42 replies to this topic

[renamerusk]

Report in the Fort Worth Star Telegram speaks for itself:

 

http://www.star-tele...adlines-default

[Austin55]

That's so terrible, the irony of it is almost unbelievable. 

[Dylan]

Wow, that's sad. Heard about the suicide after I came home from the race on Saturday night. Of all races, what a race for this to happen...

[FortWorthLowrider]

So sad

[Austin55]

TMS getting some investment

 

http://www.fortworth...6dc5cdf733.html

[Dylan]

It's unfortunate that TMS will be repaved, as the quality of racing will likely go down. But, the repaving is probably a necessary evil.

 

I'm a bit concerned about the track widening and banking reduction in turns 1 & 2. That's a big change, and we don't know how it will turn out.

[Austin55]

I'm curious how induced demand will affect the the newly widened NASCAR track, surely this is a poor investment and traffic will only increase. Instead, TMS should have streetcar lines and bike lanes on the track.

[JBB]

Races ending after midnight because of 15 minutes worth of rain 2 hours before the start of the race isn't good for business. I get both sides of the argument involving repaving and I'm not surprised that business won out. The track will get run in better after a couple of years and hopefully the changes to the turns will tighten up the racing in the meantime.

[Dylan]

I'm curious how induced demand will affect the the newly widened NASCAR track, surely this is a poor investment and traffic will only increase. Instead, TMS should have streetcar lines and bike lanes on the track.

 

What?

 

I'm a little concerned about four-wide racing coming off of turn 2 onto a narrow back stretch, though that probably won't happen for a few years.

 

Another concern is drivers may drive differently because of the banking reduction and the change in angle drivers will have to drive when entering and exiting a corner. But, perhaps it will result in better / tighter racing as JBB said. We'll see in April.

[JBB]

Did you really not recognize that he was making a joke?

[Volare]

Did you really not recognize that he was making a joke?

 

Improper sarcasm font. Should be Courier, not italics.

[JBB]

That one was pretty obvious without the font.

[Dylan]

Did you really not recognize that he was making a joke?

 

It looked to me like he was trying to criticize my opinion or mock me with his sarcastic remark, so I was defending myself.

[JBB]

I'm curious how induced demand will affect the the newly widened NASCAR track, surely this is a poor investment and traffic will only increase. Instead, TMS should have streetcar lines and bike lanes on the track.

I changed the font size and added the bold in the off chance that you didn't see it. If you read that and really thought that was a serious critique of your post, I'm not sure there's much hope for us as a society.

[Dylan]

Again, for all I know, he was mocking my post.

 

Quit being overly dramatic with your doom and gloom comment about society.

[Austin55]

No, I'm not making fun of any forum members.

[Doohickie]

and we don't know how it will turn out.

 

Yes we do.

 

To the left.

[JBB]

Repaving and track changes get driver approval:

 

http://www.star-tele...e143740689.html

 

And likely fan approval since a driver marched from the back of the pack to win.  

 

No word on how drivers felt about the lack of streetcar lines and bike lanes.

[Doohickie]

Doesn't sound good for getting the coveted "Complete Racetracks" designation.

[Dylan]

Repaving and track changes get driver approval:

 

http://www.star-tele...e143740689.html

 

And likely fan approval since a driver marched from the back of the pack to win.  

 

No word on how drivers felt about the lack of streetcar lines and bike lanes.

 

I'm a little disappointed the groove is narrower since the repave, but I'm glad it's wide enough for cars to pass. Hopefully, the groove will widen in a few years as the new track surface ages. My fears of 4-wide racing onto a 3-wide backstretch were overblown... for now.

 

(Yes, I know those statements contradict, but now I'm disappointed to see so much racing surface unused.)

[Austin55]

and we don't know how it will turn out.

 
Yes we do.
 
To the left.

Just FYI this is probably my favorite comment ever.

[JBB]

 

Repaving and track changes get driver approval:

 

http://www.star-tele...e143740689.html

 

And likely fan approval since a driver marched from the back of the pack to win.  

 

No word on how drivers felt about the lack of streetcar lines and bike lanes.

 

I'm a little disappointed the groove is narrower since the repave, but I'm glad it's wide enough for cars to pass. Hopefully, the groove will widen in a few years as the new track surface ages. My fears of 4-wide racing onto a 3-wide backstretch were overblown... for now.

 

(Yes, I know those statements contradict, but now I'm disappointed to see so much racing surface unused.)

 

 

I couldn't get to the race this year and my plate was full on Sunday and kept me from watching on TV.  I feel like the Texas races are always entertaining (probably enhanced by being a Jimmy Johnson fan), but the fact that they're typically strung out single file 15 laps after any restart is a little disappointing.  I'm hoping to get back to the track in the fall.

[Dylan]

You mean Jimmie Johnson?

 

Last year, I didn't get to attend either race. This was my first race without Jeff Gordon in it and my first time attending a race without my dad.

[JBB]

Yeah, I never can keep straight how he spells it.   I've missed the last 2 races and I'm hoping to get back for the fall race.  I managed to use a connection for suite tickets the last 3 times I've gone, but I'm ready to sit in the stands again.  I have a friend that's trying to get a group together to go to the Talladega race in October and I'm thinking about joining them.

[JBB]

I went to my first Indy car race at TMS on Saturday and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the experience.  3 hours of pack racing at 220 mph as opposed to the single file parade of NASCAR made for an entertaining evening (I still enjoy NASCAR events, but this was just different).  Two things that stood out about the experience: the size of the crowd and the condition of the seating area.  The lack of promotion for the track that's stems from the supposed beef between the owners and the city is definitely showing.  Roughly a third of the main grandstand was cordoned off and what was being used was probably only filled to 2/3 of the capacity.  The backstretch grandstand was abandoned years ago and they've completely removed the seating in recent years.  Sure, Indy doesn't have the popularity of NASCAR and NASCAR's dwindling popularity isn't exclusive to Texas, but the crowds for the stock car races have gotten smaller and smaller over the years.  I know they obviously have a handle on how to continue to make money on smaller crowds, but a venue that large being underutilized doesn't present well.

