Eastbay needs new owners

[dburtron97]

I for one am done with Eastbay. First of all, this years winternationals for sprint cars was a JOKE! The track was awful (dry) and they ran off almost all of the sprint drivers by not having 410's or non-wings. I doubt they will have any come next year since Ocala, North Florida and Volusia have gotten in the game. It's a shame that a FORMER first class track has turned into what it is today. The Owners/Management show favortism time and time again for a select few and it's becoming a wreck fest. Until someone else takes over the track me and my family will no longer go the the "clay by the bay".

[Offy22]

Sprint cars on dirt is barely alive:smilie_bett: in Florida currently and there are no good tracks right now to bring it back. As you state the current regime at EB is no friend of sprints :anim_buttkick:and are ignorant of the game. Volusia is too long for weekly /local racing, too hard on motors and tires. They present a usually hard surface:( with track preparation done with only a blade and water wagon. I had high hopes for Ocala but the surface that I saw at their first sprint show was a asphalt base surface of limestone.:confused: Their oiled dirt surface of years ago was better. There are some limited sprints running here and there but they don't generate a lot of interest to those that are used to full fledged sprints. I remember was the old fairgrounds closed and Golden Gate opened to save racing in Tampa and then Easy Bay was built and sprint car racing arose from the asphalt and ashes to become nationally prominent on dirt. Perhaps another event will occur and we can see a rebirth:ernaehrung004: but it is a real long shot.

[The Ocala Speedway]

" I had high hopes for Ocala but the surface that I saw at their first sprint show was a asphalt base surface of limestone"

Wow, couldn't be more off base. Come get a sample there's no lime rock in the track. There is one truck load at the entrance to the pits. Last Friday the track was tacky and didn't black over until around 10:00-10:30. We should of put more water on the track in preparation for the sprint car race. This is only my third month of maintaining a dirt track so it'll probably change every weekend the rest of the year. Which I'd actually like the track to be different every weekend. During the first month I had two goals that we reached. 1. I wanted the track to turn dry slick. Which it did sprint car night. 2. I wanted to have a smooth track all night. It has been nearly totally smooth all night for weeks now.
Guy Web form the All Stars, one of the WOO sprint car drivers, and a gentleman from Eldora have all walked the track and think it's an awesome surface.

[Old Sunshine Fan]

I think sumtin up guys..

Question: Am I the only one thinking that dburton97 and Offy22 are one and the same person?

First dburton97 complains about East Bay under another thread with complaints of Gene Laster (said he and family not going back to EB). Next we see post under "Complaints" saying EB is being run by people who don't know what they are doing ? ? ? (again said he is done with EB)

Now we have a brand new poster ie: Offy22 whose one and only post is about EB again (heck they just got on)... this poster agrees with dburton97 about EB...????

I've been around this KARNAC thing-a-my-gig since they invented water (even been called "One of the Chosen Few" by one nice person).. but I have not seen as much negative talk about EB as I have seen in these three post... My money is on the hunch we have someONE trying to get others to jump on their wagon and not doing too well with their efforts.

Might be wrong (I was once - but they finally realized it was a set-up), and if so, I apologize... but I don't think so...

BTW - Ocala has a great dirt surface. I watched one small area in last turn TRY to become something bigger on the first night, but it never happened.. The other nights I have been there it was great surface all around and like Mike says... it keeps changing... Ocala... keep doin what you are doing...

OSF :ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004:

[Richard Tipton]

Mikes right youll never put the same amount of water on each week its kind of try it one way then another till you get some sort of formula as to what you need, you learn to read the clay, summer months are especially hard to figure out, you may have a windy afternoon it also plays a part in track prep. JMO.
NFS Flagman
Richard Tipton

[dburtron97]

dburtron97 is me and me alone I have no Idea who offy22 is so your theory is wrong. I might be a little biased about EB because I think they condone the behavior of Lasker and other wreck less drivers time and time again which brought about this post about Eastbay. I have been going to Eastbay for a very long time and in my opinion it's being run in the ground. Sportsmanship is gone and it's becoming a wreck fest with some expensive cars involved that could end causing personnel harm. Ocala is doing the right thing and I hope that it continues! :ernaehrung004:

[Old Sunshine Fan]

LISTEN TO ME AND LISTEN GOOD MR OR MRS dburton97!








