RMR final event this weekend

WEST VALLEY CITY -- After this weekend's jet-car event, Rocky Mountain Raceways is calling it quits for the year. RMR officials say 2005 has more than met their expectations.

"Last year, we had about 250,000 people come to the track. This year we had between 250,000 and 260,000," said Doug Binstock, RMR general manager.

Binstock said attendance picked up significantly during the summer months to make up for the lack of ticket sales during the spring's colder temperatures. Binstock said he believes the quality of the drivers is what has race fans coming back.

"I have six drivers who can go anywhere in the country and win," he said. "When our guys go to Las Vegas or Denver or places like that -- they stomp them. They stomp really good drivers."

The activity in the manager's booth looks like organized chaos. During last Saturday's 75-lap race to mark the end of the oval season, someone is watching each of the 26 cars on the track. They monitor every bump, every push and every swerve made by the drivers.

At one part of the qualifying round, tempers flared between drivers Sam Harris Jr. and Carlton Ruesch. Track managers could ONLY watch while the two drivers traded bumps from their cars during yellow flags. The control booth tried to separate them before they caused a more serious crash. Eventually, Harris was booted from the track.

"I like the sprints and the modifieds," said race fan Austin Webb, explaining why he keeps coming back.

Webb also said the train races are a popular draw. A train consists of three cars chained together. The "engine" is in the front car, the brakes are in the back, and the middle car is there just to make things interesting. Then, as an added twist, the "trains" run on the figure-eight track.

"They"ll put nine sets out there and say "Go to it,' " said Webb. "It gets pretty wild."

For next year, track officials are confident they will have another good season. Plus, they show no concern about Larry H. Miller's new road-course track in Grantsville.

Public relations director Claire Isaaz says the new track will house an entirely different style of racing, and it should have no effect on RMR's ticket sales.

"We aren't worried," Isaaz said. "We'll still have our niche."

In fact, track officials say they have so many people requesting their facility, they have to turn some away.

Binstock said race-sanctioning bodies are constantly calling him to try to book their events.

"We're a clean facility," Binstock said. "The sanctioning bodies are all over us."

Rocky Mountain Raceway does have some big goals for next year: Track officials hope to secure a high-level, open-wheel race that could be televised nationally.

Before that happens, however, RMR officials plan to end this season with a bang. The "Night of Fire" event on Saturday features jet-cars reaching speeds of nearly 300 miles per hour with ground- shaking, deafening noise.

Training for volunteers

Miller Motorsports Park will be training volunteers for a variety of track jobs Saturday at Firefighters Museum, 2930 W. Highway 112 in Tooele. No experience is necessary. Registration is at 8 a.m. followed by in-class training in the morning. Then the group will move to fire training and other outdoor instruction.

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