The Mile

[NismoZ]

Spent about 10 hours at the track Saturday...mostly recalling the old days. Yeah, they were a LOT better. Didn't bother to take my camera. Sat in the 45,000 seat main grandstand for awhile, up high, looking for shade. Lucky if there was even 450 people there. No joke. Got to thinking about the useless comparisons to those days gone by and nothing brought it home more than listening to track announcer Paul Page drone on about the incredible SPEEDS we were seeing on this old, flat one mile oval! Ooooo.:eek: Average speeds in qualifying in the 166 mph area! Wow! Seem to recall RHR laying down 176s TEN years ago for that 1st night race and I KNOW Carpentier did a 185+ in 1998! But of course there wasn't a Ferris wheel in the infield in those days or Rick Shaw races either. (who'd HE drive for, anyway??) Sure have made a lot of progress over the years. Hadn't been back for a few... and I won't be going again. I guess there is nothing wrong with fond memories. No need to stain them with bad ones, though.

[stroker]

That's what they mean when they say, "You can't go home again..."

:(

[RTKar]

I thought about going for old times sake. I grew up going to that track with my dad in the 60', wouldn't have thought of missing the race up until tg's hissy fit. I ended up staying home. What passes for OW racing these days isn't that compelling. I took in the Miller Historic event at the Mile earlier in the year....better cars, good memories brought back and no ferris wheel.

[Andrew Longman]

Hey, LeMans has a ferris wheel. :gomer:

Sad to see that the race and track fails to capture the imagination of more than a few hardcore locals (assuming the few who were there are actually hardcore locals. I imagine a lot of hardcore types have stayed away since '96.

Too bad. It is a great flat short track, but then again so was Nazareth.:shakehead: