Wait a minute, good news?

I was amazed today to get The Record and actually see some good local news grace the front page. The Stockton 99 Speedway is coming back.

I'm no gearhead and I have never actually attended a race at the Speedway, but this can only bring good things. All too much over the past couple years we've seen Stockton landmarks fall by the wayside for new developments. Whether it's tearing down the corpse of Golfland to build another fucking Walgreens (as if we needed one), shuttering Pollardville for a shopping center when the Raley's shopping center had just opened the previous winter (not to mention Morada already had a failed shopping center across the fucking street from Pollardville that ended up getting turned into a private school), the shutting down of Hammer Skate, rendering Billy Hebert Field completly useless in favor of downtown revitalization, the closing down (and tearing down) of personal favorite the Ye Olde Hoosier Inn to make way for a KFC, or the infamous selling of the Stockton 99 Speedway to make room for even more housing developments. God damn, that list is even more depressing when typed out.

When I first heard about the Speedway closing to make way for a housing development, my first thought was probably the same as yours. "Who the fuck would want to live over there?" Well the answer, it looks like, is noone. The company that bought the land rights decided that maybe Stockton has enough new housing developments. (I guess Fitzy's the only one who thinks we need more)

So who's responsible for the first victory in the city's assault on landmarks they didn't create themselves? Former Speedway racer and Ron Jeremy doppelganger Tony Noceti and his wife Carol (Although to be fair, all fat guys with mustaches look like Ron Jeremy to us). They plan on refurbishing the torn up track and grandstand and hope to have it open by spring of next year. In addition to getting the track's NASCAR sanction back, the Noceti's would also like to host swap meets and concerts at the track.

One can only hope this is the beginning of a trend where we actually start to reclaim our landmarks (and titles maybe?) back. It may be Pixie Woods' only hope.