Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge NASCAR vs Washington State

There was an interesting story on Fox News tonight about a proposed NASCAR track in Washington State. The leaders of the legislature oppose it saying it would attract “undesirable elements” and “the wrong kind of people.” They did some “man on the street” interviews with people who said that NASCAR is popular with rednecks, the toothless, hillbillys, and “Southerners”. The folks that brought us Kurt Cobain, grunge rock and $5 cups of coffee have a problem with “Southerners?” Can someone from there tell me what the H3LL is going on? Too many snobby Californians maybe? Don't get me wrong, I'm neither a NASCAR fan or a Southerner but I certainly have no problem with either, why does Washington?

I have not seen the Fox News story and I dont know if I'm the best one to answer these questions as I haven't followed the story too close--particularily this week when i know there has been noise about it in the state capital, but I feel like I have to help answer a couple of questions.

I'm not sure which street Fox news used, but in the local coverage I have not heard any of the words you quote above. Let's see...no not one. I'm sure you could find some NIMBY folks as easily about this issue as any, but the big issue is really where they propose to put it.

It is proposed for a site on the peninsula that isn't too near any major population center. You get there using secondary county highways/roads or a ferry. The leading objections I've heard so far include: 1. Use of tax dollars to finance (We have new-ish tax funded major league baseball/NFL stadiums, and a new NBA owner who lives in Oklahoma City who is giving the new arena or move the team from town demands.) and 2. Location/access/traffic impact.

I think the locals in the county where it is proposed find any large influx of people who don't already live there undesirable. My take so far is that most of what I have heard here in the state really has nothing to do with NASCAR per se. You could substitute any activity that would bring 1000's of folks to this site and the real concerns would be the same.

Just my 2 cents.

BTW: It snowed here yesterday so maybe what's up is that h3ll is freezing over. I need a coffee...

--John

Larry
I didn't see the piece, however I grew up 10 miles from one of the proposed track sites. Seattle is very tech/microsoft based, however there are a lot of hicks out there in the sticks. There were too many snobby southerners (southern westcoast) in the 90's but a lot of them moved on to CO and MT. In the town that I grew up in there are some families who could put a hillbilly from another state a run for their money.
Characters from the movie Mulletville were picked straight out of my highschool.

As for the track, from what I've heard one of the proposed track sites is abou 10 miles from my folks house. they hope it doesn't get built. The infrastructure in the area could not handle the week of however many million fans come to the area.

just my .02

What I wonder about is how will they predict which day it won't rain to have their race .

I'm not sure what those people in Washington are worried about. We folks "down South" only have sex with our own kin, ya know !!

I'm with the Washington state folks. I hope they don't build any new tracks until Rockingham gets both of it's races back.

Have you been to a NASCAR race lately????...tickets at $75.00 and UP!!!for the cheap seats...parking lot littered with $40,000.00 pickups/SUV and motor homes that run well into the 6 figure catagory (like 1/4 mil and up) and pay upwards of $150.00 to "camp" there for the weekend the spending these people do here in NH during the two race weekends we have is phenominal!!!!

Yeah I could see where the locals wouldn't want "that" element around....

Gone are the days when your adverage NASCAR fan was a beer/mustard stained T-shirt wearing "redneck"...(a word I'm proud to call myself by-the-way)

Plus you'll be hard pressed to find a politer bunch than those "Southern Hicks" put us puritanical Notherners to shame...

Just another case of ignorance, and stereotypes...

I agree with Rob, the crowd has totally changed. And not for the better in my opionon. In the race to get the most amount of money. NASCAR has sold out and left their traditional fan base. Its all about people with money. Just going to the race and not even camping costs 250 a person now. It used to be 200 for the whole weekend including beer and the ability to sleep in your truck.

For what it's worth. They built a very nice track in Warsaw, KY near Cincinnati. So far they have had some Busch Races and Truck Races. They've been crying for several years to get a "Cup Race" to no avail. Unless NASCAR extends the schedule, there just are'nt enough races to go around.

Just my take!

