Forum: Northern California Sprint Car (go)
Moderators: StuDeedooo

The Calistoga Fairboard in all their wisdom last night decided that there can be no USAC/BCRA sprint and midget racing at Calistoga Speedway Labor Day Weekend of 2008. It seems we get closer and closer each year but still no cigar. Best regards Jermar.

Is that official?

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

@#$%$$&&@#$*@**%#!!!!

"Ralphie, Senor, muchas gracias por una mas cerveza"  -
Scott Daloisio @ the PAS

WHAT HE SAID!!!!!!!!

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

Word in the pits at Perris Auto Speedway (4/12) is that the USAC/CRA race is STILL ON at Calistoga. People are still working to promote and raise money for the event.

Race is still on, but not totally set in stone.... Lets hope that we can get some businesses to help get this race sponsored.... I really want to see my parents car run at the half mile speedway!!!

shuckaducka

while having a nonwing race at stoga would be cool and the fans would love it, why do we want to support a track that or a town that has moved away from supporting racing? why do we want to lend our dollars to that community if they are not going to be loyal supporters? what ever happened to the dixon track? not trying to be a jerk (i really don't have to try anywho) my take the past few years is THEY DON'T WANT US for whatever reason. why should we continue to push the idea just to reward the community with our money?

t-w-o----i can remember a time when the whole town whore sprint car t-shirts on race day --maybe if we can stifle people like you maybe thy would start supporting us again

Robert Bond    San Jose Ca

How about have the USAC/CRA race at Ocean on Friday and Petaluma on Saturday. Another option is to have it at Silver Dollar and Placerville.

i can remember a time when folks stood on the balconies of their homes outside the track at clovis watching the races.

i can remember 6,000 people in the stands at the san jose fairgrounds.

memories are nice. how many of those stoga folks are wearing sprintcar shirts now? if we talk them into taking our money this time how hard are we going to have to beat on them to take it in the future? it will be their lose. we will find a place to race. is it really worth it to be where you are not wanted? the complaints, the cops and the attitude of the town have been showing the racers over thre past few years that we are not welcome guests. you may want to force yourself on the place, i don't.

nothing could compare to having a race at stoga. and for the history it would have behind it with the vermeils and all. if the community was all for it that would be great.

I want this race to go off just as much as anybody out there but Steve does make a good point. At what point do you stop throwing your money at the folks that could care less if they get it or not. Why not bring your money to the communities that still support racing and thank you for bringing your racing dollars.

Calistoga could care less if racers came and spent money in there hotels etc. However, Placerville, Chico, Watsonville and Tulare are all communties that like seeing the money the race teams bring with a multi day show.

It is a quandry. Tradition is hard to give up.

Excellent points by John and Wright One (who ever you are), but there are a couple of things that I would like to mention.

This race is for us, not them. I grant you that the price we will have to pay to play is expensive, but Steve Howard and Dick and Stan Vermeil are doing a lot of work to foot that bill for us. (Thank them if you get a chance) Any race track you go to is expensive, between fuel, pit passes, & tires your our a thousand a night. But it isnt like we are starting a weekly series here. I understand operating on a budget, but I made a plan with my money to make it to the mopar million, I did. I will do the same here, because I would hate to have to hear about it from someone else.

The truth of this race is that more than likely it will not be come an annual event. They don't need our money!! The fair board isnt interested in improving or building on anything, that track has deteriated in condition over the last 20 years, there has been very little in the ways of improvments. Can anyone tell me when the last time they brought in clay? It isnt important to them.

As for the people of that community, they arent the same as they were 20, 30 40 years ago. I have friends that were involved in racing that still live there, they dont even go downtown. It is a new world, 180 degree mufflers, 10 pm curfews, each year we get closer and closer to losing places to race. Calistoga is down to 4 scheduled races, that isnt because they couldnt get cars. It's because the well is drying up, like it or not. If "WE" can get one more great race at Calistoga, one for the memories, we should allow ourselves to enjoy it.

The last thing on my soap box is, I feel it is important to show respect to our herritage, Louie Vermeil gave 50 years to racing, he has provided so much to our sport and everyone of us on some level has be the benefactor of his time, dedication and efforts. Sadly, we have yet to show our respect to him. Where else to show that respect but at his track, with the traditional cars that he fought to keep there. I was too young to understand, and it was too long ago to remember exactly how or why Louie stepped away, But I know the racing hasnt been the same at that track since they put the wings on. I hope that if they can get this race put together, they can talk George Hawkins in to prep the track.

Thanks for the time

Butch Brazil

Nicely said Butch, I couldn't have said it any better than that.........................

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

I agree with Troy in the above post. Right to the point. Thanks Butch! One more time for old times sake and for the Vermeil family.

Bob Davidson

"Ralphie, Senor, muchas gracias por una mas cerveza"  -
Scott Daloisio @ the PAS

BTW, after I heard news of the cancellation at Calistoga, I thought that I would e-mail the new president of USAC, Kevin Miller at his office in Indy. Some posters were blaming USAC for the cancellation. I have taken the approach that Miller just might be good for USAC and sprint car racing. He seems sincere in his efforts. Anyway, here is a copy of my e-mail and Miller's response:

"Ralphie, Senor, muchas gracias por una mas cerveza"  -
Scott Daloisio @ the PAS

Like I said, I want this race to happen just as much as the next guy. What I would really like to see is a half dozen winged and non-winged races there every year. It is a great piece of history.

However, at what point do you put your money where it counts rather than where your not wanted. Lord knows they are not putting any of your money back into the track. You could beat that horse all day long

Something does not jive about this race.. Either the fair board does not want it or there are other reasons.. Has there been a promoter named for this race? Has he approched the Indian casinos, has he approched any of the wineries.. There is quite a few wineries up there that have ties with racing people, Andretti, Jeff Gordon and with Dick Vermeil himself to name some.. In fact one of the wineries that Dick himself is associated with has come out already or is going to come out with a wine named after his Grandfather "Jean Louis Vermeil" who settled in the area and had a vineyard ... In my opinion either a promoter has not been named or else he is not doing his home work and just waiting for everything to fall into place by itself and that's not going to happen, he has to talk to and convince the fair board that this race will be a sellout, and it WOULD BE if held.. I know that track is not very good for winged sprints but it should be great for the non wings.. I don't know how much Dick or his brother are involved outside of tow money which i read on here.. Dick lives in Kansas City or at his ranch in PA. part time but he himself at one time made a statement saying i never thought i would be a football coach "i thought i would end up being a mechanic and a sprint car driver after college" .. I don't know if anyone on here knows this but i heard he has the #7 that his father Louie drove before he became the promoter at Calistoga and the last i heard Dick was in the process of having it restored.. Like i said at the start of this reply something does not jive and it seems odd that those in USAC don't even know if this race is on or off, you would think either someone from USAC or there promoter if they named one would have been at the fair board meeting and would know what the heck was going..

Maybe the whole town didnt wear sprint car shirts, wow wouldnt that be cool though. But back in the day, maybe you havent been going to Calistoga for 25+ years or more, but back in the day the town used to have a parade for the racers and the race that was in Calistoga. I do agree with Wright One, the damn town folks dont want us. I can remember camping at the old Calistoga Ranch Campground, with the cars parked and being worked on during the day, but those times too have passed.

Joe Montana has a winery out there, and i've seen him at the track... I think it's easier to say nobody is interested than do the required leg work. It's sad that 'stoga is slipping away. As a final celebration or farewell, we as fans should get to see it one more time, and what better way to send it off than a traditional sprint car race?