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Author Topic: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!  (Read 9350 times)

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Offline GreenFlag

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Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« on: January 22, 2015, 03:38:11 PM »
According to several drivers reportedly receiving e-mails from speedway personnel. Barrie Speedway is officially out of business. What is your take on this? Any current (now former) BSW deep into their builds for 2015 that now have to have a quick change of plan? Anyone sad to see it go?

GO!

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Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« on: January 22, 2015, 03:38:11 PM »

Offline sanchez427

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2015, 04:44:25 PM »
Im into about a $20K investment in my 2015 LLM..... now waiting on official word. Might have the best looking lawn decoration in North Bay.

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Offline Longtimefan

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2015, 06:09:49 PM »
If it's true it's always sad to see a track go down but honestly they weren't competing with Sunset. I started at Barrie 45 years ago and have gone back and forth over the years to both tracks depending on the show; Sunset has the best car counts in the province right now. I drive from Orillia past Barrie every Saturday to Sunset simply because it has been much better. I see it coming back to life possibly in the future with the new owners of Burls Creek who are spending a ton of money on the property. Again, if true, its sad but anyone who was running Barrie should just be heading down the road some....but bring your A game and welcome.

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2015, 06:09:49 PM »

Offline 38racing

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2015, 10:46:43 PM »
I assume that means no NCATS race there? Or like Kawartha that has no weekly but has an NCATS.

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Offline cardriver

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2015, 02:05:25 AM »
Just add it to the list of Kawartha, Mosport (also a victim of Boots and Farts) and most likely Capital City. Varney didn't live up to expectations this year, nother year of that and I bet they will stop trying. Without AC Peterborough would've been dead and buried years ago, Not much left anymore.

Sunset is the solution? Writing is already on the wall for that place. Its developers who own it, and developers develop, so sooner or later it will be gone too.

Congratulation everyone for being so stupid as to price the cost of racing so high its not even a real sport. Fan don't want to see shit shows of 5 cars with 1 that can win because he spent more than most folks make in a year to do it in a mini-stock. There are so many better things to see and do and spend you money watching in the summer. Boots and Farts apparently being one of them.

That's what racing has become. That's why there are no fans at the track. That is why racing is no longer sustainable and track will close for any other option they have - without a snowball chance in hell of any new ones being built.

Congrats.. Going the way of the dinosaur.   

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Offline Dster

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2015, 07:47:58 PM »
I've been sort of waiting of this announcement ever since the news broke last fall about Burl's Creek. The speedway partnership denied any changes to their plans at that time, but their statement now seems to indicate that Republic Live, the new owner and event promoter of Burl's Creek (look for a name change there real soon...) isn't interested in running a speedway so here we are.
Btw, Boots and Hearts had nothing to do with the demise of Mosport Speedway. That was entirely CTMP's decision to allow for a major expansion of their driver development facility. And trust me, there was no way that the gate receipts from either side of the track were covering the cost of operating every week. The car counts were terrible and the audience was a sprinkling of people in those massive stands. I know because I was camped next door on a couple of Saturday nights in the weeks just before the closure. I will say the weekly event sponsors appeared to be supportive in that they had their VIP area in operation to the very end.
The situation at Kawartha was simply fallout from the McWinty government's screwing of the horse racing industry and there's no way the speedway operation could continue without the far more frequent and lucrative horse racing events which have been cut by 2/3's thanks to the government. I think the fact they continue to host a couple of special speedway events a season is an indication that there would be stock cars if it were sustainable, but it's simply not.
The ever more extreme costs in racing of pretty well any sort or level is mainly a factor of what it costs to build and operate a race car. That has become somewhat astronomical compared to what it was say in 1975 and it affects anyone who wants to pursue it either as a Saturday night hobby or a more in depth and serious run in a professional series. I don't believe this to be a so much a problem of inconsistent rules among short tracks as simply inflation. Nowadays an engine can easily cost what an entire race car would have back in the day but race budgets haven't necessarily kept up for many. That's just reality. And yes, it plays right into the scenario of losing the asphalt short tracks we have left in Ontario, one by one over the next number of years. I agree completely that this level of stock car racing is not sustainable indefinitely.   
Interestingly, road racing seems to be strengthening in some areas ie: club racing at CTMP and the Pirelli World Challenge series at the pro level to mention a couple. (The PWC GT/GT3/GTA standing start is a spectacular and ground shaking !)
But yes, the landscape is changing both literally and figuratively for fans of asphalt short track racing in this part of the world and a lot of it is not for the better it seems. For every bright spot such as Sunset's rebuild and ensuing success with drivers and fans, we get a pull back or loss of another track. We need to support what we still do have and make the best of it because who really knows what things will look like in another five or ten years (including Sunset).

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Offline cardriver

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2015, 10:05:52 PM »
We need to support what we still do have and make the best of it because who really knows what things will look like in another five or ten years (including Sunset).

No you need to take a good look at why the sport is failing. Rather than blindly carrying on in the same direction with a smile - to the inevitable same result - it should be a wakeup call. Going at this rate you KNOW what things will look like in another five or ten years.

Lets say its not Boots and Fart's fault, because if it wasn't them it could be about anything that wanted the same land.

As you say road racing is expanding. Why? Because it's cheaper to run, while the track makes more money off it. A lapping day in a 1/2 decent car that will last for 50 more lapping days, even at a backgate cost of $200-$500 on the day still cost less than spending your life savings on a car you you write off into the wall, and will be obsolete next year, while bitching to the track you should be paid $500 for doing so.. 

