Psssst! You! Yeah, you! Wanna buy a racetrack?

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Does anyone understand WTF the rant in the one comment is all about?

Seems like the guy has a beef with Ricky Rudd and/or CMP.

funny thing about the rant is if you were looking to develop slicks or R compounds for weekend racers it's be the perfect environment for testing. If it were a touch closer to Greenville I'd expect Michelin to purchase. It's close enough to Spartansburg that I wouldn't be too surprised to see Clemson willing to provide some facility funding in exchange for testing and development of automotive systems in an agreement similar to what Virginia Tech has with VIR. I just didn't know that rednecks liked lightweight British roadsters as the ranter implied.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Does anyone understand WTF the rant in the one comment is all about?

don't see a rant … did it get dumped ?

He seems to be a NASCAR redneck that's anti-road course. Right turns are for wusses, I guess.

The ranter is right about one thing. There is little infrastructure in the area. But it doesn't mean there can't be.

He sounds like a sports car racer whose wife got banged by a nascar redneck.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Does anyone understand WTF the rant in the one comment is all about?

That was kinda weird, wasn't it?

About changing the concessions: I wouldn't see a problem with keeping the crew they have there now and I agree the food ain't bad at all, in fact yeah it's pretty good. I'd just like to see it bigger (two windows and three employees aren't enough) and add some better shielded seating. Or maybe leave the existing one where it is and put in a second facility on the end near the go kart track.

The track isn't (or shouldn't be) in the food business, so lease it out to someone and take a cut of the profits. Takes one more headache off the track management, ya know?

Some time back (circa 2006-2007) the scuttlebutt was that the track management was going to build some race condos directly across from the track entrance. No, I don't know all the ins and outs and cannot find anything solid to back this up. I do know there was some land clearing going on which has ceased. The same scuttlebutt says they quit with it it due to the 2008 global economic contractions. Word is it was going to look like this to be able to blend with the neighborhood:

I keed, I keed!

But I tell ya what: if track management could put in some reasonably priced accommodations either there or on the track property itself that would be a nice revenue stream and probably boost attendance. Again, that would probably be best accomplished by letting someone else manage it and give CMP a slice of the profits.

Another good thing about CMP is that, unlike Road Atlanta, it's very doubtful there will be any development threatening its survival for many years to come. It's just not a 'hot' area to live in.

Curmudgeon wrote: Some time back (circa 2006-2007) the scuttlebutt was that the track management was going to build some race condos directly across from the track entrance. No, I don't know all the ins and outs and cannot find anything solid to back this up. I do know there was some land clearing going on which has ceased. The same scuttlebutt says they quit with it it due to the 2008 global economic contractions.

That whole concept has taken a nosedive since they tried the same thing at the Nurburgring and it fell flat on its face. My local track was going to do the same thing and then abandoned plans in the last year or so.

One or two tracks have pulled if off but I don't think it'll be tried again any time soon.

spitfirebill wrote: The ranter is right about one thing. There is little infrastructure in the area. But it doesn't mean there can't be. He sounds like a sports car racer whose wife got banged by a nascar redneck.

I asked one time if they though a chain motel (Motel 6 or something along those lines) might be induced to putting up a small motel in the vicinity … was told that the main reason against that happening was the lack of sewer available … also one of the reasons that aren't that many housing developments up and down US 521 … something to do with the water table … or something like that … as best I remember

In other racetrack news, Waterford Speedbowl, CT is going on the block. http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/racing-nation/northeast/waterford-likely-heading-to-auction/. Rockingham Speedway gets to go another round. http://www.jayski.com/news/tracks/story/_/page/rockingham-speedway

Curmudgeon wrote: I have no affiliation with the ownership or management, speaking from the POV of a customer the place is in pretty good shape as far as buildings and infrastructure. The present owners have done some upgrades and repairs, the track surface overall is in good shape but will of course need repaving in sections. The one real upgrade that I see as needed quickly would be the concessions; I think they are leaving $$$ on the table there, the current building is very small and doesn't have a lot of sit down area, it's also open to the elements. My knee jerk reaction for that would be to expand and modernize the size of the current facility and rent it out to a restaurant owner or chain rather than try to run it themselves.

Noooooooooo the employees are nice, the food is decent, and it's super cheap. I would hate to see some money grubbing contractor or franchise come in and charge us $12 for a sub-par burger. I'm happy with the concessions how they are. Every now and then it takes a few minutes to get the food but it hasn't made me late for my session or anything.

That might change a bit on non-Lemons weekends since they usually have anther food vendor on site. But there's also usually a lot more people there than a typical trackday type event would draw. (500+ drivers alone.. plus family.)

wbjones wrote:

spitfirebill wrote: The ranter is right about one thing. There is little infrastructure in the area. But it doesn't mean there can't be. He sounds like a sports car racer whose wife got banged by a nascar redneck.

I asked one time if they though a chain motel (Motel 6 or something along those lines) might be induced to putting up a small motel in the vicinity … was told that the main reason against that happening was the lack of sewer available … also one of the reasons that aren't that many housing developments up and down US 521 … something to do with the water table … or something like that … as best I remember

As sandy as it is, I'd think it would pass a perc test for, say, 25-50 units pretty good and that probably would have been addressed in the planning for the place across the road. Obviously it already has some sort of septic system on the property itself since there's already facilities in place. But I am no engineer, have no idea about water tables etc.

Trivia: the property was a WWII era military flight training field.

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/SC/Airfields_SC_NE.html#kershaw

Photo assumed to be from 1994:

Someone mentioned to me that the straight leading to The Kink is part of the original runway.

In reply to Curmudgeon:

We can pool our resources and buy a turn or two

Maybe they could put in a campground, tie in a number of spots to dedicated septic tanks.

I'm in if we all want to chip in and buy CMP. Anyone know the actual price tag? How many aluminum cans do I need to recycle?