Central Arizona Raceway

Central Arizona Raceway is located about 35 miles south of Phoenix and just east of the town of Casa Grande, Arizona. The banked 3.8-mile clay oval is on the Pinal County Fair Grounds at Eleven Mile Corner. One of the neatest features about this track, besides the hometown friendly atmosphere, is that a racer has to try very hard to hit anything, as this track does not have a wall around the racing surface. No soft walls required.

The downside is that if you do happen to overdrive the corner and find yourself driving over the edge of the track, you have to re-enter on the front straight. No driving back over the banking and onto the track. This is a big no-no and can result in a severe fine for any driver who attempts it. While you may go a lap down, the upside is that the driver and the racecar are not damaged from a punishing blow into the wall. And from a fan perspective, there is no race-slowing yellow due to a racer pounding the wall. It is a win-win situation for everybody.

Now, for the family-friendly atmosphere, which is evident from the moment you arrive at either the front gate or at the back entrance to the pits. There is a very "we're glad you came" feeling when you enter the track. The grandstands are covered and the seating areas are large and roomy. The stands offer a great view of the track no matter where you are sitting. From a fan perspective the experience is very positive.

The track entrance fees are reasonable and the concession area is roomy, clean and the concessions are reasonably priced. The restrooms are clean and modern-a real positive from any perspective. There is also a family section of the grandstands that offers an area free from some of the more adult activities of smoking or consumption of adult beverages. This is a racetrack where you will feel completely comfortable bringing every member of the family, even the younger, more impressionable fans. While in the grandstands, I did not observe any excessive behaviorfrom the crowd or any individual that would have given any family a reason to not return to Central Arizona Raceway for another event.

From the fan perspective, the view of the track is not obstructed by having the infield full of racecars and haulers. The pits are located outside the track, behind the grandstands. This arrangement makes for lots of room for the racecar, the hauler and all of the support equipment. It also means that as a racer you have to pay very close attention to the show and how it is progressing or you could miss practice or a heat race because you may not hear the call for your class or for the next race. As a racer you always need to pay attention to what is going on.

The shape of the track and the level of preparation result in a very fast, smooth, dust-free racing surface. In fact, the water truck is running frequently during the course of the race evening. This attention to keeping the track and the surrounding areas moist assures a dustfree event both on the track and in the pits.

There is a very diverse number and type of cars racing at the track during the course of the season. The cars range from several different divisions of Street Stocks, Modifieds, Sport Modifieds, Mod-Lites, Dwarf Cars, Super Late Models, Sprint Cars and Midgets. There are also races that are non-traditional oval track events like the emerging Side by Side racers which have their roots in the Yamaha Rhinos and Polaris RZRs. These cars resemble golf carts with long travel suspension and they race on a modified track that includes the infield area turned into more of a motocross track.

From a racer's perspective this is a great Saturday night venue. It has a good, safe track and great pits for the racer to work on the car. The number of racers in attendance gives each class a full card of participants. Typically, there are no classes with only three or four cars, and the racing is close and fast. The track's condition makes for a fast racing surface, and the drivers and crews needed to be on top of their game to get to the front and stay there.

There is clearly a great deal of competition for the short track race fan and the short track racer all over the country. For the promoter, it takes the ability to please a diverse number of people each week. There is that delicate balance between catering to the fan and the racer that the promoter needs to keep happening. It takes a good show each week, with clean, well-maintained facilities and reasonably priced concessions to keep the fans coming back week in and week out. To keep the racers coming back each week it takes a well-run program and the track and facilities that make supporting a racecar a possibility.

Central Arizona Raceway seems to have struck that balance and is making the fans feel that they are getting a great value for their entertainment dollar. The racers are coming back week after week because the show is well run and they are made to feel like the center of the show.

If you find yourself in the metro Phoenix area on a Friday or Saturday and you're looking for some good, intense dirt track racing, then Central Arizona Raceway has just the ticket.