Emmett Hahn has been trying to work with the City of Tulsa, to turn the old Tulsa Drillers Stadium into a Micro/Midget race track. The track was ready to be built and County Commissioner backed out of the deal. We have started an online petition and a Facebook page to tell our city that the race track would benefit the community and bring more money to the city. If you have time please check out our information and call Karen Keith @ (918) 596-5016 and tell her that this would benefit the City of Tulsa.
Here are links to the Petition and Facebook page.

http://www.ipetition...llersracetrack/
http://www.facebook....117752481579951

Heard about this from my son, living in Sapulpa.Knowing some about the configuration of the stadium, I think it would make for a really racy track, perhaps something like Macon or Belleville IL. Seating would be spectacular as well. If they can just get the neighbors to go along.

There are neighborhoods very close by, so you can imagine what the noise complaints will be like. There appears to be inadequate area for pits close by, and if the layout ends up like the 'new 16th speedway,' it will be mediocre racing at best.

I don't like the odds of this succeeding.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I really question how well it is going to work. Having seen the pictures of the 16th street speedway, the idea is pretty cool. Having more tracks is always good. The old drillers stadium probably has better infrastructure than a lot of current dirt tracks. Finally, I absolutely love midget racing.

However, if the neighbors are already complaining and the track has not even been built, how many complaints are they going to get when the track is racing.

Racers always complaing when housing developments move into a race tracks area and then complain about the noise. Racers always complain that the track was thier before the housing development, and if the people did not like it, they should not have moved in. ....well this time, a race track is being built next to someone's housing development.

Micros and midgets, especially the ASCS ecotech and focus engines, do not generate anywhere near the noise of a V8 class of stockcars or sprinters. The higher pitch of these engines comparatively should also be less of a bother because high frequency sound travels less than low frequency. (Ever heard the song lyrics 3 blocks away from one of those killer car stereo??nope, just that bass thump) Decent mufflers combined with the higher grandstands and fencing you would have at a baseball stadium should really bring the sound to a reasonable level. Did the neighbors complain about the extremely loud PA system from the stadium during baseball games?

I agree with the hypocrisy of putting a racetrack in an already residential area but I think the neighborhood is jumping to conclusions a little early.

Hell they took a handfull of cars and parked em right in the middle of the field and did a sound test a couple months ago....wonder if the neighbors even knew it happened.

Wow... This is a RACING message board, right? I mean, most of you reading this are in FAVOR of auto racing, right? Thought for a minute there that I had stumbled onto the greenpeace message board...

The truth is, we have several things going for us on this deal, and as of this moment, the commision is leaning toward taking a fresh look at it. More than anything else, the tide is turning because the commision has recieved an overwhelming response IN FAVOR of racing at Driller stadium. Let me just bring a couple things to light here;

1. THERE IS A GREAT RACING TRADITION AT THIS LOCATION.
The old fairgrounds dirt track was located here. Emmett and all the old boys were legendary in their NCRA "big cars" (dirt Silver Crown to you and me), right across the parking lot. And of course, there is that OTHER little indoor track we all visit each January - its just steps away from the stadium. Did you know that the Chili Bowl is the second largest revenue generator for the City of Tulsa all year? (the state fair is first). Those are the kind of statistics that get you on the good side of local politicians...

2. THE TECHNOLOGY BATTLE HAS ALREADY BEEN FOUGHT. WE WON.
Ever Been to a Focus race at Ventura? 24 cars on the track for the main, and if you are standing by the hot dog stand all you can hear is tire squal on the dry slick (water the damn track, Jim!). If you are in the parking lot, you hear only the sound of the P.A. Across the street, people are reading their books on the beach in total silence. This country put a man on the moon - don't TELL me we can't make race cars quiet!

3. THIS IS NOT 16TH STREET.
It's bigger. It's much newer. It's in a safe part of town. And, Emmett would be running it - 'nuff said.

4. THE POLITICAL BATTLE IS THE ONLY FIGHT LEFT.
Unfortunately, this is the one that racers are typically worst at. There is a stigma among non-racers that all race cars are loud and dirty. I guess the same stigma applies to the racers themselves ;-) Then on top of that, many among us have a self defeating attitude - we just ASSUME that the world is against us, and that our sport will maintain a slow, steady decline into oblivion. SNAP OUT OF IT! We HAVE the technology. In the case of the Driller Stadium project, we HAVE a strong economic position. Tulsa is a town that loves Midget Racing and is craving more of it. All we need is the chance to prove that we can deliver it in a responsible manner.

Stop what you are doing, take 3 minutes, and respond to the links in the first post. Tell the commision that you support racing at Driller Stadium, and that we CAN conduct this activity in an environmentally responsible way. We are starting to win this one - lets not let it get away. Your towm just might be next to ADD a racetrack, how 'bout that?

Keith Iaia
805-238-3930

If you have not signed the online petition, please do so now. This is working - would't it be nice to actually WIN one of these battles for a change?

Thanks again....