The subject of Yuma Speedway, and the status of the circle track keeps coming up.

I received an e-mail from a friend who asked, “Have you heard about the grand re-opening of Yuma Speedway?”

Uh, no, I haven’t.

And after asking around, and chasing down what seems like the one-millionth rumor about the circle track’s reopening, we’re right back where we started — nowhere.

That being said, I can’t hold back any longer and I’ve decided to cast caution to the wind and vent a little on this subject — the current state of Yuma Speedway, as far as the circle track is concerned.

It’s been a while now since the Cocopah Tribe purchased the facility, which closed following the 1999 season. I steadfastly believe is still the best dirt track in this corner of the country, and although the tribe initially acted as though it was interested in getting something going again, besides sand drags, the track is still sitting there, as we speak, idle.

Or as former owner and Dome Valley farmer Ronnie Moore so eloquently put it, it’s just growing weeds.

What bothers me, is why did the tribe feign interest in getting the facility up and going again? Why bother to listen to some local enthusiasts, who, along with Yuma Chamber of Commerce boss Ken Rosevear, put together what appeared to be a viable plan on paper, if the tribe never intended to do anything?

Why? Why? Why?

Some time ago I attended what I believe might have been the last meeting the tribe had with the local dirt track racing fraternity. At that meeting representing the tribe were tribal official Paul Soto along with Rick McKinney and Liz Pratt. Representing the racers were David White and Leonard Jones.

There was a lot of talk, there were a lot of questions and a lot of answers, along with a lot of head nodding and so forth, and the overall feeling — again — was the tribe was genuinely interested in getting racing on the circle track going — again.

Needless to say, David White and Leonard Jones were almost giddy with excitement afterward. And while I didn’t want to burst their bubble, I thought it was necessary to point out that in reality nobody on the other side of the table that day gave them a definite date, or a starting time, or even an approximate time frame as to when they could expect to see some activity at the track, in the form of getting it back in shape.

And since then, the tribe has purchased a golf course and opened its new hotel and meeting center.

And, sadly, still nothing has happened in regard to the circle track. In fact, the tribal parties involved have been almost unreachable, and when they do talk to the racers, they have no comment about the track.

Then, along comes a fellow from Somerton, who says he and his organization are taking over the sand drag races at the track. And he adds the tribe has also asked him about taking over the circle track, and getting it up and running.

And then where was, yup, another meeting. This meeting, which also included David White and Leonard Jones, along with fellow racer Rick Miller, was to determine if there was a genuine local interest in the dirt track, to which Alfonso “Chachy” Zavala III, representing National Sand Drag Association, said he had to come away with a positive feeling. And he said he did. He even went as far as to say that he’d like to get a longer lease agreement from the tribe if he was going to invest time and money in the circle track too.

When he left the meeting that day, he said he was going to approach the tribe about an extended lease and get back in touch everyone about the circle track. Then, the days passed, and weeks, and months, and now … nothing … again.

In the meantime, one of the local television stations got wind of the possible development with the circle track, and took it upon itself to pursue the story, which, apparently did not sit well with the tribe, which has told outside parties, including Ken Rosevear, that it doesn’t want any publicity regarding the circle track portion of the facility until it gives the go-ahead.

And wham, any more word about re-development of the circle track has come to a screeching halt.

Which begs the questions, what happened to Chachy Zavala and the tribe asking him to pursue re-development of the circle track? What ever came of the meetings between the tribe and Ken Rosevear and David White and Leonard Jones? And is there anyone at the Cocopah Tribe who can step up, go on the record, and tell the Yuma racing community just what the heck is going on?

Denny Hamlin was said to be complaining about the heat last week at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event, and wasn’t feeling very good afterward.

Hey, Denny, I hate to tell you this, but it’s going to be even warmer Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.

Yeah, according to the Weather Channel it’s going to be around 90 degrees or so when the green flag drops, and AccuWeather is forecasting a temperature of around 85 degrees. So, split the difference and you’ve got … toasty.

Of course, when the sun drops, the mercury will too, and by 9 p.m. when the race should be over or almost over, it’s going to be a nice 75.

