Quote:
Originally Posted by dd74
Exactly! If any tracks in So. Cal. would be considered "historical" I think they'd be Riverside and Ontario. Look what happened to those: Riverside is a shopping mall/housing development, and Ontario is an industrial business park.
|
These are different times. Ontario was not making it financially and there were a lot of bond holders. They tried everything including stand alone rock concerts (no racing). I think Riverside was a different story, but the two oil embargoes of the '70's hurt racing big time and attendance fell off. Not to mention some to the better series went to hell, like CanAm. I don't know that Riverside's debt service was a problem like Ontario, but the sale might just made sense at the time. It was in rough shape in the end. I know, I drove it in a kart and I still hurt, I think.
The owners either needed to fix it or let it go. I don't think the banks were very friendly at the time seeing as how Ontario went down.
You know, WS was so far out in the desert, I don't think anyone ever thought of housing. I mean, how far do you have to go to get away from future unfriendly development? Is Spring Mountain safe? Even Las Vegas Motor Speedway was out in the boonies at one time and they had a road course and an oval, plus some kind of drag strip. Next to Ellis AFB, you would think that would be safe. Now that it's big money (ISC, I believe), it is probably safe.
Now, if the big money had bought Ontario, it would still be there. My God, that place was the Coliseum of racing at the time. You should have seen the sound system!! I don't think the big concerts for the Stones, et al, have yet what that place had in power. I got to drive that one, too. Also in a kart. Nineteen turns. I got lost out there once, I really did. I had to sit up to figure out where I was. Hour long races, one can get tired.