I believe you and with that, I say to you, I Apologize for thinking you were posting under a second name... (well, that makes twice I have been wrong in my life - so spank me good and send me to my room).

Appreciate your response. Perhaps EB is going for seat sales and that is why they "Don't see" what others see.

Again, sorry for letting my mind go in that direction...

OSF :ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004:

[Boneman]

Thats weird man....I've been thinking that OSF is actually the same person as "1wildfastgirl24".

[OLD STYLE RACER 2]

You are wrong about that one. I have chatted with "1wildfastgirl" til 1-2 o'clock in the morning and I have also met OSF[the chosen one ] in person. It was WELL past his bed time for him to also be her!!! LMAO
:smilie_bett:

[Old Sunshine Fan]

I sure as hell hope she looks better dan me! I be so ugly, I have to run from my truck into my house or else the neighbors dog will git me.
And U be rite there Old Racer.. I bee in da bed reel early (my bed), cause I gots to git me beauty sleep (and it aint workin).


OSF :ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004:

[Egoracing]

had high hopes for Ocala but the surface that I saw at their first sprint show was a asphalt base surface of limestone. I remember was the old fairgrounds closed and Golden Gate opened to save racing in Tampa and then Easy Bay was built and sprint car racing arose from the asphalt and ashes to become nationally prominent on dirt. Perhaps another event will occur and we can see a rebirth:ernaehrung004: but it is a real long shot.

Ocala is a tacky surface that will work in WELL.
East Bay was around a LONG time before the Fairgrounds was even BUILT!

[Frasson118]

Egoracing.... just a history lesson here. There was an "old" Tampa Fairgrounds track that has deep roots in history. It was closed down in the early 70's, if I remember correctly. East Bay opened in the mid-70's. After that, the "new" Tampa Fairgrounds opened up and had a racetrack there from the early '80's or so, but it too got closed down (neighbors bitching about noise).

So, you are both right AND wrong, depending on which Fairgrounds track you are refering to!

[Egoracing]

Egoracing.... just a history lesson here. There was an "old" Tampa Fairgrounds track that has deep roots in history. It was closed down in the early 70's, if I remember correctly. East Bay opened in the mid-70's. After that, the "new" Tampa Fairgrounds opened up and had a racetrack there from the early '80's or so, but it too got closed down (neighbors bitching about noise).

So, you are both right AND wrong, depending on which Fairgrounds track you are refering to!

Was the Old track at the current fair ground location or are you talking about the old fairgrounds that were in Tampa. If you are talking about the OLD track didn't it go by a different name?

[Frasson118]

I'm not an expert on the details (AncrDave is though), but I think there were 2 different Fairgrounds tracks, plus a 3rd one called Plant Field. One was downtown near the river, the other was up by the airport on Hillsborough Ave., and the most recent was at the corner of I-4 & Hwy. 301... on the same spot as the new Ford Ampitheater.

Hopefully I'm close... if not, maybe we can both learn something from bigger experts than I.

I didn't live in Florida at the time of the earlier tracks, but I did attend the newest one at I-4/301. Saw some pretty good shows there too. Unfortunately, whimpy-ass neighbors had it shut down.

[Boneman]

Plant Field was the one that was downtown, near the Hillsborough river.

Trivia question: what stands on the site today? Be prepared for disapointment.

[Rick Williamson]

A parking lot?

[Trash Inturn4]

The downtown track was Plant Field, they started racing cars there in 1927
and ran until the mid 70s. When the State Fair moved to I-4 and 301 the new track was built, it was flat and rough without much side by side racing.
There was a third track out by where the airport is today but it wasn't associated with the State Fair, but Im not sure of the years it operated.

[Boneman]

Even worse than a parking lot! The present site is a soccer field. It is on the campus of the University of Tampa.

