Speed Week 2014 thread?

[lsrjunkie]

I am saying, any time there is a big event in a small town that can happen. It doesn't always occur, but it is a possibility.

[lsrjunkie]

And my apologies to Steve for the thread jack. Let's get back to our regulary scheduled anticipation of next years Speed Week!

[Nortonist 592]

A boycott has to be one of the lesser ideas for SpeedWeek.   The hotels have a captive audience and stick it to them.  So what?  Do the hotels within 100 miles of Indy lower their prices around the 500 time?  Or any major or even minor race?   I brought my ancient RV to the Bend for four years.  Last year and this year I did the hotel bit.  The RV's mileage compared to my pick up was dramatic.  The difference covered about half the hotel bill.   The good Lord in his wisdom chose to put the salt in the middle of nowhere.  Blame Him.

[Sumner]

Wells is a 58 min drive to wendover. tooele is 1 hour 38 min drive to wendover. I never said that there would not be a trade off. I just thought it would be worth a try just once to see if it would make a difference. So are you saying that all the businesses in wendover raise there prices during speedweek.

Might work for  a spectator and I'm sure a participant has had to go that route, but if you have a car on the salt or are a crew member another 2 hrs of the day driving is not going to be very pleasant.  We are usually off the salt about 7 in the evening and out there at 7 in the morning and hopefully at 6 if we are lucky enough to be making a backup run.

Those hours for me at my advancing age just plain take a toll as it is and spending another couple hours driving each day just wouldn't get it.  I use to camp out every year, but being at the bend with the fireworks past midnight and all the other noise was just not getting it any more and now that I'm lucky enough to have Ruth wanting to go each year we will bite the bullet and pay the motels.

I'll have to agree with the others that any place that has an event that will fill the motels is going to take advantage of it.  Trying to get a couple thousand crew members (over 500 teams) and all of the spectators there to boycott is not going to happen and there will be many that will be happy you are doing it  ,

Sum

[joea]

racerfanwfo...please come to SW so you can see the greatest spectacle in motorsports...
and why folks have been going in droves, for many decades...regardless of the drive or airfare, or motel prices...


camping is free...koa is reasonable and fun...motel 6 is like $89 or so a night...red garter can be very cheap,
rooms come available ALL the time....the efficiency of the meet is so stellar folks are clearing town sooner than
ever...


you can spend as much or as little as you like for accomodations...food, drink etc......the ambiance is priceless and free at
the same time...

[Stan Back]

Any time there is groaning about SpeedWeek rooms, I think about Down Under.  What would they pay for good hotels 5 miles from the salt.

And the merchants in town don't take advantage of us, either, as far as I know.

But the hotel/casinos.  Yes.  But, in the old days, we drank and gambled and stayed up to the wee hours.  Now we come in late, mess up the floors, go to our rooms, take a shower and go to the buffets or taco stands.   And a lot of the rooms are taken by the "car show" guys who only stay a night or two, and don't get nicked as much as we do.

Show up on Monday, alleviate the problem.

[Buickguy3]

   If you are lucky enough to really get hooked with Salt Fever, you can do like we do. Go to Speed Week, World of Speed, and World Finals. Then you can do like any stock broker will tell you, use cost averaging. You pay $250 on weekends and $150 on weekdays at Speedweek, but all of the other meets you pay about $45 per nite. Average them out and it's actually less than any small town USA motel. Get the Fever and go to all of the events. Enjoy yourself and don't leave problems for your kids to fight over after you're gone. 
   Doug 

[desotoman]

This year I came on Sunday and my room at Montego Bay was 115 a night for a really nice room.

That is good to know Fred, thanks.

I stayed in Ely at the Motel 6 on Sunday night for $50. When I got to Wendover on Monday I went to the Red Garter first, they wanted $160, then I went next door to the Rainbow and they wanted $180, so I drove down to the Motel 6 where they told me $110, and I said I will take it.

Tom G.

[SPARKY]

We camp out until we get a decent rate some times on Sunday ---always by Tuesday
Most times Monday.  We camp on the north side usually by one of the brine pumps---nice white noise!!!

[PorkPie]

Following the last comments on this thread I start to think about....

high costs for hotel/motel stay, airfare, rental car, gas bill....

Am I mad, crazy or so bad addicted to the salt that I'm not thinking about all this (high) cost....I just start in January to pay the bills to be an all the meets and to enjoy my time with (lots) of friends at the salt

For what the heck we are living...to play coach potato in front of a TV.....the fun on the salt is priceless....and I do it so long my banker is giving me a credit line on my bank account....

[Buickguy3]

   Pork Pie,
  We get the cards paid off just in time to start over for next year. [The Grand Kids will get the photo album and tall tales]. 
    Doug 

[SPARKY]

Dodge I better start looking for a camera and recorder!!   

[PorkPie]

Doug,

you are right....somewhere in spring the credit line is paid back....and my banker is getting a big smile in the face when he opens a new one for me....he is back in business and I'm back on the salt.....

....and

Sparky....

Doug need no camera...I'm delivering the picture

   Pork Pie,
  We get the cards paid off just in time to start over for next year. [The Grand Kids will get the photo album and tall tales]. 
    Doug 

[Phil Bennett]

It's good to know I'm not the only one who lives like this.  Build up debt with big trips (Le Mans 24hr, Isle of Man TT, Speed Week) and pay them off by having a lean winter and spring.  With regard to hotel costs, it works out just as expensive to have a room as it does a big old RV which is what we do.

[TIIILSR]

We have not been to speed week yet, but world of speed 3 times. Wife thinks it would be way to HOT during SW, but it is still HOT at WOS. But not really, just very low humidity compared to what we are use to in the PNW. Less beer and MORE water for sure.  Like said before prices on rooms are relative, how much for a motor home or a converted U-haul to sleep in then put expenses of owning on top of that. (I am trying to justify things here my self for not at least getting a camper for the bed of my truck) Last time we used our tent was 2003 in Yerington NV at a desert race. Has been in a hotel from then on. BUT, we have a bucket we put our change in for "vacation" fund and that covers most of the static things like rooms and gas. We have various cooking devices to use for in room cooking to keep the cost down on food so we are not eating out 2 to 5 times a day. We figured to be about $6.00 each X3 = $36.00 a day for food eating while on "vacation".