Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

Dear Mayor,

We in the racing community are very disappointed in the politicians who represent the Oklahoma City residents. The decision to shut down the State Fair Speedway without considering the economic impact that it will have on so many different people was ignorant and inconsiderate. Although, you may disagree and feel that it is nothing but an eye sore to the city but the Fair grounds has been around and providing wholesome fun filled entertainment for many Oklahomans for over 55 years. Contrary to what you or anyone else may believe many people rely on the income that comes from racers within the community. Many local business men and woman provide services to over 100 race car drivers that participate each and every Friday night during the race season and during the off season they spend even more money repairing and rebuilding for the upcoming season. Now that you have selfishly decided to end racing in Oklahoma City for good, many businesses will be forced to shut their doors thus increasing the unemployment rate yet again in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City residents have entrusted you and city councilmen to appropriate the funds from the Maps 3 project that was recently passed. In the plan for Maps 3 some of the $777 million dollars that you are asking us to pay was designated to updating and restoring the fair grounds. You have stated recently that it would take 400,000.00 to bring the facility up to date, which is only a fraction of the money that the residents of our great city have kindly agreed to give you. Yet , you feel it is in the best interest to end a sporting event that has been around for over 50 years. Why? so you can keep your pockets lined with our hard earned money all while you sit back and grin thinking you have all the control. You may think that all who enjoy dirt track racing are ignorant hill billies and that we are going to take this laying down. WRONG!!! The racing community is not going down without a fight, we will stand together to see to it that our beloved fair grounds is not demolished before our eyes.

Sincerely yours,

April Clevenger

Mrs. April Buntin

very well said....

Jayson Ellis

I thought you had a very well written letter to the mayor until the end when you accused the mayor and others of lining their pockets at our expense. While we may all feel that way in our hearts, it does not help our cause to throw out those unfounded and unproven accusations of lining pockets. I have been attending Fair Grounds Speedway since 1963, been involved in the racing community since the mid 60's, known Mayor Cornett and his family for a long time, and while I disagree with his position on the speedway, I disagree with your final few sentences in what was otherwise a very well written letter that very eloquently stated how most of us feel about the loss of the speedway. We just cannot make these personal attacks against city officials or other people whether we agree with their point of view or disagree with them in full view for everyone to see. We can call them anything we want in conversations among ourselves, but please everyone, tone down the rhetoric.

Good point Ratmotor... Nice letter sprntdrama I agree with Ratmotor the end was a bit to strong. It happens to all of us, I have wore out my delete and backspace keys lol.

 Randy       

       DIRT TRACKIN
"When it's wet slide it in"

Just my two cents.....

Personal attacks on the mayor and/or city council members is not going to get us any closer than we are right now to saving the speedway. Also, if you are going to write a letter to the mayor, city council members, etc., please use proper grammar and punctuation. The majority of the residents of the Oklahoma City metro area that are opposed to racing at the faigrounds view us as "rednecks" or "hillbillies". Personally attacking them is not going to help this image.

Bobby Springer #25

Thank You April Clevenger keep up the good work racers and fans.

Lance aka (FUNNN)


                     

Thanks April.

It's not HOW fast you go, but how you GO fast.

www.myspace.com/bucky65c

People might as well say exactly what they have on their minds.After all the smoke has cleared they may wish that they had.After the broken promises the POLITICIANS have made to the racing people,someone should be pissed.I guess now we can just go watch horse shows throughout November.I would like to know where and when this all ends,the maps 4,5,6,7 and so on.Rat you might want to tell your friend Cornett that we are tired of getting screwed with all these multi million dollar white elephant projects.

Steve Moyer CKS Fabrication & Welding                  
CKS Chassis                                            
I want my last words to be "damn this is fun"

Mayor is not a friend, and if he ever had the opportunity to be one, he certainly lost it when he took the point on closing the speedway. In the past, while doing business in Oklahoma City, I met the current mayor when he was in sports broadcasting and that's where he should have remained.

I completely agree with Ratmotor. It is a well crafted, persuasive letter until the personal attacks, but I certainly understand the frustration.

Unfortunately, I fear that this battle is over and lost, BUT, your good Mayor Cornett (he's not mine as I don't live in OKC and didn't get to vote NO on MAPS3) has political aspirations beyond being mayor. Remember your outrage when he and others in this regime run for office again. We have the same kinds of problems down here in Norman with local politicians that feel they must leave their stamp (or "stink" on the city with some grandiose project.

It's kind of funny that Ron Norrick not only funded, but hit up his city father buddies to fund his kid's racing aspirations, but when it came to supporting the sport at home, he let this happen. This proves to me that he was no racer at heart.

I loved that track. A part of me died when they closed the 1/2 mile, but I always felt there was a possibility in the future for it to be restored. When the wrecking ball swings on those decrepit grandstands, all possibilities for restoring glory are gone. I hope they have to spend extra money to bring them down because of there solid construction.

Maybe we should have asked for parimutuel betting and slot machines? They sure didn't have a problem granting that waiver for Remington Park. Oh yeah, that involves horses. I wonder if we could race on that oval after they finally go bankrupt?

Here's my plea for the future. Learn from the lesson of Speedway, Indiana. Lanny needs to incorporate the land surrounding Lawton and The Devil's Bowl into their own independent towns so that the cities of Mesquite and Lawton can't tell them what to do. I hadn't been to The Devil's Bowl in years and was quite surprised this October to see how close the city has grown to the track. It's just a matter of time.

RIP Fairgrounds Speedway.

HM

What is the mayors email address?

JIMMY MINTER 'AKA'dirtrack234                  
Yesterday 
is history, 
tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is 
why they call it the present.

[email protected]

Thanks, Im going to send him a email and ask what would atleast one more year hurt. If some how he would that would give us a little more time. It will be one more email he got from us.

JIMMY MINTER 'AKA'dirtrack234                  
Yesterday 
is history, 
tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is 
why they call it the present.

I'm in agreement with smomam speek your peace now or forever hold your voice.