 

My other concern was the condition of the seating area.  They've certainly made improvements to the track over the years: repaving the racing surface, a restaurant in the infield, the giant video board, an in-house tv/radio channel, the suites I've sat in have obviously been updated over the years.  The condition of the seating areas is pretty terrible.  The metal bleachers in the lower levels and on the turns were obviously built to last, but the individual premium seats are in desperate need of upkeep and updating.  The seats are faded and brittle from 20 years of sun.  All of the seats on our row and the rows around us were covered in dried bird droppings and it looked like no effort was made to remove it.  I would say after 20 years, this is a part of the track in need of a renovation. 

[Dylan]

As far as I'm aware, IndyCar has always had lower attendance than NASCAR here.

 

Many NASCAR-oriented tracks have been removing seats the past few years due to declining popularity (thanks, playoffs and stupid gimmicks). NASCAR TV viewership is down as well.

 

Back to the IndyCar race, the pack-style racing I saw on TV was pretty exciting.

[JBB]

Yeah, I know Indy has always had lower attendance than NASCAR, but it has dropped off significantly from the early years.  Just like NASCAR.

 

It was definitely a fun experience even if the group I saw the race with was nearly the same number as drivers that finished on the lead lap.

[JBB]

2023 NASCAR Cup schedule only has room for one race at TMS:

 

https://www.star-tel...e265821086.html

 

The all star race the track hosted in May of this year moved to a reopened North Wilkeboro Speedway (closed since 1996) and they did not get a replacement spring race.  They keep their September playoff race.  This is on the heels of a major addition of bars on the concourse that are set to open next weekend.

[Austin55]

That's disappointing

[Dylan]

Unfortunately, the racing here at TMS isn't all that great.

 

Many NASCAR fans are thrilled to see the All-Star race move to North Wilkesboro- an entertaining short track that TMS replaced on the calendar in 1997.

 

I would be disappointed, but the race at COTA took the place of the TMS Spring race for me (not worth attending the pointless "All-Star" race), and North Wilkesboro returning is exciting news!

 

Up until a few days ago, requests for the abandoned North Wilkesboro Speedway to return to the Cup schedule were pipe dreams that would never ever come true. Never!

[Austin55]

I went to the Indycar race yesterday at TMS and it was a blast. The racing was great too.

 

https://motorsports....peedway-future/

 

https://www.motorspo...oward/10452470/

 

https://racereviewon...rs-for-indycar/

[JBB]

I've only done one Indy race and I enjoyed it.  Smaller crowd, shorter race, more than half the field was wrecked out by the end, so I think something like 12 cars actually finished.

[Austin55]

I noticed at the Indycar race mentioned above that the No Limits logo at the center of the track had been painted over. Sounds like the new leadership is taking a different approach to being a part of the city of Fort Worth.

https://fortworthrep...with-community/

[Stadtplan]

I noticed at the Indycar race mentioned above that the No Limits logo at the center of the track had been painted over. Sounds like the new leadership is taking a different approach to being a part of the city of Fort Worth.

https://fortworthrep...with-community/

 

I didn't realize this was a point of friction with the city.

[JBB]

I don't know that it was ever an actual point of contention with the city.  Several of us here thought it was kind of crappy to snub the city of Fort Worth in favor of a ficticious community.

[Austin55]

I've only done one Indy race and I enjoyed it.  Smaller crowd, shorter race, more than half the field was wrecked out by the end, so I think something like 12 cars actually finished.

 

Sadly, it sounds like Indy is done at TMS. There was a report today that the series is looking into a street race in Dallas: https://racer.com/20...vent-expansion/

[JBB]

That's a shame.  I didn't expect them to return after they bailed for the 2024 season.  NASCAR is back to a spring race at TMS this year.

[Austin55]

Saddened to hear that Eddie Gossage has passed away at 65. He just retired 3 years ago. 

 

https://www.nascar.c...er-dies-age-65/

[txbornviking]

Saddened to hear that Eddie Gossage has passed away at 65. He just retired 3 years ago. 

 

https://www.nascar.c...er-dies-age-65/

 

wow. young

[Austin55]

 

I've only done one Indy race and I enjoyed it.  Smaller crowd, shorter race, more than half the field was wrecked out by the end, so I think something like 12 cars actually finished.

 

Sadly, it sounds like Indy is done at TMS. There was a report today that the series is looking into a street race in Dallas: https://racer.com/20...vent-expansion/

 

Indy's Street Race in "Dallas" (it will be around AT&T Stadium) has been confirmed: https://racer.com/20...t-race-in-2026/

[Stadtplan]

 

 

I've only done one Indy race and I enjoyed it.  Smaller crowd, shorter race, more than half the field was wrecked out by the end, so I think something like 12 cars actually finished.

 
Sadly, it sounds like Indy is done at TMS. There was a report today that the series is looking into a street race in Dallas: https://racer.com/20...vent-expansion/

 
Indy's Street Race in "Dallas" (it will be around AT&T Stadium) has been confirmed: https://racer.com/20...t-race-in-2026/
 

 
The "outskirts of Dallas."  It sounds like a reporter in 1930's writing about Bonnie and Clyde hiding out at the Barrow filling station in the outskirts of Dallas. 

[Austin55]

More details on the Arlington GP: https://www.gparlington.com/

 

 

 

 

 

[JBB]

That looks pretty slick.  It's too bad that the end of the long straightaway has a Wal Mart as a backdrop.