More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

I saw on a FB post from Hoosier Auto Race Fans that crews are in the process of removing the catch fence on the Indiana State Fair mile. What little chance there may have been of resuming racing at the Fairgrounds just got slimmer as the cost of reinstalling catch fence will be significant. Just FYI.

Did they have to put a new one in awhile back?

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Just another nail in the already sealed coffin.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

I am at a Indy Fuel game on Saturday Night. I will try to remember (am old and senile) to look for this.

Originally Posted by openwheelfan1:
I saw on a FB post from Hoosier Auto Race Fans that crews are in the process of removing the catch fence on the Indiana State Fair mile. What little chance there may have been of resuming racing at the Fairgrounds just got slimmer as the cost of reinstalling catch fence will be significant. Just FYI.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Has there been any horse racing on the track?

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Originally Posted by cmakin:
Has there been any horse racing on the track?

Never was a plan for horse racing there. Just going to be used as a training facility for the tracks at the casinos. I don't see the grandstand lasting much longer. I was at the fair a few years ago when they were racing trotters. Counted 27 people in the grandstand. A lot of liability for no more than use it. Plus scrapping it would be a good chunk of change.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk:
Never was a plan for horse racing there. Just going to be used as a training facility for the tracks at the casinos. I don't see the grandstand lasting much longer. I was at the fair a few years ago when they were racing trotters. Counted 27 people in the grandstand. A lot of liability for no more than use it. Plus scrapping it would be a good chunk of change.

Ah, okay. I was under the impression that the new surface was going to be for actual racing. Truly sad. Not sure I will come up on May any longer. The 100 at the Mile was one of my favorite races to shoot. . . .

Working up here in the the steel industry I hear scrap is down right now Brent, but your point is well taken. I would at least not feel AS BAD if they actually turned it into a real horse racing venue, but just for training really sucks. At least we got to race on it once. And damn the people responsible for this true terrorist attack on this iconic facility

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Originally Posted by flagboy55:
Working up here in the the steel industry I hear scrap is down right now Brent, but your point is well taken. I would at least not feel AS BAD if they actually turned it into a real horse racing venue, but just for training really sucks. At least we got to race on it once. And damn the people responsible for this true terrorist attack on this iconic facility

You have to remember, these are the people who spent tens of thousands of dollars to redo the track to rent the barns to the same people who have rented them forever. The same names are on the barns that are in the old pictures. The rent probably doesn't cover the electric they use, or the guard to watch the gate to let them in.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Horse racing is a Billionaires game or a group of millionaires. Hell with the auto races, hell with history like AJ Foyt.

Bunch of nobody's to them

I have raced at a lot of tracks that were shared by horsie folks, and unfortunately when they leave, there isn't really much left, just an old timers thoughts, just sayin.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

i believe horses ran there 40 years before cars ran there, its just going back to the rightful owners, sad to say.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

To be fair, It went from about a six event a year track too a two event track also. Used to run WoO races, two AMA and probably even midgets at one time.

It is owned by the citizens of The State of Indiana.

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Originally Posted by captrat:
It is owned by the citizens of The State of Indiana.

Yeah Mike you are right but its for certain that only a very few of us citizens of Indiana have any say at all about how its run and who gets to use it.

So what’s the reasoning to take out the fence? Is there some purpose for not having a fence?

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Originally Posted by ThrowbackRacingTeam:
So what’s the reasoning to take out the fence? Is there some purpose for not having a fence?

They don't want to take the chance on a horse throwing a shoe and knocking down the wall.lol. I wished I could have witnessed an auto race there.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

My guess is overall property insurance may drop with no fence or signal system.

I'd hated to have been the Silver Crown car that tested that fence and cable. It did not look very strong or safe in those last few years. Thankfully I never saw any cars get into it. My fear at the fairgrounds used to be those openings on the inside of the front straightaway, by the stage. Imagine hitting one of those.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Originally Posted by Grocery Guy:
I'd hated to have been the Silver Crown car that tested that fence and cable. It did not look very strong or safe in those last few years. Thankfully I never saw any cars get into it. My fear at the fairgrounds used to be those openings on the inside of the front straightaway, by the stage. Imagine hitting one of those.

I think that played a big part of it. Over the years, very little money was reinvested in the place. It was getting to the point where some upgrades were going to have to happen.

Re: More bad news for the Hoosier Mile
 

Originally Posted by sp6967:
i believe horses ran there 40 years before cars ran there, its just going back to the rightful owners, sad to say.

That is a very unique way to look at it. Horses can have it 364 days a year. Just wish they would share their taxpayer funded facility one day a year. The casino industry has a lot of influence on our state government.