Farewell, Texas World Speedway (We think) Updated!

"mikecyc72usa" (mikecyc72usa)
06/13/2016 at 00:52 • Filed to: SCCA, TWS, College Station, Texas, Texas World Speedway, Triumph Spitfire, Spitfire, Triumph, Racing, Ghost track

Once past the gate, the eeriness of a wheezing ghost track begins.

Back on Memorial Day weekend, the Lonestar Region of the SCCA had their final race at Texas World Speedway, or TWS as it’s more commonly known. This was supposed to be the last actual race at the venue, which would be the 2nd, or 3rd maybe “final” weekend. As this goes to press, now it sounds like the track will be open until the end of the year, not the end of June. Before I go any further, here are some links to get you up to speed on the history and current state of TWS:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Wor…

http://www.texasworldspeedway.com/

The once proud main scoreboard.

I’ve only been to TWS a handful of times. The first impression I got of the track was that it a skeleton of a race track. Everything is there, just no flesh or muscle. Also, having been to Indy, Montreal, COTA, Pocono, and a few other large tracks, I was struck with how small and rudimentary TWS really is in terms of stands, garages and facilities. I mean, the grandstands (condemned for years now) really are surprisingly small.

Tired, collapsing, sagging grandstands.

I spent a little time wandering around the decaying infrastructure of TWS. It was surreal. To imagine guys like McLaren, Yarborugh, et al slamming around this place to packed stands gave me a mix of sadness and chills. So before it disappears, I made a little photo essay.

How apropos. Decayed red and green over the wall of Turn 1 and a “Stop” sign. End of the road?

Believe it or not, this is just before cresting the hill/berm to the lot for the timing and scoring tower as well as the main grandstands.

This is what greets you at the top of the hill. The ruin in the foreground was formerly a restroom structure. All of them have been demoed up here.

Texas Spokes Club Pro Bigwheel Solo leftovers?

Need some high capacity sinks?

Main hallway of Timing and Scoring. Just a few leaks and probably some mold...

The once enclosed and for it’s time swank VIP area. Carpeting and AC must have been quite the thing when TWS was built.

The old dry erase board track diagram in the registration room.

However, all the track archeology aside, I was actually there to help out my friend Robert who was racing his 1962 Triumph Spitfire as well as my friends Don and Dave who also have Spitfires. The idea was to have the three of them have their own little race within a race. Plus it would be fun to be part of the crew for the last car to get the last checker at the last race. Also, seeing three Spitfires fighting it out would be fun. Well, that was the plan.

Don, Robert and Dave on grid.

Plans are great until you enact them. Dave had a rear axle issue that sidelined him, Don had a weird vibration in the driveline making two out. Robert’s car soldiered on, and he actually got third in class. So at the end of the day he was the last finisher of the last race at TWS. We think.

Robert getting the final checker of the final SCCA race of the final SCCA race weekend at TWS.

UPDATE! Looks like this is really it.

What money and legislation and everything else couldn’t do, nature has. A sinkhole is forming in the T5-T6 area, and this coming PCA weekend is canceled. I have a feeling the sinkhole is the fat lady opening her mouth to sing.

DISCUSSION (6)

bmil128 > mikecyc72usa
06/13/2016 at 06:08

I got an email from the guy that handles Lone Star PCA’s scheduling over the weekend that says they have extended the calendar and now will be open through the end of 2016.

mikecyc72usa > bmil128
06/13/2016 at 08:05

I was at the Lonestar SCCA banquet the other night and it was discussed.

qbeezy > mikecyc72usa
06/13/2016 at 09:34

Some of those photos look like they could be set for the live action fallout movie.

Stef Schrader > bmil128
06/13/2016 at 10:50

Yep. I got the same email. I might sign up for the new “last” event, then. Someone on one of the numerous Facebook threads was mentioning that development is growing out in other directions from College Station nowadays, making TWS less of an attractive site. If so, that’s great. Leave it a track. I wish the guys who’ve committed money towards a replacement (whatever happened with that project?) would just buy TWS already—if not under the Bluebonnet group name, then under their own thing.

StingrayJake > mikecyc72usa
06/13/2016 at 13:07

Great pictures. I live down the road from TWS. It’s kind of strange how it keeps crawling on. It’s a zombie that’s for sure.

mikecyc72usa > StingrayJake
06/13/2016 at 13:36

Thank you. Never give me a DLSR with a fully charged battery, room for 7500 images, and a golf cart at a track. In 45 minutes I shot about 500 pictures. But yes, zombie track is another great way to refer to TWS.