The end of this month will be the finale on a two-mile oval. As iconic as he is, he doesn’t hold a candle to the 76-year-old Rockford Speedway in Loves Park, Illinois. He also closes. At the end of this year, the race will end. The historic quarter-mile oval will see its final race in October.
Why is Rockford closing, or do we already know?
By day, most of these ovals and streaks of clouds lit up the night surrounded by crops and dirt fields. But the rush to development is the threat that keeps chewing up more and more tracks. With the residential or commercial sprawl increasing inexorably, America is losing too many hallowed halls to racing spectacles.
There are 50 events on the schedule for 2023.
Where this could happen, one need look no further than Los Angeles. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the LA Coliseum. And this year also marks the second time there. A place where the black cobblestone roof usually ends at the parking lot.
Why can’t a NASCAR clash in the grandstand be the new standard for racing?
But the success of the Busch Lite Clash at the Coliseum takes a site used almost exclusively for soccer games, with wall-to-wall grass and dirt, and changes it. Starting in December, the Coliseum has been transformed into a scenic racetrack, with all the safety requirements of places like Daytona and Talladega. The race starts the following month.
Once the race is over, he’s put back in his job for good, with turf, goal posts, and good times ahead. With civilization continuing to gobble up the tracks for many forms of motor racing, this could be what the future of racing looks like. A baseball or soccer field becomes an oval for one day only for fast cars, Indy cars or stock cars.
And this vacant position becomes for the assembly plant. After the race, the stands, guardrails and food stalls were taken and off to the next race 800 miles away. It is bringing racing to the people and doing it in a new and unique place.
We can’t count on track owners to turn a blind eye to the amazing rewards from closing their facilities for Home Depot and McDonald’s or the Industrial Center. Each of us understands the science of economics. But that’s no reason why racing needs to close shop. Hey savvy promoters, do you hear what we’re suggesting?
