Texas Raceways green light goes dark

 

The Texas Raceway, “the fastest little dragstrip in Texas” that opened in 1961, has announced that it is officially closed. The last 15 years has been owned and operated by Cindi and Dave McMillan. {{more:Continue …}}

 

The McMillans posted their final goodbye at the Texas

Raceway website.

 

We had planned to race in 2017 but due to circumstances beyond our control it?s no longer an option. We are saddened by this situation but as I was reminded recently ?Sometimes life isn?t fair?. As a result, Texas Raceway will not reopen for drag racing.

 

We want to thank you the racers, fans, our race crew and staff for their support all these years. It?s been a wonderful 15 seasons. We want to thank Gaylen Smith and Shan Morgan for their time and their dedication they bring to this sport. These folks have always supported the racers. We hope you will continue to support Texas Outlaw Pro Mod?s and the Redemption No Prep Series. We also want to thank our sponsors who have supported us. Painless Performance Products has been a very good friend to the track and continues to support racers and hot rod enthusiasts. Reher ? Morrison has always backed the track and racers. Smith Motorsport, Brink Racecraft and RockAuto.com have been great supporters. Tom Carrell; Crowley Service Center has been sponsoring the street program for years and to all those that have helped the track in so many ways; thank you.

 

As my dad once said; ?May you lights always be green, your motor never blow up and your win light always on.?

Happy trails,

Cindi & Dave

Texas Raceway 1961 ? 2017

 

now there is one…

 

For race fans, it is a sad day. The three original racetracks in Kennedale have attracted fans and drivers from all over the area. A number of kids have grown up alongside the tracks as first and second generations of fans have made it a weekly event. But the three are now down to one – Kennedale Speedway

Park.

 

What or who is to blame?

 

Certainly, the obvious bad guy is the City of Kennedale. But, it is more complex than that if you research the issues that face race tracks in urban areas.

Issues include skyrocketing land values, climbing liability insurance,

complaints from neighbors, issues involving

noise, zoning, traffic plus competition from other entertainment venues. Even the EPA has gotten into the act.

But where racetracks come up against residential development,

racetracks usually lose.

one of the hottest housing markets in the nation …

 

Kennedale is in the center of one of the hottest housing markets in the nation. The DFW metropolitan area has been in the top 5 markets in nations for several years. In southeast Tarrant County residential growth has spread east from Burleson north from Mansfield, south from Everman and west from Kennedale. Those areas use to be strictly rural with houses few and far in between but no longer. And the growth does not look to abate anytime soon.

 

For small towns, like Kennedale, trying to manage the growth, it becomes a taunting challenge.

 

Land values in the areas adjacent to racetracks are typically undervalued, making it difficult for owners to sell and realize higher profits which leaves little room for growth or development.

 

This produces an inequality in the tax base. A large swath of land is undervalued and underdeveloped which translates into a greater tax burden on the rest of the city residents and businesses.

 

The trick for small existing race tracks is to find land near enough to urban centers to attract a large loyal crowd but far enough out to lessen the impact to developing communities. In today’s hot housing market, that is tricky and one that Kennedale Speedway is still trying to figure out.

 

Time does not seem to be on their side.