MMP to Offer Alternative to Illegal Street Racing
An Open Letter to all Street Racers from Jim Howard of Montgomery
Motorsports Park
(Feb. 20, 2008) -- Eight more deaths in a street racing incident this
past weekend and many more seriously injured. I don't understand it. Just a
few weeks ago, we had two of our fellow racers and friends killed right here
in Alabama. As a matter of fact, one them drove right past MMP just to have
a fatal street racing incident 90 miles away.
I am a rookie track owner-operator, so every place I go I ask people, "Do
you like drag racing?" Last Saturday, I got an answer that scared me. I was
talking to a young lady (an employee of a local business) and I asked her
the same question, "Do you like drag racing?" She said "I have never been to
a drag strip but my friends and I enjoy watching the street racing that goes
on in Montgomery". I asked if she heard about the people who had been killed
the night before; she had not and it scared her to death!
I gave her free tickets to Montgomery Motorsports Park and invited her
and her friends to come out and enjoy running their cars and watching during
one of our Friday Test and Tune sessions (beginning March 7), to race in
a safe and controlled environment. She was very excited at that idea. But I
want to do more.
I am committed to stop the street racing and bringing it to the drag
strip. Over 75 percent of all street or grudge race machines are cars or
bikes that are trailered to the race site, then unloaded and raced on our
streets. Why? I am calling on all street racers in the River Region and
everywhere to stop killing and injuring themselves, their friends and
neighbors.
Beginning March 8, I will open Montgomery Motorsports Park every Saturday
night and will let everyone who has a car or bike on a trailer run for free.
Car and driver will be admitted free. If you want to find out whose car or
bike is fastest, bring it to MMP and get it off the streets. If you have a
grudge race and want to settle the score, call me at 334.260.9660 and I will
let you and your opponent in free and we will make a big deal out of it on
the PA.
I have lost two friends in street racing accidents and I will do
everything in my power to stop it. That is why we're beginning Saturday
Night Street Wars on March 8. We will open the gates at 7 pm and race
until 11pm. We will have no scoreboards, just the Christmas tree for
starting and a win light on the scoreboards That's it! On Friday nights,
beginning March 7, our Test and Tune sessions will race on the full
quarter-mile with full scoreboards, time slips concession stand and PA
announcer.
During Saturday Night Street Wars, we will race on the 1/8 mile and
everything goes! Just like street racing, except we have a safe environment,
a paramedic on duty, and lots of bleacher space for people to hang out and
watch in safety. Our concession stand will be open and dishing out great
food. Think about it...it's a place to race where no one gets a ticket, goes
to jail or gets hurt. Sounds like a winner to me. What do you think?
I hope everyone will help me with this issue and spread the word. There
will be a small charge for spectators but that's it! You can come hang with
your friends on Saturday night, run your car, figure out whose ride is hot
and whose is not. You can do this for less than it costs for a few gallons
of gas.
There are no winners when street racing goes bad. So why not move it to
Montgomery Motorsports Park and get all the rush of racing without any of
the negatives or risks of doing it on the street.
I would like to hear what everyone thinks about my idea and lets stop
street racing and bring it back to the strip and help us get our good name
back. We are Drag Racers NOT Street Racers! I will have this program every
Saturday night that we are not having a Special event, which will be at
least twice a month.
Hope to hear from everyone and as always I will see you at The Track!
Jim Howard
334-260-9660 |
