[Pete McKay]

I tried to take a pic this morning but the digital battery needs replacing, so I'm going to wing it with words here.

I laid down the new bull ring oval last night, I made sure the board was big enough (7' X 40") to allow some really great landscaping with bleachers, grandstands and even a snack bar. It will be a fully functioning 4-lane with a cushion outside of lane 4 for the cars that drift to use. Lane measurments average out to make this a 1/5th mile. It will use the Lapcounter 2000 for all the races. There are no terminal tracks, everything is wired from the bottom of a pair of 15" straights.

I'm not really happy with the way the AFX/TOMY track corners lay together, I have a small gap between the inside two and outside two lanes, but it's not enough to upset the cars.

OK, for the name: traditionally my tracks since 1967 have been named Pan American Speedway, after the track I grew up near in San Antonio, Texas. I raced a mini stock when I was in HS, and my father was a track official for most of the tracks life. It closed in 1983 after an 18 year run. The other name I considered recently was Yosemite Speedway since Fresno is less than an hour from that national park. However, that name is being used for a track being built in Chowchilla for real-world racing. Others like Fresno Raceway Park, San Joaquin Valley Raceway and Sunnyside Bowl (I live in the Sunnyside section of Fresno) were suggested. So, name my track and win one each of my vacuformed Outlaw Sprint Car, Super Modified and Sports Car bodies. Do your research, come up with something original for the Fresno area.

 

[Stoosh]

Bull Dog Bowl

 

[Pete McKay]

That's amazingly good Stoosh except that the East Side Bulldogs are a particularly bad street gang, especially in my part of town. Still, I'll put it in the hat for consideration, thanks!!!

 

[Stoosh]

DogTown Speedway, DogTown Oval

 

[Mike(^RacerX^)]

I'm not really happy with the way the AFX/TOMY track corners lay together, I have a small gap between the inside two and outside two lanes, but it's not enough to upset the cars.

Yeah me too,and it does upset the cars.Dealing with it now and its a PITA.

Dont want to hijack your contest thread with it tho.

Mike

 

[martybauer31]

How about Tower Speedway, or Sequoia Speedway.....

 

[Pete McKay]

Ahh...that Tower District, the Heart of the City, where the women are strong and the men are pretty. Sequoia is a good one....added.

Mike, my gap is down to about 1/8", I may stick some cork railroad bedding it in to fill it in. I've been running hard laps in Lane 2 and I've only caught the rut once so far.

 

[vaBcHRog]

Why don't you name it after your Dad?

Roger Corrie

 

[Scafremon]

The International Raisin Speedway

(IRS for short)

(Added quickie logo for the infield)

 

[Pete McKay]

Roger, my dad and I had a bad falling out about 20 years ago, we didn't speak again. He died in 2003 and I really don't have too much contact with my family in Texas anymore. I still have a lot of pictures from those days at Pan Am, from when I was about 9 until I left at age 20. My '71 Pinto mini stock is still in a garage somewhere in San Antonio, I've been told that it's still pretty much intact now 26 years later. I'd love to go get it, if for nothing else but nostalgia. It was the first race car I ever built as an auto shop project. I don't remember the grade I got for it though.

One of the drivers suggested "Dust Bowl" because I live in an area surrounded by grapes, figs and stone fruit. We're constantly having to blow out the shop because of all the dust that accumulates. We have a USAC Focus Midget that has so much dust on it right now you can't read the number on the nose.

I think once this runs for about a week I'll maybe take the top five and do a survey. We've got some good ones so far.

 

[noddaz]

I don't want to sound presumptious (?) but why don't you name it after yourself...
McKay Speedway...
Or how about Electric Raceway...
Or to go with the fruit theme how about "Fruitbowl Raceway"...
Never mind on that last one...
Scott

 

[dhamby123]

how bout bowman grey stadium in north carolina thats what everyone calls it around here is the bull ring ?

 

[Sundance]

The Greater Fresno Modelplex Gives you room for expantion of tracks. Tim

 

[Bill Hall]

How about the M&M? AKA- The Mckay Motorway

 

[gear buster]

How about "SHAVER LAKE SPEEDWAY" or "DOG HOLLOW"

 

[Pete McKay]

Noddaz, being the humble racer I am I couldn't name it after myself. And Bowman Gray is Hallowed Ground, I'd never be so presumptuous...

Fruitbowl....sounds like it should really be located in the Tower District.

 

[22tall]

Slots of wrath. I guess that would be more of a team name.


Here is the problem with the gap. Nobody and I mean nobody in the modern world of slots makes a 90 degree curve. AFX, Tomy, Life Like, Tyco, Mattel are all the same. They are all just short of 90 degrees. Take four 90s of any manufacturer and make a circle. If all your connections are tight they will not be able to make the last connection.

 

[41-willys]

What about Wine Ring Raceway or The Speed Grove (like vine grove)

 

[Pete McKay]

The original Pan American slot car track was the old A/FX track that would break off the annoying little tabs. Now THERE was a great fitting 4 lane track. It was destroyed in the great garage sale fiasco of 1997. The replacement track was Tomy and fit pretty well, I don't remember the gaps in the corners being so wide. Anyway, it is a dirt track after all...

One of the other idea's my wife came up with regarding the naming of the track was to 'sell' the naming to a company, such as Hobby Talk Raceway (hint, hint). Or Scale Auto Speedway...hummm, I wonder if I still have Gary Beedles home number in Renton..

 

[SplitPoster]

Obscure literary reference: one of my favorite books is Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." The main character hitches a ride into Fresno with a madman in a souped-up rod, driving eighty and passing everybody in sight. He refered to "buzzing Fresno", and I like the sound of Buzz City Raceway.