MEGA ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE NEW CREW

Construction crews have been working feverishly since the day the Classic concluded on one of the most ambitious undertakings in track history. Never known to be bashful when it comes to making track improvements, the New Crew really pushed the envelope on this one, making one of the biggest capital improvements since the track first opened in 1968. That’s a pretty tall statement, especially when you consider all the improvements the raceway has welcomed in recent seasons.

Committed to further enhancing the racer experience, the New Crew put together a formidable action plan to provide expanded asphalt race car pit parking for nearly every racer who attends an event at Firebird. Yes, you read it correct—in excess of 600 plus paved pit parking spots for race cars!

All together, this nearly doubles the number of paved pit spaces in Firebird’s expansive pit area.

“This is a investment in the future of Firebird and the racers who continue supporting our facility year-in and year-out,” exclaimed New Crew patriarch Bill New. “Guess you could call it a combination of the ultimate 40th birthday and Christmas gift to the grand ole gal. Heck, it’s not every year you achieve a milestone of this magnitude!”

Diamond Contractors, namely Jeff Arant and his crew went to work following the conclusion of Classic XIV. They spent the end of October and the majority of November, excavating and moving mountains of earth in the upper, central and valley pit areas. This work was followed by countless loads of pit run aggregate and 3/4 inch road mix as Idaho Sand & Gravel was commissioned to haul the material from the Gem County foothills just south of Emmett. As they say in the trade, this is ‘road building’. Or in our case, building a construction grade sub-base to help provide a structurally sound platform for the pavement to sit. No question it could have been significantly less expensive to just place the pavement right on the existing ground, but to ensure long life and strength, we committed to county road building standards.

Once all of this work was up to grade and complete, the team at Nampa Paving was contracted to complete the project. Well known for past work at the raceway, Nampa Paving is credited with much of the previous pit area grid ways and the racing surface itself, a relationship that came about nearly 15 years ago.

Not without an obstacle or two, Nampa Paving competed the first phase of the new blacktop shortly before mother nature decided to temporarily halt all construction. Rain, rain and more rain for the better part of a week (leading up to Thanksgiving weekend) put a hold on paving work. Fortunately enough, a weather window opened up on the Monday following Thanksgiving and crews went right to work finishing the challenging pre-winter project.

Several thousand feet of new black gold, as we like to call it, is now in place. As Boyd (pictured, right, with Nampa owner Mike and John New), the paving guru and foreman of Nampa Paving likes to say, “we turned it black.”

You might ask if we’re excited about the new enhancement? You’d better believe it! We’re totally jacked beyond belief. Imagine the next time you come to one of our events whether it’s the Ignitor-Lucas Oil Drag Race Series event in April, the Pepsi Nightfire in August, the Classic next October or whatever racing weekend might strike your fancy—your race car will be parked on a paved surface. Arrive early, arrive late, doesn’t make any difference—nearly everyone that races at Firebird in 2008 and beyond will get to enjoy blacktop from the upper to the valley pit areas and all points in between.

We just wish the raceway was opening back up in the next few weeks. To be quite honest, this is like a new kid for all of us. We’d just like to show it off. But since winter has all but arrived, we know it’ll all be there for everyone to enjoy next Spring when we officially open at the beginning of April.

With the Summit E.T. Finals coming back to Firebird for the first time in seven years, racers from throughout Division 6 will also get an opportunity to enjoy all the paved surfaces this year, too.

Guess you could say it’s nothing but good news brewing this winter from your good friends in western Idaho, more often than not simply recognized as the NEW CREW.