The Speedway at Hollywood Hills

As the sign says, the new slogan for the Hollywood Hills Speedway is, “The track is back.”  This quality facility has been shuttered for the past year or two but is open for business in 2007.

The track is tied in with the Casino Hollywood in San Felipe Pueblo, New Mexico.  I tried my hand at blackjack here.  I had more luck with the luncheon buffet table than my time at the blackjack table.

This campground sits between the casino and the racetrack.  I don’t think they are doing much business.  It takes nearly a four-wheel drive vehicle to navigate through the heavily graveled parking surface.

There were handicapped parking signs for as far as the eye could see.

People came to the races in all shapes and colors of vehicles.

Pretty fancy entrance to the track, isn’t it?

The races were scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.  It was 2 p.m. when I took this photo and the crowd was pretty skinny.  I guess the locals knew the races weren’t really beginning at 2 p.m. as several more folks showed up a bit later.

Do you think it cost some bucks to erect this grandstand?

This is the first of three panoramic photos of the facility.  This is the left third which includes turns 3 and 4 of the dirt oval and the entrance to the track.

The center photo shows the desert landscaping that dominates in New Mexico.

The third and final panoramic shot shows turns 1 and 2 of the track as well as the track’s pit area to the right.

The pit area is paved and flat.  As pit areas go, the setting doesn’t get much more beautiful than this.

Today’s headline class was the IMCA modifieds.

The huge grandstand had about 50 rows.  This view is from the very top row.

There were 18 mini-sprints starting the main event today.  Only five finished.

The IMCA modified feature was fun.  They started with this four abreast salute to the fans.

These cars always race hard on these smaller dirt tracks.

It’s always fun too see the power of the engine pushing back on the right rear, so the left front tire comes off the ground.  It’s difficult to photograph this, but I’m always pleased when I get a good shot like this one.