Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Anyone heard any updated about whether Cowtown hopes to open at all in 2013 or is essentially closed for good? Their website has a picture of a darkened track at night w/ no info that basically leaves you with the impression they're closed for good. Hate to lose this racy little joint...

The best place online to get info is at elbowsup.com. They are a DFW centric racing site. The following link does not sound good. The Jeff that is mentioned in the thread is the promoter from last year.

http://www.elbowsup.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=46808

Thanks, looks like unless a minor miracle happens we've seen our last race there.

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would

The common story is that there are two main issues facing the track. Hopefully, the common story is close to the truth.

1) There are ground up shingle clippings used in the parking lots and pits. Some of the shingle clippings are causing issues with the drainage of the property and causing flooding to adjancent properties. It seems that the clippings are causing some drains to become clog/bypassed. This issue will have to be addressed regardless.

2) The bigger and more expensive issue is that the City of Kennedale went to install a new updated power meter on the property. (The track sits inside the city limits) When they went to update the power meter they determined that the track did not have it's own power meter but rather was sharing the power meter with the home of the track owner. This is against the electrical code to have two properties sharing a power meter. When they went to install the power meter at the track, it was determined that the wiring at the track was not up to code and was unsafe. If you can imagine a 50 year old track and having different people add/change the wiring over the years, it is easy to see how it would not be up to code. Basically, the story is that all of the wiring for the track will need to be redone. This issue only needs to be addressed if the track is going to be used.

If anyone has any better information, please correct anything that is not correct.

That makes a lil more since. Thanks

Hmm, sounds like a good way for an electrician to become a track sponsor. . . . .

www.manvelmotorsports.com

am I missing something here...how can "clean up of environmental issues" get a pass by closing the track?

the problem will still be there and the responsibility for that problem does not go away...does it?

also kinda shocked that powering a track can spin a residential meter that many revs / years without the power company picking up on it...making the bill for a house that much higher during race months should have tripped a red flag long ago!

sad to see a track go...but this story seems very odd

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May

Exactly what I was thinking, if I was an electrician and lived in this area and cared about this track I think (alot of If's there, I know) I would try to get some people together and donate my time to get things back up to date. Not trying to make it out to be a small task but if someone really wanted to see something happen its not impossible, that also is if the owner or promoter is even willing to put the money into buying the materials.

http://gph.is/XMLGff

My guess is, and take it for what its worth, I only know the situation from what I've read. Someone in an earlier post made the comment that the shingle grindings that are the environmental issue will need to be cleaned up regardless if the track is open or closed, this is probably the smaller issue of remedy but also an issue none the less.

The electrical issue is probably something that has been ongoing for awhile and its just finally came to a head. I would say that what went on is the electrical bill is under the tracks name and the owners personal home was just added onto the hookup at some point throughout the years so you would have an electrical bill for a racetrack and the owners home was also drawing off it and nobody probably thought much about it or the electrical co. knew about it and just finally had to deal with it. Its not that uncommon for people that have a businesses and live beside it to try to do this, I know someone where I live that built his home in the middle of his storage locker complex and you barely see its there, I can guarantee he benefits in certain ways from doing it. That is why there are city regulations for this type of stuff, cause people are out there doing it. My guess is its just a money thing, they've likely gotten bids and they probably exceed $50,000 to rewire the complex and from the way it sounds the owner doesn't really like to spend money on the place and I can't imagine that the promoter wants to stick that kind of money into something that at the end of the day isn't his. I would say there best chance is if people care enough to volunteer time and equipment to get the work done.

http://gph.is/XMLGff

makes sense...but trenching and running copper to meet code - depending on distances) might be less $ than solving run off issues which would include enviro impact / compliance studies in some areas of the country.

sorry to hear about this either way.

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May

Once again, just repeating what is already on the net is various forms, the run off issue is more about flooding the neighbors property than any enviromental (contamination) concern. The recycled shingles are not causing problems with the ground water. They are causing run off issues by either changing the way the water flows or by clogging some drains/run offs in the area. The track itself is built on a top of a hill. Thus, they had fewer rain outs because the pits-parking lots had great drainage and would not flood like so many other tracks. The way it was described on a different thread on elbowsup.com was that the drainage issue was something that could be easily solved.

However, all of my information is several, several times removed. Hopefully, if I am stating anything wrong someone can correct me.

Ok, Here is what I understand happened. Shawn Peterson, #4 Sprint Car Owner/Driver, Millionaire, Print Place Owner, crashes or crashes someone else every time I have seen him run....... Had a disagreement with the Cowtown Promoter and turned them into the City and the rest is History.

The Shingles have been there for years, I want to say since about 2000, and now it's a problem? They have had transformers blow while racing and now it's a problem?

Someone once said, follow the money trail and you will find the real cause.

I know several people believe that all of the problems at the track can be attributed to one person. However, I do not buy into this theory. Not evertything in racing has to have a conspircacy theory attached to it. The city of Kennedale updating all of the electrical meters to smart meters seems more realistic to me than a jilted driver calling the city and the city dreaming up a reason to close the track because the jilted driver has a lot of money.

Side by side and they run the same nights? They say everything is bigger in Texas. Clearly that does not apply to brains.

.  

There's also a drag strip across the road from the two dirt tracks. My wife and I were passing through the area a few years back,and we decided to drive by the tracks. All three of them were running at the same time! Pretty wild! You could see the drags from the road too!

Dirt is where it's at