No matter what, all 43 drivers in the starting lineup should be thinking about hydrating themselves if they aren’t already. I can tell you, from experience, after being beat on for 250 or so miles in races through the Nevada desert that if you aren’t hydrated when the race begins, you will pay the price afterward. Been there, done that, and it ain’t pretty.

I remember being at PIR several years ago when getting a spring race for the track was only in the talking stages, and NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, known for his exploits and successes in the desert, was on hand for testing. And during a question and answer session with the media that day, he was asked if giving PIR a second race in the spring, when it’s starting to heat up, was a good idea.

And he didn’t hesitate for a second, stating that the idea was great, that he loved coming to Phoenix, and he’d love to race there twice … as long as the spring date was at night.

And, here we are, racing into the night at Phoenix.

Good thing they didn’t make the second date in June, July or August, though, because as we all know, the mercury has been known to stay at or above the 100-degree mark well into the night.

But, it’s a dry heat, right?

Yeah, Denny, it’s a dry heat. So don’t sweat it.

So, Michael Waltrip maintains that his team did not steal Jack Roush’s sway bar, and he’s got Jeff Gordon acting a his point man.

Wow, I know I feel better.

In case you haven’t heard, this incident, which is now being referred to “Partgate,” revolves around a sway bar, that belongs to the Roush-Fenway Racing team, which was found to be in the possession of Michael Waltrip Racing. Roush contends that someone from Waltrip’s team stole the part.

Waltrip contends his team having the part is just a mix-up. And he says Jeff Gordon is his spokesperson.

Gordon says, in so many words, that Roush is making too much of the whole affair.

Hmmm …

For the record, Roush says the sway bar in question has a distinctive paint job, is numbered, and has a unique design and configuration. On top of that, the sway bar fits only Roush’s Ford Fusions, and Waltrip’s team consists of Toyotas.

Double hmmm …

Waltrip and Gordon both say that “parts are left laying around” after post-race inspections, and “at times get picked up and mixed up.”

So, if that’s the case, let’s say you’re a Waltrip team member, and you’re picking up parts that have been left “laying around.” And you’re trying to tell me you’re going to pick up a sway bar that is painted like nothing else in your team’s inventory, not to mention is shaped like nothing else in your inventory?

Please!

Waltrip also says that on any given race weekend, “there are more than 70 racing vehicles in a NASCAR garage and parts get strewn about and mistakes are made.”

All I can say about that is I’ve been to NASCAR races, I’ve been in the pits, and in the garage area, and it’s been my observation that the crews don’t leave parts laying or strewn about. I admit it might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you could eat off the floor in nearly all of those garage stalls, they are kept that clean and tidy.

Waltrip also says Roush is making too much of the incident. And Gordon backs him up.

Triple hmmm …

If memory serves me correctly, some years ago it was Roush who contended that Gordon was benefitting from the use of a tire softening compound, which is illegal. It was never proven, I don’t think, but right after that little incident, NASCAR changed the rules in regard to how tires and when tires are distributed to its teams before a race. Just a conincidence? I think not.

That leads me to think that Gordon probably isn’t a fan of Roush or Roush-Fenway Racing, and it should be no surprise that he’s in Waltrip’s camp.

I’m not in either camp, but in my opinion, the more Waltrip tries to downplay this incident, and the more he makes light of it, and the more silly excuses he comes up, the more I believe Roush has a case.

A gentleman came in the other day and wanted to know what the racing situation was in Yuma.

I answered him in three words: There ain’t none.

OK, it wasn’t grammatically correct, but he got the gist, and you do too.

Actually, he didn’t get it right away. He just couldn’t believe that Yuma Speedway, except for some sand drag events, was still sitting there idle, even after being purchased by the Cocopah Indian Tribe three or four years ago.

He said he’d been to some races there, prior to 2000, when the track was locked up and eventually sold, and agreed with what I’ve been saying all along, that it is without a doubt, the best dirt track racing facility in this corner of the country.

That last statement will no doubt raise the hair on the neck of a friend of mine, who has been to United Sports Arizona Race Park in Tucson and believes that facility is better than Yuma Speedway. We’ve had this debate before, and I’ve been to the Tucson track too, and while I’ll admit it is very nice, I still believe the Yuma track is better.

Anyway, the gentleman who stopped in wondered why nothing had been done at Yuma Speedway, why the tribe hadn’t made something happen, all to which I said we’ve all been wondering the same thing.

