The problem isn’t that Pitt Race is closing, It’s how.

 

Listen, I get it. Race tracks close and none of us like it.

In fact, it seems like they close all of the time these days. This time just happens to be our home track here, Pittsburgh International Race Complex.

I am echoing the sentiment of many, many, people when I say how much this track has meant to all of us. The idea of seeing it going is almost unimaginable. The idea of there just not BEING a turn 5, 14, 16? I can’t process it. It’s only been one day since finding this information out, and confirming it.

So what the fuck happened? Why are we losing one of the best facilities in the country, in an area with tons of open land, when they just put so much money into new additions?

I’m not an insider, I’m not a reporter, but I can pretty reliably guess it can really be one thing.

Money. 

The prevailing rumor is that this area will be reclaimed for a data center, some AI nonsense that no matter what happens will never have a fraction of the impact this track did.

 In a time where everything feels like it’s slipping further and further away from human connection, this hits in a way thats almost too direct. We’re losing our racetrack. It’s done, and there is no coming back.

That’s maybe the thing that hurts the most, how unexpected this is. Many had no idea the last time out was truly your last time out. We aren’t getting a goodbye season, there is no reconciliation, nobody to fight, no township or angry neighbors. Just, gone.

That to me is one of the biggest atrocities about this entire thing, and frankly it only boils down to two people. The two owners who chose to sell. They are the only two people with the power to do this deal, and they did it.

Jim and Kathy Stout have always been kind to me, they are fellow racers as well and I’ve watched them put heart and soul into this facility. That’s why it’s so surprising they were willing to let all of this go. Money talks, though. It’s my opinion that either they don’t realize what Pitt Race meant to people, or just didn’t care enough. Either way, same result. I don’t hate the Stouts for this, but they are making the wrong choice, at least spiritually.

When you have ownership of a facility like Pitt, it’s easy to forget that frankly you’re building something bigger than (more) millions in your bank account, You’ve helped build a community that is bigger than you. It isn’t that it’s under new ownership to be clear; that they’re ripping one of the most beautiful places in this country out of the earth presumably for something we hate. 

The internal combustion engine itself is coming to an end, the economy sucks, racing as a whole has been a higher and higher barrier for entry. Now, we deal with this too.

Since finding out, my mind is bouncing between a thousand different trickle down effects of this. The employees over the years I’ve befriended, so many have bought into this place because they believe in it.

 The karting leagues for kids, drivers school, Track Night in America, Moto America, SCCA, NASA, Gridlife,  all of that accessibility and camaraderie is gone.

That’s it. That’s the email. One whole paragraph that boils down to basically “Deuces.”

The value of that check, for two people, was worth more than all of this. Worth more than all of the employees, all the sleepless nights to make it to the track, all of your friends who have lost their cars, bikes, or even lives at this place. All without a single goodbye and no way to visit.. The track is simply going to be gone, Forever. Don’t forget, that dotted line was signed by two fellow racers.

In this case money reigns supreme, no matter how much you already have.

This is a direct metaphor for how the current times feel, and I dont think i’m just yelling at clouds here.  Those with the power and money will do whatever they want, you will have no say and you have no fight, now carry on.

Hold on to your memories and what you’ve gained at this track, nobody can take that from any of us. We are a community of passionate individuals that always find a way. We will find other ways again.

I loved this place, love it still. I am just one disgruntled racing driver who’s venting on a blog. The only solace I take is maybe The Stouts will one day realize and have to sit with just what exactly they threw away. There is no amount of money that can reconcile that.