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

COPIED FROM HOSEHEADS SPRINT CAR FORUM

I just got a phone call from Steve Howard at SoCal Performance and he said that he sent a check to The Napa County Fairgrounds and secured Labor Day weekend for "The Louie Vermeil Classic". He was a little disturbed since nobody with the fairboard ever called him to give him a deadline or amount needed so he had to fork out $25 to overnight them a check.

So now it's up to all of us fans to make sure that the place is packed on Labor Day. I will post a copy of the flyer as soon as USAC gets it to me and then we need to spread the word. Maybe since someone else is promoting and running this show then we can get some real figures to show the fairboard that they are letting that track go to waste. If not, then lets just have one last hoorah at that famous half mile.

"Thank You Steve Howard"

Chad Hawkins

OH GOOD!!!

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

Trophy Cup......Best race of the year hands down!

ok....yes, I already posted this, but now STEALTHMAN copied it and re-posted it?

next...the fairgrounds never called Steve Howard to tell him they needed a deposit. Instead they had a little meeting and quietly voted down the race hoping that nobody would notice and it would just go away. When I heard about this, I called Steve Howard and let him know. He promptly called the fairgrounds and was told that the reason it was voted down was because they hadn't received any money. When they finally gave him the amount they wanted, they said that it must be received by the following day............so he overnighted a check. OK?

I will tell you the rest of the story as it unfolds.

RADROBINLB

as of 4-19 -08 this race has been removed from the calistoga speedway schedule ?

Robert Bond    San Jose Ca

I have been following this and one day it is on and the next day it is off. Bottom line is the Fair Board does not want auto racing at the fairgrounds. They lost money with the Golden State Challenge and with the Outlaws and not interested in doing it anymore. Just sending money doesn't mean a contract has been signed and to this date it hasn't so at this point anything goes. I will say one thing though and that is Tommy Hunt, and Steve Howard has, and still are doing everything they can to try and make it happen. There is time yet, but ultimately the decission is up to the Fair Board and until a contract is signed I wouldn't book that motel room just yet.

Who told you that they have been losing money? And why did they ask Steve Howard to send a certain amount of money if they never intended to honor his check or give him a contract? You are right about one thing, they do not want to have anymore races, but it's not because they don't make any money. It's because it a whole lot easier to sit on you butt and collect money from the Good Sam Club. I know of one member of the Fair Assoc. who flat out asked the board members at a recent meeting, "how much money do you need to make to call it a profitable event?" and nobody at the meeting could answer his question. You know why? Because they don't want to have anymore races at that track. It's just too much work.

As of today 4/21/08 the fair says there is no race on Labor Day..

Thank You for the real info. Robbie.

Yes thank you so much for the REAL info. Did you here that everybody Robbie has the REAL info. Maybe if Calistoga wasn't so afraid of JPM pulling their only two Civil War dates then they might consider running a race that JPM won't actually make any money at?

RADROBINLB

Maybe...I said Maybe. I do know that it has been a concern in the past, but I'm not sure what the problem is this time. Other tracks have been black balled in the past for running weekly shows against his travelling dates, but again I'm not sure if that's part of the pressure that Calistoga is feeling or if they just don't give a damn?

RADROBINLB

they must have hired Blanca Alvarado

Im sure she has pilfered Santa Clara County to the point that she can buy a house there..... Bitch!

...

Since they've already cancelled the GSC/Memorial day weekend shows and they don't want the USAC/Labor day shows; JPM should pull the plug on the Civil War shows. Calistoga is a beautiful setting, but if they don't want us-we shouldn't force ourselves on them; besides it's usually a one lane, tire eating piece of _hit race track. In my opinion, they should learn how to prep a track and bring in a real racing surface or let the brown trout pond overflow into it.

OK so how-about covering altamont with clay so we still have 1 1/2 mile racetrack in nor cal

Robert Bond    San Jose Ca

I agree with most everything you said. Calistoga has become a town of wine sipping pansies. But even when the track happens to be decent, most of the drivers still run the bottom to death. It takes more that one driver like TK to make the top work, and actually the 360s seem to have enough gutsy kids to run the top. Most of those youngsters grew up running the fence at Cycleland and it's great to watch them at Calistoga. I remember the old days when the non-wing guys started running around the bottom.......and then Rick Ferkel and Jac Haudenschild showed up. I don't think Haud ever ran a track where he didn't leave a tire mark on the fence.

Well, quite interesting. 3XC please give us tracks that were "BLACKBALLED" as you stated. Too bad you are misinformed. As for the dates at Calistoga we have never dealt with the fair board, Only Mike Kinney, it was Mike's choice as to the shows he wanted. Now he may have had to take those dates to the board but then he dealt with the board. With a new fair manager in 2009 you might just get your wish with no dates at Calistoga, for Civil War. How many dirt tracks are left in California for open wheel racing?

Altamont with clay? that would never work because of the extreme weather, 100 in the day and 40 at night plus the wind gets pretty bad, it would be a dust bowl at times.. People that live close by there have been complaining for years and its asphalt imagine what they would say about a clay dust storm..