So I came across a blog article on Facebook. Thought I would share and this seemed the proper place for it to be shared. Don't mean to resurrect a long dead thread but for you Kansas boys... it just doesn't get much worse than this.

To add a comment, the link for the article - http://www.autofaze.com/the-ruins-of...odyguard-bull/



NOVEMBER 13, 2013
The Ruins of KCIR and its Bodyguard Bull



That was what I was greeted with as I walked around the double locked gate to begin my walk from the road to the ruins of the Kansas City International Raceway. I later named him Bull as he proudly followed me up to the track for a grand tour.



The track was last used in the fall of 2011 and sold to Kansas city for 1.55 million to legitimately be turned into a park. As you can see, the only park here is the tattered remains of a local 1/4 mile drag strip and flaking up track. I will not focus on the political aspects of why KCIR was sold but it did turn thousands of Kansas City racers to other alternatives.



It is very strange seeing the KCIR ruins since I, like many others, had many fond memories. I can still smell that sweet burnt rubber smell as I rolled out of the burn out box and staged at the starting line. Peering over to the right, there was always a young boy clinging to the fence waiting to see the next battle of horsepower go down the track.



The light tree used to signal cars to depress the accelerator is long gone and just the electrical wires remain. Behind the starting line and the start of the staging lanes was the KCIR tower. A place with a witty announcer who tried to bring humor into a rather serious but fun automotive hobby. As a guy in my 20′s rolling up to that starting line was my escape. An escape from college, work, money and ect.



It was a great place to get your mind off of things while hanging out with fellow automotive enthusiasts who loved all aspects of racing. It was more than just a local drag strip for some, it was a community. A place that was always open when you wanted to stay out of trouble on a Friday night. While it is still open to the public, the feeling is not quite the same. It has been over 2 years since I had seen the track. It was very ironic that even though the track was in ruins I still made a friend, just like I had with each visit in the past. Bull the bodyguard happily escorted me back to my RX-7 in the long walk that was around 300 yards. While the track may be gone for Kansas City, the memories will remain!