[Razpewton]

Ya know...I don't know a whole lot about much, but one thing I have noticed...

I think every track in the southeast has been slandered, criticized and condemned to hell at one time or another.

So I say they shut them ALL DOWN and we could all start up a croquet league.:sprachlos020:

[1wildfastgirl24]

Thats weird man....I've been thinking that OSF is actually the same person as "1wildfastgirl24".


YOUR FUNNY....LMAO :laugh:....Just ask Raz he knows who I am,And he also knows I never hide behind a fake name....Hate to bust your bubble but you have definatly been thinking WRONG!! LOL

[Razpewton]

YOUR FUNNY....LMAO :laugh:....Just ask Raz he knows who I am,And he also knows I never hide behind a fake name....Hate to bust your bubble but you have definatly been thinking WRONG!! LOL

Yup...I can vouch for her. er entire fambily are racers.http://www.putnamcountyspeedway.com/phpBB/images/smilies/steering.gif

[Headguy]

The tampa fairgrouds track of old was indeed called Plant field. It had been , at one time, a horse track. One of the features of this half mile layout was the "Stands" as opposed to bleachers. It had a roof over the seating. The stands were on the west side of the track and the crowd was shielded from the afternoon sun.

Right across the street, Cass Street, to the north there was a stadium called Phillips field. High school football place. Oddly it had a track surrounding the playing field that was asphalt not cinder as one would expect. When the winter race crowd would come down to Florida, There would be spirited Midget races at Phillips field. I'm Talking late 40s, early fifties here.

Plant field spawned some very competant drivers. Frank Luptow and Pancho Alvarez come to mind. Theyy both went on to the Big time. Another regular driver at Plant field was Emil Reutimann. He was the first of the now famous Zephyr Hills racer dudes.

There was a dirt track north of Tampa off of US301 on Fowler or Fletcher, cant remember whuch. At some point in time the track property was sold. The contractor who was to extract all the clay and stuff from the location was clever. He sold the dirt and clay to a now famous building site that was under construction. The site is Busch Gardens.

Ther is still a track in Lakeland surrounding a football field. It is called Bryant stadium. Cinder and clay. The Midgets used to run there and also motorcycles sometimes. Of course that use would be out of the question these days. Auburndale Speedway used to have a dirt track inside the asphalt track. Motorcycles ran there on occassion.

Plant Field racing was done on a run what you brung basis. Most of the cars were what we'd now call sprints. Midgets regularly ran in the same heats and features as the big cars. There was a guy Named "Pop" Hukle form Tampa. He built race cars using Ranger engines. These were huge air cooled aircraft engines that never turned more than 3000 RPM. They did not need to. With about 600 cubic inches they were stout. They won a Lot. Luptow drove one for quite some time and campaigned it in the Mid west.

[ronabneysr]

plant field - the one down town was best - the one out by i-4 and hwy 301 fairgrounds sucked i don't know how many people died there i know the track was so dusty you could not see one foot in front of you my brother don abney was going down back straightway full bore and car in front of him fliped and went tru front of top of his hood wide open one worse wrecks i ever seen broke hip- legs arm - shoulder hand pelvis collarbone jaw and he was in hospital eight months in tractions and till this day has trouble walking with his hip but he don't complain .i don;t think they ever put any water on that track

[ronabneysr]

so get that straight ok you got some thing to bitch about use your own name it's about the only track you can go to that the cars pass each other and it ain't follow the leader . or you fall asleep

[bossman1258]

East Bay is doing a great job I went there in the early 80's and left and went to citurs then to Desoto and now I am coming back to East Bay to race next year . Have been there lately in the past month and the track has been good the people were nice . If you think this track is bad then you should go to Desoto that would make you want to stop racing.:huepfen024:

[AJ14]

I thought the Ocala surface was pretty decent . Don't forget about the " other " dirt track . Putnam County Speedway in Palatka is still going . The times i've raced there the surface was good . Also got to be one of the friendliest tracks i've encoutered .