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

     I figure I've gone to over 500 races at Husets Speedway, and 6 at badlands. I don't feel like I will ever get to go to the races there ever again. I think it's time we all just admit that a very poor businessman with limited social skills has killed the place,  and will continue to ruin is for anybody else out of spite. I feel it's time we all just walk away from the baby and let him just sit there in his own dirty diaper. I'd suggest that everybody just quit giving it the attention it thrives on.

     Moving on > How 'bout those folks who were trying to save Husets Speedway work together and try to save local racing? It appears there were at least 3 parties who had the interest and financing to consider getting involved with the Husets auction. Could a group of racing supporters get Hartford up and running and eventually grow it into something big? I bet it's possible. You'd have to start slow like Rock Rapids did, but surely the potential is there.  What do you think?

ps. Let's leave badlands and brennen completely out of the discussion. If I hear chuck's name again I think I'll puke.

Murphy, there have been many times we have disagreed but I'm totally on board with you. As much as it pains me as I too spent many many nights at the joint...many memories of Fran Bruns, Bill Rook, Rick Dump, Todd Weasels, Cliff Koidahl the Dude, TMac, Chuck McGillvary . MARLON Jones and many others...i fear it's dead unless a miracle comes forth.  Time to move on.

I have heard of a possible party with their sights on i90 but it's very preliminary so there's hope in that.

Murphy, Thank you for posting this thread. I wrote 3 paragraphs in response to the other thread started this afternoon by a certain troll then I erased it all as a waste of time being sucked in.

Good day and my the 3/8 oval South of Brandon RIP and Cary with her all the memories we cherish so. 

Hartfords price tag is 1.2 mil. Probably only worth 5 to 600k. I wish somebody would buy it but I"m afriad it just won't pencil out. If that track near Brandon never reopens Hartford has the potential for huge fan base and car counts.

That's the price I heard as well, but Lyle may also be open to lease it. But stands, etc have deteriorated considerably . Lyle is not a person whom I respect much after what he did to Lake County Speedway, but he has a chance here to gain a lot of that back as, if he's reasonable (in our eyes) , he has an opportunity to be a key individual in bringing racing back. 

     (I'm not picking on you) but I hope there are people out there smarter than you and me that can make it happen. I don't know how you'd figure out what a property with a dormant racetrack on it is worth (I'm not the only one ;)). In the end, the Hartford Speedway property would sell for whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Maybe there's a way for those smart people to lease it instead of buying it, or something else similar? A yearly lease check might make for a pretty good retirement program.

     Hartford always seemed like a track that could be made into something bigger, but was always in the shadow of another track. The shadow's gone now. It has a lot going for it: Open corners with no walls, pits outside of the track, a rural location, grandstands (or remenants of. If you've been there you know what I mean) built into a hill, excellent sitelines, a 40 year (sort of) history of racing.

     First time I went there it was for a drizzly daytime race on a big half mile track in probably spring of 1981(?)

     I've been told that they have grandstands in storage that could be used( probably from Lake County-sorry). If this worked, Lyle could get a chance to hop back in a 360 which is probably more fun anyway.

I don't think a track would have to start slow in that area. All the cars and fans that attended weekly racing at Husets would probably support racing at a different facility nearby if the schedule/divisions were similar. If it were me I would hit the ground running, I would bring in all the events Husets used to run, memorial races, run on Sunday, etc. It could be Husets Speedway in every way other than the track surface.  

    Just curious- are you in the Sioux Falls area?

TThat would be great if they did have stands available. I did hear that mica racesavers and their growth in the area would possibly be a basis for them there. Hey, a sprint car is a sprint car. Those with 360 special shows, working with tracks such as Park Jefferson and jackson make a series and of course with the obligatory street stocks I think it could prosper. I also agree, don't come out and try to make it the crown jewel right away, just give us some racing and fans and racers alike will help it grow. I'm thinking that if the investors that showed interest in Husets could get involved (wish I could but I'm merely a veteran pest control professional of 20 plus years and my wife a elementary school teacher) , give it some time and we'd remember Husets fondly and forget about Brennan.

I got $1000 Canadian you can have to purchase Hartford, sorry it only amounts to about $200 USD. All I ask for in return is free tpit passes on my first 3 or 4 visits visits for me and the wifey!

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

Don't know if we can accept pink paper money with pictures of queens on it. :)

BZZZZZTTTT! You weren't supposed to mention that guy. ;)

From the looks of things, it would probably be better & cheaper to start from scratch in that area. With the price tag on certain tracks, and improvements needed on others it would probably be best/just as much to build something from the ground up.

I am not from the Sioux Falls area, but did read a book recently (Our Towns) and it described the area as continuing to develop. It seems that their is some population, an interest, and possibly for the local economy a need for a racetrack. A lot of factors go into this such as land available, equipment, building materials, and laws to organize.

Not sure if their are any development operations/associations in your area but some fans might be able to convince a group to seek out potential investors to build another sight around the area. You can talk about local economic impact such as money from out of town that would be brought into town based on events from the past.

Here in Columbus we have something similar going on with the MLS Soccer team (Columbus Crew). I am not a Soccer fan but it kind of goes hand in hand with Husets situation mostly. Bad owner, wants to move the team, won't accept purchase options for B.S reasons, but wants to move the team to Austin. Many fans in the area started a movement with the local business associations here called #Savethecrew. With the movement they were able to get local investors make up a plan to build a new stadium & reach out to make an offer to purchase the team. In your situation you would not have to necessarily have to worry about the purchase of the track because I agree that ship has sailed. But it might be something that some of the fans in the area might be able to bring up as far as getting racing back in the area.

In that area I feel the movie quote from Field of Dreams is true, "if you build it, they will come."

Doggone it Murphy. I didn't even mean to either. Lol. Not saying the name and place we shall not mention is harder than me quitting smoking....and not doing either will be better for my health!

Bingo. If the place of which we do not speak truely doesn't re-open then that's exactly what needs to happen. Add the Loren Barstad Memorial to the schedule and voila. It's simple. Kidding of course but I really do feel it would work. The thought of never returning to The Place of Which We Do Not Speak is sickening but a statement could be made by taking the lemons and sippin' lemonade, at a sprint car race in the slums, while King Noodledick's palace crumbles. 

I-90 has great potential.

For the record I still don't think the other place is gone for good.

For the record paydirt part of me agrees.  I'm gonna hold out hope until the first building comes down.  But an i90 resurrection may be a wonderful alternative  

In light of evwrything I think an all new location and facility is the best answer. Bringing folks back to Hartford might be a struggle in itself. 

Do not think Hartford is the answer. 

Why do you say that?

    I disagree. Hartford already has a bunch of the infrastructure already there, it just needs to be fixed up and improved. It also wouldn't have to deal with zoning issues. Starting fresh in a cornfield would probably cost more and would require years of zoning issues and resistance from folks who don't want a new speedway close to their home.

     I was trying to think of the last racetrack built from scratch in our area. The answer might be Hartford back in around 1976(?). Park Jefferson was converted from a dog racing(?) track maybe 20-25 years ago? I don't think anybody builds new tracks from the ground up anymore.