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Shifting Gears: A look back at Mesa Marin
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Posted by nwv_admin Fri Jul 1, 2005 11:02:00 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Shifting Gears: A look back at Mesa Marin

Mesa Marin, the West's Fastest Half-Mile, will close Oct. 15. That's bad news to most people. The track has been a staple of Saturday evening entertainment in the Bakersfield area since 1977. But rather than question owner Marion Collins about his decision -- as nearly everyone has -- I'd rather discuss the history, the achievements, the racers and the racing at Mesa Marin, and, most importantly, the future of the sport in the Bakersfield area.

In the late 1960s, after several seasons of racing a stock car at the then-asphalt track at Bakersfield Speedway, Collins had the dream to bring big-time NASCAR racing to Bakersfield. To do this, he had to build the racetrack itself, make the necessary financial connections, acquire the permits and have it all approved through the city political apparatus to get the idea "off the ground."

The hardest part of those early days was getting commitment on paper from sponsors and drivers and approval from the political arm of NASCAR. People often overlook this huge obstacle that Collins had to negotiate. All of this had to be done on just a dream and a plan -- no track yet! Promises had to be made and kept, and palms might have had to of been "greased." All of this added up to serious financial risks and capital outlay for Collins. By 1977, the once-popular Bakersfield Speedway was no longer operating on an asphalt track. This left a void that Collins was going to fill.

Mesa Marin went racing in 1977. We all know the names: Jim Thirkettle, Roger and Rick Mears, Barry and Eddie Bradshaw, Gary Collins and Kevin Harvick. Some of these guys went on to bigger and better racing. And some got out of the game completely. Most of us remember fun-filled summer evenings watching and rooting for these guys. The track itself was a wide, high-banked, half-mile oval designed for high speed. Other comparable tracks are narrower and don't have the banking that Mesa Marin has. This was a huge draw for the hundreds of races over the years who came from all over the nation.

In the mid-1990s, Collins introduced the Craftsman truck-type racing at Mesa Marin. Today, every major track in the national has truck racing. It was a risk Collins was willing to take. Collins also started high school league racing.

Tracks come and go, but it seems like Bakersfield-area racetracks that leave always reemerge on the scene. Take Famoso Raceway. When the NHRA yanked its credential as an official NHRA tracks, the track morphed into one of the West's finest nostalgia drag racing tracks, with tens of thousands attending races in March and at other times throughout the year. The "March Meets" left their mark.

Take the Bakersfield Speedway. This track was one of the premier asphalt quarter-mile oval tracks in the West in the 1960s. It went dark for a while, but when Mesa Marin emerged it morphed into a wildly popular dirt oval that now has stars and a legacy of its own.

Will the Mesa Marin experience lead to a larger, more prestigious facility in the future here in Kern County? If Bakersfield racetrack history holds true for Mesa Marin, it won't be long until we're racing again.

I imagine there are exploratory committees forming right now and will soon be meeting over lunch at local restaurants to discuss the possibilities. Hint to these folks: there is a lot of vacant land near Buttonwillow right on the I-5 corridor. So don't lose heart, race fans, history in on your side!

Until next time, drive safe, have fun and happy motoring.

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