Gerry

I didn't see or hear that FOX report either, but it sounds like anytime any news agency does a "man on the street" thing, they show what they want.

I know a bunch of people in the Seattle area, and haven't heard anyone say anything along those lines. The people I know are split about 50-50 on the track. The ones that oppose it are split in half on not wanting to use tax money to build it and the other half feels that it rains too much to host NASCAR.

I have heard on the radio up there that there is a huge opposition from the enviromentalist groups (if they had their way they would ban people from living).

Soren

So were is the proposed site?
Traffic is a big issue, I don't think the ways off of the peninsula can handle 100k people. Loudon is built within a couple of miles of the highway and I have still spent all day waiting for traffic. My solution is to bring a grill and have some food and watch the traffic. But I only live 30 minutes away and know all the back roads.

Rob is absolutely right.

Over the last 10 years or so, we went to dozens of NASCAR races at Pocono, Dover, Michigan, Martinsville, Richmond, Atlanta, Talladega, Daytona and Texas. There are always a lot of "rednecks" at NASCAR races but for the most part these people are VERY well behaved, friendly folks. Considering that some of them were drinking beer all day in crowded conditions, that's pretty good.

In all the many races we went to, with a cumulative total of well over a million people, we only saw ONE fistfight. Heck, there's a fistfight at Yankee Stadium practically every night!

I know nothing of the project and did not see the program, but it would be a mistake for NASCAR to come to this state. It is one of the most business unfriendly states out there. If you are a Microsoft or a Boeing with a lot of money you can get your way, but the rest is sh*t on in anyway the gov't can find. We the people has said three times that we want auto licenses to be $30, and it went down to that and then creeps back up. We can not even park on a forest road without pay $5.00. It makes no difference what and who we want in our gov't; our votes don't count on this side of the state. As for disrespect for southerners, I would have to say most people here originated in the south; so if this has happened, they only have to look at themselves. If it were not for my kids living her and having a commercial building here, I would have gotten out of here when I retired.

Dave

I don't thing the grungers from Washington are too concerned about NASCAR or the fan base. I think they may be worried about the unbridled influx of the retail madness that is sure to accompany - Yes, folks - When your region gets NASCARed - You get the required 1 WAL-MART per 10mi. radius. That could be a terrible situation for the far NW - A WAL-MART and a Starbucks on every corner - That my friends can cause a real social dilemma

>That my friends can cause a real social dilemma

Yup.
When NASCAR came to KC, Mo. had a proposal to locate in Clay county, 5 Mi. from my house.
I was relieved when Ks. came in with a better proposal for Wyandotte county, Ks.
It made a whole lot more sense.

There actually are some upsides...
I have some friends that live very near to Bristol. There is very little increase in traffic congestion - EXCEPT on race days when the whole Tr-City area is jammed with race fans. Commercial increase or NASCAR related population influx didn't seem too unbearable (but this is already a stock car haven). The real bonus for one friend is that he rents his house out to a repeat renter for a week - He turns a tidy sum and takes his family on vacation that week and has a nice wad of cash left over. On my first visit, which was during very early spring, I asked whay all the Porta-Johns were in all of the Park&Ride lots along the inter-state - "Oh, those are for the track", he said. "They put them out for race weeks." There must have been hundreds of them. Apparently, the NASCAR folks take some pretty frequent dumps...

ladisney,

I live here in Washington, and it sucks. More pedophiles per capita than any State in the US of A. Snooty yuppie liberal know-nothings (with a few exceptions) dot the landscape here.

-BT

I spent a month in Seattle one week.

I can understand not wanting to shell out tax dollars to build something that only gets used once in a while. It's bad enough that pro teams hold local governments at gun point. There are better things to do with the millions of dollars it would take to build the track.

I agree too that NASCAR has really changed. I won't go if I can't get a free ticket. A decent seat at Lowe's Speedway will set you back $125+.

I guess I got spoiled growing up in Ohio watching World of Outlaws for a $20 ticket & being allowed to bring my own cooler of beer. I miss that down here. There is nothing better than 406 cubic inches of Big Block running 175 on dirt!