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Offline McQueenRacing

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2015, 02:42:45 AM »
Ross, I think you need a hug. It's ok to be angry for whatever reason your angry. Not everyone has to agree with you. I'm happy if my home track only lasts 5 more years. That's a long time and when it does shut down I will save some money. Just take a deep breath and step back from the computer. Life will be ok.

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Offline cardriver

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2015, 05:42:15 PM »
I'm happy if my home track only lasts 5 more years. That's a long time and when it does shut down I will save some money. Just take a deep breath and step back from the computer. Life will be ok.

I'm not sure if all tracks being shut down over the next 5 years is my idea of things being ok...

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Offline bigdaddyrace

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2015, 10:32:24 AM »
its a shame that the previous owners of barrie speedway did not have the guts to make a formal annoucement that they had sold the speedway-they should have made some sort of an effort to put fourth their opinion on the situation on cro and the same on their web site---i think they should of used their web sight to notify the fans as well have given their loyal drivers some options in moving forward but no they have said nothing- and i find it poor taste that another track has posted on their sight that should have been done on cro hats-- off to sunset for offering the drivers options to run at their track i hope they modify their rules in the thunder car class to allow the barrie car to compete (afford) with the barrie cars coming to sunset would make a nice car count---i think in the late models it would not take too much for the barrie cars to be able to compete---the four cylinder need proper tech and that class would be great" remember" these cars are suppose to be " STOCK" my hope is that all this changes come together and we have a GREAT year of short track racing in simcoe county----- RIP barrie speedway ----- if this had been my track i would of told the new guys next door that barrie speedway was here first long before any thing next door and they should of respected this when planning their events 

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Offline PistolPete34

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2015, 10:58:57 PM »
What do you know about guts...????
Rick, Diane, Angie and the other owners of BSW are GREAT PEOPLE and ENTHUSIASTIC OWNERS....
PERIOD!!
Until a formal announcement comes....keep the slag to yourself.
Mr. Haney was a very helpful and great neighbor to all the previous owners of the speedway and in
all probability, I'm sure there were numerous roadblocks from the new owners of Burls Creek prompting
the sale of the speedway as a last resort.
That's all I will say until Apex makes their announcement.
It's a sad day for the BSW faithful and us drivers to be sure but, I KNOW it's equally as hard on
EVERYONE in the ownership group.
Say all you want about what you would do fantasy boy......must be nice to have such deep pockets
that you could just tell the guy next door blah, blah, blah.......
Apex stepped up to the plate and ran a great show......they put up their money!!!
your two cents "ain't worth shit"
 

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Offline cardriver

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2015, 03:23:31 AM »
The issue wasn't the speedway when it was running it was how it was handled when it was closed.

The fact that Boots and Farts moved in, meant from the start that the track's days were numbered and you are probably right no one could save it.

Maybe the ownership were great people. The problem is they will remembered by the way the handled this in the end. They hid the truth from the racers, and hung those who supported the track out to dry. Its the time of the year when teams are in full gear preparing for the race season.

Its comical you are still waiting for a "formal" announcement from them. The sale was closed almost 2 weeks ago, which means it was agreed on months ago, and in talks months before that. Someone had called to do their NASCAR registration and found out Barrie was no longer a listed track, their account had been closed. Which means this was a long time in the works with the racers being kept in the dark, to continue to spend their money for a season the ownership KNEW was not happening.

They won't even meet your expectations of a formal announcement, which is what is leaving the bad taste in so many people's mouths.

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Offline PistolPete34

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2015, 09:45:09 AM »
cardriver
I've read a lot of your posts.....you seem like one of the few who makes intelligent, informed comments on the CRO site.
Having said that, I will say AGAIN, the APEX team are ALL decent people.
Take into account the players and magnitude of this transaction.
No matter how you slice and dice it, there are probably more lawyers involved than race fans.
And when VAMPIRES are involved.....you very quickly learn to say.....
"I'm not at liberty to divulge any information".......it's a long slow death.
APEX is not laughing all the way to the bank......they have HEAVY HEARTS

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Offline cardriver

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Re: Barrie Speedway - Out of Business!
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2015, 02:01:44 PM »
Having said that, I will say AGAIN, the APEX team are ALL decent people.

I don't doubt it for a second. Anyone who runs a racetrack deserves a the most respect for doing so. There is no money to be made, so obviously their intent was nothing more than to support the sport.

So its all the more of a shame that the legacy in the end seems to be they screwed over the racers.

I'd like nothing more than the truth to come out. Boots and Farts is a destructive force run by assholes who don't care what they destroy as long as they can make a buck. Did they muscle Barrie Speedway out - more than likely. Did they include some sort of gag order so they could minimize their bad PR to sell more tickets - probably. Its the second track these assholes have taken out. The poor folks who live in that area - many who supported the speedway - have no idea what they are in for when this shit show comes to town. More than likely they were asked not to return to Mosport after 3 chances of reducing the destruction and mayhem their make a buck above all production causes. Enjoy your summer...

So there you have it, one shit show, bunch of pissed off racers, and former ownership looking really bad. Only way to change any of that - past good deeds don't count - is for the truth to come from the horse's mouth. Bottom feeding lawyers be damned.

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