What’s so frustrating, from where I sit, is that when the tribe first purchased the track, a group of local racers got together and formed a committee and approached the tribe about getting the track open — the circle track portion down below, because there were already sand drags planned for the upstairs portion. There were, oh three or four meetings, and the tribe seemed to be genuinely interested, and then the rumors started flying — like the tribe was going to take out the existing wooden grandstand and replace it with state-of-the-art aluminum seating, and extend the seating all the way into Turn 1 — and then … there was nothing, not another word.

So, after a short while, a couple of drivers got together and formulated a new game plan, and got as far as being granted a meeting with some tribal officials, and came away with smiles on their faces. But me being me, and having been down this road umpteen times, told them that in reality they had come away from the table with nothing. There were no firm dates, nothing.

And, not wanting to say I told you so, here we are, still with nothing, still waiting.

Then, the gentleman asked about the racing in over in Imperial, at Imperial Valley Speedway at the IVExpo (formerly known as the Imperial Valley Fairgrounds). And to his relief, I told him that the Southwest Racing Association was still in operation and is in the midst of its 2007-2008 season. As a matter of fact, the next race date is April 12.

That information seemed to pacify the gentleman, who said thanks, and as he left the office, said he’d still much rather be watching races at Yuma Speedway.

Man oh man, I couldn’t agree with him more.

Hurray for the unification of the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series.

Too bad it’s taken nearly 30 years for the leaders of some of the world’s best open-wheel racing to finally put away their petty differences and come together as one.

Because in that 30 years, there has been so much damage done that I seriously doubt if this unification is going to be enough to save the sport.

I’m serious. The sport which once featured the legends many of us grew up reading about, like A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Johnny Rutherford, Lloyd Ruby, the Unser brothers, Al and Bobby, not to mention Parnelli Jones and Rick Mears, has changed its complexion so drastically, that I for one, and I’m sure millions like me, don’t give it a second thought anymore.

Look at this way. In 1969, I was such a fan of open-wheel racing, in particular the USAC champ cars, that I convinced my dad to take me to Phoenix to watch the Indianapolis 500, live, on closed circuit television at the old downtown Fox Theater. And it was great, watching Mario Andretti drive off with the win, and then watching car owner Andy Granatelli kiss Mario’s fire-singed face (he lost his primary car, a Lotus 4-wheel-drive in a fiery crash during practice that year) in victory lane.

At the time, I didn’t know much about NASCAR, or whatever it was called back then, and didn’t really care. Again, I’m being serious here. Hard to believe, I know, when we’re talking about someone who today will sit through a whole Daytona 500, or wait patiently for the rain to stop in Fontana.

Anyway, my point is, open-wheel IndyCar racing was king, but over the years, since Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) — wow, there’s a name from the past — broke away from USAC, and then the Indy Racing League (IRL) was created, it’s been downhill. The biggest negative, in my viewpoint, was the disassociation with the fans. And by that, I mean there are no longer any A.J. Foyts, or Mario Andrettis, or Bobby Unsers. Consider that the top 17 drivers in that 1969 Indy 500 were all Americans. In fact, 31 of the 33 drivers were Americans. In contrast, the drivers in the lineup today are so foreign, that you need an international pronunciation guide to figure out who is who.

I know, I know, nobody can stop foreign drivers from coming on board and making a name for themselves. But along with the name recognition, the fans also have lost product identification. By this, what I’m saying is with the unification of the two open-wheel powers, comes the sad realization that when all is said and done, and everyone is racing alongside everyone else before 2008 is over, every team, yes every team, will be using the same chassis and motor.

No, I’m not making this up. Everyone will be using a Dallara chassis, and a Honda motor. And there will be no exceptions. It’s like the IROC series has been reborn in open-wheel. And that’s so sad. Gone are the days when fans cheered for Ford, or Cosworth, or Chevrolet or Offenhauser; and no more Lola, Eagle, McLaren, Lotus or Wildcat.

Also gone are the days when drivers in the USAC series, the real open-wheel series, drove not only pavement cars, but won a national championship by also driving on the dirt, in sprint cars.

Yes, the bottom line is no matter what the suits do to bring open-wheel racing back, it’s gone, and it will never, ever be like it was in 1969.