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

There's an article in the new AARN about EMMR museum taking ownership of the Grove bridge after its "removal" from the track. I guess it would be something they would showcase at the museum. The article mentioned a sanctioning body, probably the WoO that strongly suggested removing the Bridge and that part of the 50/50 this weekend went to the museum to defray costs of removal.   

Would be a big improvement if true.

Good deal!

Something I've always wondered- how high up is the bridge above the racing surface?

In the 80s they actually had to raise it so that a grader could fit under it, so not that high. 

Didn'y we hear this last year that it would be gone before the 22 season?

Why not either raise it a few feet higher or replace it with one that poses no danger or install a tunnel.  During a well attended race event, how many people go back and forth using the bridge? I would guess hundreds of times it is used.  So after the removal an there is no replacement or tunnel, you have hundreds of people crossing the track back and forth.  What a nightmare that well be to police.

At today's regulations the tunnel would be too long to fit inside the track because of the surrounding terrain.

Is this a done deal?

Yes, we heard the same stuff last year. wonder if ford 97 recalls that. He's a pretty fart smeller.

I can deal with the bridge as long as the drivers have no concerns with it. It would b nice for the fans to work on moving the pits out of the infeild

While there have been rumors floating around for a while, this seems to have some merit. A story in AARN, another party acknowledging that talks have happened (EMMR) and part of the 50/50 going to help defray costs of removal. Whether it actually happens or not, we'll see, but there seems to be some momentum. 

As for how to get the people across, for big shows they've been allowing the crowd to cross the track, which they did on Friday. 

Who was the last driver to hit the bridge?  How long ago?  I don't know.  I think Keith Kauffman hit it one year in the Middlesworth car.  Other than that I can't remember anyone hitting the bridge.

I am by no means saying they shouldn't remove it. I am asking a question.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

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Seems a shame to tear it down! Raising it 4-6 foot seems like the better thing to do so you can hold onto the tradition.

Doug Esh hit it very hard one year.

I wondered about that as well. To move it would cost a lot of money. How about if they just raised it straight up, say 10' higher? That would be one more flight of stairs to get up there. Would that be enough clearance?

I think Greg Hodnett hit the bridge driving the Apple car and broke his shoulder because of it.

Not sure what year it was.

Is clearance the main problem?  While it should be considered, I would think the main problem would be the supports on either end of the bridge.  I've never been to the Grove so maybe that's not the problem I think it is.  How close to the track are those supports, and what is the likelihood that a car could impact them?

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Yeh, he really “Hammered” it that night.

Raising the bridge would increase driver safety, but for the older fans like me and couples with kids it would be more of a challenge to get over. Ideally a tunnel would work, but  I don’t see that happening. IMO having the  fans cross  tthe track has disaster written all over it. 

While it’s very convenient for those of us who enjoy moving back and forth between the infield and infield pits, I do agree it would make sense to have one pit area outside the track.

Tracks all over the country do this on a weekly basis.  I guess it would be a nightmare if hundreds of people were crossing while cars were on the track------------but obviously that's not the case.  

That would be even more expensive than removing it, and less practical for fans to use.

       Sure, raising it would cost more than removing it, but probably less than moving it. Removing it would just mean cutting it into pieces and hauling it to the dump. Moving it, as has been mentioned to a museum, would involve lifting it up with cranes and hauling it down the highway.

     Sure, fans going up an extra flight of stairs would not be as practical as what's there now, but it would be more practical than not having the bridge at all.