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

I've got a major project going right now, but after September, I'm thinking of putting together an article for one of the magazines about what closing State Fair Speedway really cost the local economy. I'm talking hard core, bottom-line dollars, not emotional damage. With one full season without the speedway about to end, how much money was NOT spent locally by racers and fans? I can talk to the folks at Smiley's and Bishops, but if you have a business that relies at least partially on racing for your income (welding shop, engine work, graphics, tires, etc) I'd like to know in real terms how badly you got hurt. For both racers and fans, how much money didn't get spent at the bars or restaurants after the races? I'd need valid comparisons between this year and last year on income and spending, but it wouldn't be IRS type information, just accurate, no BS figures that reflect the changes. I'm not ready to start working on it right this minute, but if you were financially affected, try to put a real number together and I'll post again in the fall when I'm ready to start seriously working on it. Thanks.

You might want to get with the folks in North Dakota that are associated with the race track, state fair and the fair grounds in Minot. They just completed replacing their grandstand facilities at a tune of $15 million (taxpayer and private funding). Took a little over a year to complete and it is a damn nice facility.

I am sure they would be glad to assist with your project.

www.racenodak.com

www.ndstatefair.com

ttt and would like to reply to this later too.

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

What the kids see.

Michael Vick gets busted for having a fighting dog operation. He loses his endorsements, and his spot on the team, and goes to prison for 18 months. When he gets out, he renounces dog fighting (all the while missing his thrill), and goes on to get a position with a team that will still pay in the millions for him to play.

If an entertainment industry supported racer were caught doing that, he would no longer be an 'entertainment industry supported racer'.

This is just one of MANY examples of the addition to society , a simple , redneck , dogass dirt track facility will give back to a communtiy. Vick will still be tv this fall, and that racer would be a shmuck(without a career).

Racers are held to a higher code on many of the issues that trouble us. They are definitely not perfect, but racers DO HAVE A MIND TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE ENOUGH TO GET BY. Otherwise, SOMEONE ELSE GETS THE SEAT THEY SO DESPARATELY WISH TO HAVE.

J. Edgar Hoover was once asked if "Law, Order, and Justice" were the most important things he had to worry about. He replied " Law and Order. Cannot guarantee Justice, but definitely Law and Order".

Fairly well polished heroes, staged in front of kids, will do more to deter crime, and general societal dissatisfaction, than twice as many police type figures.

It's not just the cost of beverages and oil or hotel rooms and the tax dollars they bring in. IT IS ALSO THE HIDDEN COSTS THAT COME IN WHEN THE DETERRANT IS GONE.

Harold Leep was not perfect, but you can bet your ass he would not do anything to keep him out of the Hall Of Fame. For many kids, that gave a sense of direction. Multiply that times the number of kids and drivers throughout the industry, and the people they encounter throughout their lives.

The cost to replace all of that, is the other shoe that will drop. Action-reaction.

Very True Very True

When Jenni Carlson asked me to write a response about the track closing I put in my reply that if it was not for the track I would have gotten in alot more trouble as a kid growing up. The track allowed me a place to go on a Friday night other than a bar or a club. While I was attending OSU, I would come home every weekend because of racing and not spend my weekends drinking it up like my buddies on the weekends.

I might have missed out on some of the college experiance but what I lost I gained in how to treat your fellow man. I also gained a family that has my back.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

What about the gas stations that drivers that came from Lawton, Texas and so on lost because did not need to buy Gas to haul the car to a track that was no longer ... or the fans that did not need gas to drive to OKC for the races because not there anymore

Might also get a response from that little station before the stainless steel building there by the fairgrounds. For years it seemed you would see plenty of racers there getting bags of ice and other items for the night of racing.

Ogden (?) foods looks to have also suffered as they don't have a Friday night venue to serve, thus losing out income.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com