Thru Noggles Goggles .::. March 6th

According to the 2012 “National Speedway Directory”, Arizona has 17 race tracks in the state and this article concerns two of them. Phoenix reader James Warmuth sends this Michelle Ye Hee Lee article from the “Arizona Republic”:

Maricopa County has the authority to control zoning and the issuance of permits at Speedworld, a popular racetrack on state trust land in Wittmann, a judge has ruled. The owner of Speedworld sued the county last August, arguing that it had no regulatory authority over state land or activities there. Superior Court Judge Michael Gordon ruled last week that the state land commissioner could have exercised authority over Speedworld but chose not to, ceding authority to the county. That decision could end years of legal disputes between Speedworld and state and county regulators.

In January, the county issued a cease-and-desist order after a hearing officer found violations of county building codes. Speedworld has since ceased operating. Construction for which permits were never obtained still must be torn down and disposed of, according to the county Planning and Development Department. Speedworld’s attorney declined to comment.

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Speedworld owner Dan Matthews.

Speedworld owner Dan Matthews.Patrick Breen/The RepublicY

Its most popular event has proven to be its “Saturday Night Live” program, where members of the public are invited to test their street-legal vehicles on a drag strip. The park has existed in various incarnations since 1961 on the Surprise-Wittmann border.

While scoping out the area for race tracks, TNG visited there with his “Phoenix Connection”, Ed Achenbach on June 24, 2008. The land is very desolate and this track, all the more so. We wandered this desert-complex for quite some time before anyone came to see what we were doing. It’s a shame that a state with so few tracks might lose two more.

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AutoRacingDaily.com reports:

Ten driver-car combinations from six IZOD IndyCar Series teams completed a test Feb. 27 at Sonoma Raceway in advance of the first IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test on March 12-13 at Barber Motorsports Park. The season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is March 24. Spectators were welcome to watch the morning and afternoon sessions and participate in a Q&A with drivers during the break. “This is a great time of year to be out on track,” said JR Hildebrand, driver of the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car and a resident of nearby Sausalito, Calif. “Run to run, morning to afternoon, things are much more consistent. Once you get into summer, that element changes. It’s a very temperature-sensitive track. As far as the actual track conditions go, they are always a little bit different.”

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Interesting Fact: Sprint cars at age 13 scared the pants off Jeff Gordon when his stepfather put him in them. Not Kyle Larson, who only says he was “nervous” about performance, particularly after the first few wreck-filled weeks, but not scared. Oh yes, some things scare him, like racing at Winchester Speedway in Indiana.

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The “National Speed Sport News” staff reports:

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Two-time World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series champion Jason Meyers will return to the series this weekend at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas and plans to compete in both West Coast swings for the series this season. Meyers will drive the No. 21m sprint car fielded by Tarlton Racing. Meyers drove the same car on the West Coast last season and during the Knoxville Nationals. Meyers quit racing after running the opening events of 2012, but returned to the cockpit in August.

“I can’t wait to get back in the office,” explained Meyers. “I have spent the last 12 months sitting behind a desk and I love what I am doing, but what the world calls ‘the office’ and what I call ‘the office’ are two different things! I climbed behind the wheel last night of the Tarlton and Son 21m and man did that feel good. Tom and Tommy Tarlton have provided me with a great opportunity in 2013 to participate in one of the greatest sports in the world while still being at home for my family and my teammates here in ‘the office.’”

Meyers tentative schedule will feature some staples on the World of Outlaws schedule including, the Mini Gold Cup, Knoxville Nationals and the Gold Cup Race of Champions. Meyers will compete in a total of 26 WoO races.