With the recent news that racing for the 2012 season at Irwindale Speedway has been cancelled, it’s time to put all the rumors to rest about what many felt would be the future of the track.
As the drivers, fans, and media waited for official word from track management about the fate of the upcoming season, it came by way from a one-line statement from Doug Stokes simply stating, "The management of Irwindale Speedway announced that the 2012 racing season has been canceled."
It just so happened Monday was the same day that Irwindale Speedway LLC also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which still left many unanswered questions.
One of the biggest questions on everyone’s mind had to be, why track manager and vice president Bob DeFazio kept everyone in limbo wondering, would there be racing in 2012 after posting the new schedule would be out by January, then moving the date back to the first week in February.
Call after call went unanswered to DeFazio’s office, along with the trust that many who were involved with the track put on this man’s shoulder thinking he had their best interest on the forefront. You have to wonder if at any time while the track was in full operation, whose interest and where the focus of this state-of-art facility really was?
Those who were familiar with the daily operations blame poor management as one of the contributing factors why the track no longer has a weekly racing program, which could easily be traced back to poor car counts along with dwindling fan attendance.
The noticeable became the obvious when the speedway cancelled two events towards the end of season, which included one of the track’s more popular events dubbed, “The night of destruction.”
However the biggest blow came in August when DeFazio announced that short track racings premier event, the Toyota All-Star Showdown which brought together drivers from both the K&N West and East series had been cancelled for 2012.
The reason for the cancellation according to DeFazio was, “The contract between Toyota and NASCAR expired at the end of the Showdown in 2011, and NASCAR could not work out a deal with Toyota and no other sponsor stepped forward to take its place.”
Even though the weekly Saturday night racing program continued to see poor attendance figures, events such as Formula Drift, and the Moon Eyes Christmas show drew record numbers of crowds, which were not run by Irwindale Speedway LLC, but instead the track was rented to these organizations.
Extra grandstands were brought in to handle the overflow of fans that flocked in to attend these events, along with parking cars across the street because the parking lot would fill to capacity. After officially opening its gates in 1999, Irwindale Speedway quickly became the center piece for short track racing on the West Coast, with many drivers from near and far testing their racing skills on the progressively banked, asphalt paved half-mile superspeedway.
Attendance was never a problem during the early years, which could be attributed to the high car counts and the fast paced racing action that was witnessed by those in attendance. It wasn’t long before the track quickly became the center point for many commercials when Hollywood embraced its location, and availability along with the back drop of the San Gabriel Mountains which could be seen nestled behind the main grandstand.
The weekly program was family friendly, and included something for the seasoned veteran as well as the novice and rookie fans. Not only was the speedway a place for drivers to bring their specially prepared cars and trucks to compete against one another, but it was also a place where many friendships and acquaintances were made.
The camaraderie between those who called Irwindale Speedway their home away from home, was special and it could be seen whenever a fellow driver needed help getting his or her racecar ready for the evening’s program.
On any given Saturday night there were drivers, track workers, team members, and fans that stayed way beyond the end of the nights racing schedule to talk and discuss the night’s action amongst one another.
Jason Galvin who was the track’s announcer the last three seasons, had this to say about the track’s closure, “It's sad to see the place close, and I like many others still have hope that someone will find a way to pick the track up and get it going again, Thank You Irwindale Speedway, and Thank You to all of my friends from the track.”
Jeffrey Best and Tommy Mason, who were the eyes and ears of the speedway for those who couldn’t attend, recorded the evening’s action and posted it on the internet via their production company named the Low Budget TV Show.
With their video camera and microphone in hand, they would scour the pits before and after the evenings racing action race and talk with the drivers to get their perspective for their weekly internet show.
Jeffrey and Tommy said it best when they posted this comment on their Facebook page, “Whatever happens with the track awaits the seeing eyes of tomorrow. Wherever this leads us, we have yet to see. From the fans to the drivers, the tow crew to the safety crew, the officials, the employees...everyone. Thank you for giving us the best place to grow up on a Saturday night.”
As the rumor mill continues to swirl with story after story of this company showing interest, or that guy who said he has the inside scoop of a potential buyer, the memories along with the friendships will last a lifetime.
The track meanwhile is still being used by the L.A. Racing school and is in full operation, even though there have been rumors that it was being torn down.
Jim Cohan who is the owner and CEO of the racing school recently said that, “Because we have a lease that is not connected with Irwindale Speedway LLC, we are able to keep the school running since we contract our own safety personal.”
Cohan also added that, “The school is in not going to close anytime soon, and reservations are being accepted as we speak.”
Just recently Aubree Porter who races a mini-stock for Quick Pick Motorsports, just completed one of the many classes that is offered in hopes of someday moving up the ranks in the near future. The school is open to both first time drivers, as well as those who are looking to advance their racing careers, and of course for the thrill seeker who is looking for his next fix.
Operations manager Ozzie Blackwell, posted on his Facebook page that, “Business is GREAT at L.A. Racing! Track closure works to our advantage with many more class dates available for our thousands of customers looking to come out and feel the pure adrenaline rush of blazing around the track in a real Super Late Model Stock Car! Get Your Race Pass and join in on the fun.”
The school offers 10, 20 and 40 lap Adventure Programs as well as Competition Courses for the more serious racer and unlike the other guys; we have race dates available to our customers all year long. L.A. Racing can be reached at www.laracingx.com, or you can call their toll free number at 877-901-RACE to get further information.
Written by:
