Spokane update

sadare

Member
I spent a few hours at Spokane County Raceway yesterday. The track must have had 100 people working in various areas to finish the upgrades and get the track open for 2009.

Our July race is on! Let me comment on the recent thread on our turnstations being the stopping block - The money that was spent at SCR just yesterday while I was there makes the cost of the turnstations a rounding error.

For us, the roadcourse is what we care about, and here is what is happening:

Starting with turn 10 - The corner is unchanged, except for curbing. Just after exit of turn 10 there is pavement being added to the base of the berm, and the wall that loomed on track right is being moved back and extended so there isn't a blunt end. If you get out of shape in turn 10, you have pavement to help you save it. It is being confgured so that the new surface isn't worth driving on. It is just safer if you get out of shape.

The beginning of the drag strip has been converted to concrete. To facilitate the road course, the track is being widened with 28' of asphalt beside the concrete so that the roadcourse doesn't have to drive on concrete in the event of rain.

The bump in turn 1 will be smoothed out with a grinder. (but it gets cold here, don't be surprised when the bump returns after next winter.)

Turn 4 apex will be patched at the apex and curbing installed.

Turn 5 - asphalt repair, apex curbing and widening at the exit. I find out tomorrow how much wider they will give me. I asked for 50 feet, I don't know what they will agree to pay for. I promise it will be better.

Turn 6 - Apex and exit curbing

Turn 8 - Apex curbing

Turn 9 - Apex curbing

Turnstations have been designed, the materials are being purchased. There will be several volunteer days at SCR in the coming months to build them and get them in place. Each station will have protective barriers.

The old huge workshed collapsed in the snow of last winter, and the turn 6 area almost looks like a park. There isn't a bit of tire or debris in sight.

Every bit of junk, including the old mobile homes, is gone. The bathrooms are being totally renovated. You guys need to be encouraged that the new managers are paying attention to detail. There was a contractor repainting part of the restroom building because he used the wrong color! In the past the right color was the one on sale.

There was a trench where the electrical service enters the property, and a new service will be brought in. There should be power for us in July. If not, we'll be renting a HUGE generator for the July race, but those who plug in will share in the cost.

There is still alot of work to do. It won't all be done when we show up in July, but the important pieces will be done.

I'm sorry I don't have time to look at the forum very often, and I wouldn't now if Randy hadn't alerted me. I will be at every ICSCC race. Come ask me.
But remember this - The Spokane race is on and we WANT and NEED you to be here! Come set a new track record. The old book will be closed with the new changes.

Scott Adare
 
Thanks for the update Scott its great to hear al the improvements that are being made to the track and facility's!

Curtis
 
Thanks Scott. I was trying to get some straight answers to the rumors and didn't have your contact info. After years of 'marginal' improvement it sounds like SRP is finally coming into it's own, and glad to hear it.
 
Thanks for all of your hard work Scott!
We'll be out there to help any way we can prior to the race weekend.
Lawrence
 
Scott, is widening of the dragstrip what was meant by having the road course 'bypass the dragstrip' that I read about recently? I was wondering how that might be done...
 
Scott very rarely checks in here, he's usually out on the road somewhere with race cars. Northwest Motorsports might be a good contact to get accurate info.
 
Drag racing at SCR starts tmorrow night, and by the pictures we are not going to recognize the place :) . They bought the finish line boards from Bandimere, and they
are huge.

Here is the photo of the new paving. Note: the concrete extends 670' now. They eliminated the weeds that were against the walls, and it is paved now.

rbi_1214.jpg


If I get a chance I am going to try and get over there for the bracket races on Sunday,
and hopefully get some updated photos.

Mike
 
with the threat of rain for Sundays bracket racing, I went out to the track for Friday Night Street racing. I have to just say WOW what a difference !! I will list some of the changes you will see this Summer.

(1) Weeds, trailers, trash, and dead trees and brush are gone. They even trimmed all
the trees on the property.

(2) The exit of turn 10 is now wider with fresh pavement. ( heck they even used base under it )

(3) The inside of turn 10 is also wider from the time you get to the section close to the Hot pit in, and all the way back to the Hot pit out.

(4) The turn 4 return road into the pits is repaved, along with several sections along pregrid.

(5) The gravel roads heading up the hill toward the concession stand are now paved in both locations.

(6) Bathrooms are pretty much finished, except for a few minor touches.

(7) Cleaned concrete bleachers, and new hand rails installed on both sides, and at the oval.

(8) Concrete walls run from the start of the bleachers to a 1000 ' past the drag racing finish line.

(9) New PA in the grandstands.

(10) Drag race timing tower completely remodeled. They even let me go in, and check it out.

(11) Two new ticket booths on the entry to the track. They did full vehicle searches on all the cars going in to the Friday Night drags. Several hundred of them !

(12) The area that the Trailer sat on hill between drag timing tower and bathrooms is now paved, and a food and beer vendor is located there for the drags.

(13) The NWMS E truck is safe and sound :)

(14)Lighting in the pit area and along the straight is fully functional.

The old start finish tower, and timing shed have been removed. They did the best they could to move them intact. The huge new timing boards sit there now. I talked to one of the officials out there, and they have had discussions of what may happen . Seriously the old ones wouldn't fit in with how nice everything is looking out there.

I took a few pictures before my battery went dead, so hopefully I can post them by the
end of the weekend. I have to say for the short time they have had to get the place ready they did a fanastic job. When I left at a little after 8 there was two lines of cars all the way past the oval, and the pits were filling, along with about two thirds of the grass between the pits, and turn 8.
 
I will try and upload a few pics of some of the track improvements. The paving crews were just putting their equipment away when the racers started to show. They had more to do, and hopefully they will post this weeks paving changes on the Spokane County Raceway site. I have a few more pcitures, but the battery went dead when
I got to turn 10 :( .
 
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Repaving that horrible exit road at T4 is oneof the best things they've done so far in my opinion! That was really nasty on cars, especially the low OW's, so thanks to the County for that.
It will be exciting to see the remodel come July.
 
Wes,
I don't think the County is doing the work, but the new operator. I believe it is part of the money to be spent that was in the contract, Scott should be able to confirm this. They just got started repaving everything. The weather has been so bad here that they got a late start. If you look down back into the pits they moved the old timing slip, tech booth, and old storage trailer from the entry to the pits. This should make it much easier to set up the scales, and yet keep the pit roads clear.

Also on the picture with the new timing lights you will notice that they took out the road race timing building and startes stand. They actually moved them into a holding area. The official I talked too mentioned that they were working on a solution for the building. He also mentioned that they ran several sleeves under the tract to be able to run wires to the other side . I think it would be cool to have the starters stand on the oval side of the track. It is much higher then the old location, and it gives them a view of the whole track.

We also have to remember that some of this is just temporary until they can work out a solution for cross track pitting, and drag vs road course crossing.

I was totally shocked that they have done so much and such a short period.
Spokane should be race on everyones schedule this year ;)
 
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Here are a few more photos . One is what is left of the junkyard, and storage building. It appears they used what was left of the storage building as a storage area. If you look on the left you will see the old starters stand leaning against the trailer. The timing building in one shot, and the new drag start finish line.
 
Spokane should be race on everyones schedule this year ;)

Boy, that's the case for sure! The best possible way for us to show the County, the operator, Scott Adare and everyone at NWMS how much we appreciate their efforts is to register, show up, and race this event! Even if you can't afford the time for the full weekend, consider just one race then. Or, how about working?

After all, we're the ones who convinced the County this would be a good investment...let's show them!
 
Working would be wonderful. With three events that weekend (Portland NASCAR, Mission Vintage celebration of Westwood, and Conference in Spokane), workers will be in very short supply. Like we have been telling folks at the morning meetings, "Whatever you do, DON'T STAY HOME!" I'm planning on working Spokane.

Rob
 
Here's a thought...there must be an automotive trade program at a local community college or two out there in Spoka-loo...I've got to believe the participants of said program would think it pretty cool to be a part of a major race weekend (yes, I am referring to ICSCC here!)

Has anyone gone this route before?
 
This biggest worker issue NWMS may have is the number of qualified bodies to put in each work station. We need at least one experienced worker per station. Doug had a list of what he needed for workers, and it is amazing
how many people it takes to run an event :eek: . There is no doubt that
Spokane will support this track. They have waited for years for something good to happen out there. It will take us a bit of time to develop our local
core workers group, but having a track will help speed that along.

I figure the motorcycle racers have experienced workers, and there might
be bodies there :)


I have also been watching the Drag Racers forum, and they are starting to bring their cars out of the garage now that the track is secured , and running with some purpose. A lot of them are going to have to upgrade to
current NHRA specs to run this season.
 
The shot of the paddock and storage building is amazing! Not being surrounded by all that crap and clutter will make it feel like a real race track. I would assume the turn stations will be quite nice with Scott involved, and I like your idea of the S/F tower on drivers right. Makes it more difficult to access, but it would be better over there in my opinion.
I was curious about new and/or improved run-off areas, but I assume that would be a question for Scott.
 
<sniff> makes me kind of sad to see the T&S, RC shack that I've spent so many weekends in, looking like a hovel. OK. it always kinda looked like a hovel, but, it was comfy and cozy and we could see S/F. The first year TC went to put on a race there, it was thickly coated with pigeon crap. But, after Don and Bob cleaned it out, and PUT A BIG ole AC unit in the window, it was like a nice cool fancy hovel.
 
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