used to be plastered all over their site and at the restaurants. If you didn't know that they sponsored a racing series, you'd never know going into their places around here.

I remember hearing last year that the original owners (the Brooks) were selling the business. They loved racing. Maybe the new owners aren't so crazy about it.

Wish I would have gone to the PRA show last year. Never got to that track and it looked pretty racy.

[PJ Wright]

Mr. Brooks was crazy about racing. After he passed away, I wondered if Hooters involvement in racing would decrease. I guess the answer is yes. By the way, Mr. Brooks estate near Myrtle Beach included a paved quarter mile oval for his guests to play on. Unfortunately, I was never one of them.