Yes, the Navy said motorsports was the best fit for the property after another Grumman.  Right now the property is in limbo because of another worthless study on what to do with the land. Motorsports would save thousands of jobs on the island and create quite a few. There are hundreds of businesses and thousands of people that would benefit from this.  The politicians that run Riverhead have been pushing the motorsports community away for years and going with such nonsense as a ski mountain from a foriegn business with no money and terrorists connections. The motorsports community is based on the island and employs people from the island.

11/17/2011 10:06 PM | 21 Votes

There already is! Decommissioned runway 5/23 would make a perfect temporary drag strip. No shovels in the ground, just collect $ at the gate and when the property is sold, that's it. Seems so simple.

11/21/2011 9:43 AM | 16 Votes

Seems so simple,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,it should be commom sence,but that does not seem to fly in RHT.They had the proposal,Nascar oval,equstrian center,1/4 mile dradstrip and an ATV/motocross area.It was  1 BILLION dollar project that would have been pumped into Riverhead Town on top of the ORIGINAL sale price,not the renegotiation that went back & fourth for a ski mountain that had NO FUNDING!!!   For now,rent the runways or issue permits for associations to rent parts of the property for IMMEDIATE INCOME to RHT.Guess that just makes too much sence!

11/22/2011 9:01 PM | 15 Votes

What's in it for the Town of Riverhead to allow an interim/temporary drag strip at EPCAL?1.  Will the town receive INTERIM REVENUE?  2.  Is there a group that has triple A references and is willing to invest their monies into this project?     See     www.motorsportsmg.com  (Motorsports Management Group) Click on Good Morning America     and Travel Channel stories3.  Will the residents of Riverhead and surrounding communities enjoy wholesome family entertainment?4.  Will local businesses (gas stations, restaurants, auto supply stores, tire shops, hotels,     grocery stores     etc) benefit from this activity?5.  Will the community be able to see first hand the types of generations of families that are hard     working, contributory people that are passionate about the sport of legal drag racing and car     enthusiasts?6.  Will this activity provide a venue for the National  Not for Profit Beat the Heat organization     (comprising of off-duty Police Officers ) that brings the positive message of staying in school and     about the horrors of drugs, DUI and illegal street racing. The answer to all of the above is a resounding YES!Will the drag strip noise  have a negative impact on the National Cemetery?  We believe the answer is NO, however, there are others that think the answer is yes.  Until such time that this question is answered there will never be an interim, temporary drag strip at EPCAL.  Let's do the sound test NOW to answer the question.  And Let's get the drag strip done!

11/26/2011 1:25 PM | 10 Votes

My Mother & Father are both in Calverton National Cemetary.They would be very pleased to have a motor sports complex at the old Grummun facility.

11/29/2011 10:15 AM | 7 Votes

measured out the main area within the strips and thier is enouph space in the middle to fit a 1/2 paved oval like bristol and room for a dirt track like eldora plus plenty of space for a full road course in the lower right corner with out disturbing any of the outter areas of undisturbed grass and trees the dirt track can be converted to suit any eent from outlwas to monster trucks and arina cross and the middle of the paved track could be used for music venues with the use of a portible stage and moduliar portable grand stands

12/02/2011 7:09 PM | 7 Votes

The answer is YES! At what point do the folks that pull the purse strings realize that a major opportunity is being thrown aside in favor of ridiculous ideas that make no sense. A motorsports facility that includes drag racing will help Suffolk County in ways that, up till now, far exceeds what local politicians can comprenhend. Businesses of all types flock to where these tracks operate. The byproduct is job creation. Existing businesses like resturants, hotels, gas stations all benefit with racers attending scheduled events. I know because I continuously travel outside the state to events.Young drivers with the urge to race will have a safe place to compete. As a Long Island Manufacturer of performance parts, I am more than willin to form an alliance with other local businesses and law enforcement to promote a new "Take it To The Track" program geared to take kids off the streets. I also have the ability to petition local law enforcement to bring "Beat The Heat" to Suffolk County. The sky is the limit but it takes some open mindedness and vision to see this thru.Nick FilippidesAmerican Racing Headers

12/07/2011 1:12 PM | 8 Votes

IS ANYBODY LISTENING?????????????????????????????????????????

12/07/2011 8:52 PM | 6 Votes

There will never be a dragstrip at EPCAL as long as the town of riverhead deals with a marketing firm that does not know the difference between NASCAR type oval racing and drag racing. Mr. Craig Seymore of the marketing firm RKG reported that a NASCAR type race track would fail because of traffic restraints. He is right. He also said that a second track would compete with Riverhead Raceway and one of them would fail. Once again he is right but only if the second track is an oval. There was never any mention of a dragstrip in his report. Now here is the problem. Did he do his homework? The answer is apparently no. Did he not see a poll in this very paper thar over 80% of the people would like to see a dragstrip at EPCAL. Not another oval but a dragstrip! A simple phone call to Pete Scalzo of Motorsports Management Group who for the past two years has been at the forefront to bring a dragstrip to EPCAL would have educated Mr. Seymore to the merits of a dragstrip and the difference between oval racing and drag racing. Lets get a message to Mr. Seymore to visit the website motorsportsmg,com to learn about drag racing. I think he will come away saying "you know that just might work". Call me Mr. Seymore. Would love to speak with you. Pete 954 224 4311.

12/09/2011 4:38 PM | 7 Votes

Allow me to clarify mt statement.I am a drag racer/muscle car enthusiast.I am NOT into nascar,but we are talking about creating  a motorsports park that would put RHT ON THE MAP as a place to visit.There is plenty of land there to pull of a feat of this magnatude.It's inconcievable the amout of MONEY that would be spent in Calverton with a venue of this magnatude.All I personally would like to see is a drag strip,but I must look at the BIG picture as to what would bring in the most revenue for RIVERHEADTOWN.

12/09/2011 10:58 PM | 7 Votes

Your point is well taken but the question was "should there be a drag strip at EPCAL"

12/10/2011 9:42 AM | 6 Votes