Dear Junior,

My son and I were talking about the Clash at the LA Coliseum, and what a shame it was to have them do all the work to the stadium to make a track, only to tear it back up.

From that discussion, I had an idea for the future that my son thought was great, and honestly, so have several others that I’ve shared it with. My son listens to your podcast, watches your Lost Speedways documentary, and he said that if there was 1 person that would listen and possibly champion the idea, it would be you.

So here goes…

This past year, the Busch Clash was at the LA Stadium. This entailed building a speedway, only to tear it all back up. All that work and effort to make a raceway, only to destroy it after it was over. This is where my idea comes into play. On your Lost Speedways, you show the world tracks that have been abandoned and grown over. It’s sad to see. Along with those abandoned tracks, there are also countless small town tracks all over the map where Saturday Night racing is the norm. The NASCAR fan base has been dwindling over the years, and I think I have a way to revitalize it. What if each year, a “local track” was picked to be “revitalized” and refreshed, and then the Bush Clash would be held at that track. When it is over, that revitalized track remains, building more interest in the sport in that area, and nicer facilities remain to help fan that passion for the sport. Profits made from the previous Busch Clash can be invested in the next “local track”, creating another revitalized track, renewed interest in the sport in that area, and new fans.

The Clash itself would bring business to these small towns as well as helping to show the world the sport as well as its origin. For example, we live in Hickory, NC. Hickory Speedway was the birthplace of many NASCAR drivers/legends.

If the proceeds from LA was invested in Hickory, then folks could learn about that track and its history, the venue could get an upgrade while building interest that some folks new to the Hickory area, and inject some business live back into the area. After the “facelift”, some of the profits from the race that the track makes, could go to another track in need of an upgrade. Perhaps North Wilkesboro, then ?…

There’s basically no waste as was in LA, sparks interest in the sport, helps the communities, inspires young drivers to chase their dreams, and it’s a win for EVERYONE involved.

By the way, my son that I was discussing this with is 14…will be 15 in October, and he insisted that I share this with you.