TWS is being utilized as a holding place for cars that were flooded during Hurricane Harvey. A sad end to a once great racing facility now reduced to a giant junk yard on the outskirts of College Station. https://blackflag.jalopnik.com/the-historic-texas-world-speedway-is-an-ever-growing-fl-1819835469 BHW
well it was supposed to be closed and redeveloped into a subdivision last year, so this is better than being going forever....I guess...
Yeah, remembering back to when I went out there to shoot for On Track back in 1995, there was talk even then that the IMSA WSC race would be the last and the place was going to be tilled under to make room for development. That whole facility has got to be 1000+ acres, it is absolutely huge and no doubt developers have been slobbering over it all these years. Too bad, it was a cool track but it would take tens of millions to bring it back to where it would need to be to host any sort of professional racing now. BHW
I was fortunate enough to have my last track day there on 8/21 before the storm. We knew that part of the track was going to shut down this fall leaving us with the short layout but that ain't happening now. Really liked that track.
I met Rob Lay there in 2002 when I volunteered as a corner worker for a spec RX7 SCCA series. Later on I got to track my Acura Integra there for various track days, good times indeed.
The hill that supported the Main Grandstands and Press box was not geotechnically stable...:/ I am sure it could have been "fixed", but that was the original cause of the multiple changes of ownership. They did have some wonderful races...saw the 333SP scream there from mere feet away. But also, the marketing effort, with even Exxon behind them from Houston, always made it seem a far journey, to watch races there, and end up drinking in the Dixie Chicken!!! Now of course it's three hours to Austin, but we add The Landing Strip and Club Expose into the equation!!
My only shaky experience there was with the local Sheriff, dressed in black SWAT clothing.... I had clipped down an IMSA fence banner, date specific, after the race weekend. What was it worth after that??? I got mine stashed safely away, when a father and son asked to borrow my pliers. As they did exactly the same, Mr. Burr Head came along, verbally assaulted them for "stealing property" and threatened to arrest them both!! Throwing an 8 year old behind bars??? They slunk away, suitably chastised. Burr Head turned his attention to me, at which point I said "Give me my pliers." Rather than stay for Los Lobos in the Infield, I wanted to get as far away from the Goon Squad as possible. Left southbound and did not return, for a long time.
Oh, the hospitality of the local law there was incredible. I had been warned that having a Florida plate in Texas was cause for near immediate arrest. And, while I enjoyed going about 120MPH around the perimeter of Houston with three cars right on my tail, it was when I got to College Station that the Florida plate drew the attention of the local constabulary. On checking into my hotel, a local cop followed me right into the parking area and took up residence right on my bumper while I checked in. When I came out, he was still there. I smiled and waved to him and proceeded to my room. This happened again and again, when I left the hotel for the track, on returning from the track and whenever I went out for dinner. They never said anything to me or even got out of their cars, but they sure where interested in my Florida plate mounted on the back of my Acura. And, even if I had drugs in my car, I would have been happy to share with them. BHW
There you go!!! It was the start of "Militarization of police" but the scary part was these guys obviously enjoyed it......too much, to my mind.
Update: Flood cars now gone. Rumors about the fate of TWS rampant. https://jalopnik.com/the-thousands-of-flooded-hurricane-cars-are-out-of-texa-1825009993 BHW