Bracket Racing TEXAS Style
Hmmmm....I checked a couple days ago and it was like that too. I would imagine that there are a few possibilities:
A) The server is down (but would it really be down for more than a day?)
B) The hosting has not been paid, which would not surprise me from what I've been hearing lately.
C) The place has a new owner or the Duffield's have taken it back, and the domain is being propogated to a different server. At least that's what I've been praying is the case. 
Mitch
Lets hope that's not true. Nothing like getting a check bounced from a day at the races. Had some friends that are still hot about bogus checks they got at the AHRA World Finals back in the 80's!
While I don't know what is going on at the track, I can say that I had a very enlightening conversation today.
I just hope what ever the problems are, they get solved!
Well, you don't have to sell me on Linda, I know the deal all too well. But rather than get more stuff started, I seem to be good at that, let me just say I had an interesting conversation off line.
It is a shame that Linda couldn't get things right. That track is such a neat place. Hopefully, things will work themselves out. Too many great memories there.
But, there is no way anyone should have to worry about a check from a promoter. That crap went out decades ago! Although, the first time I went to Seven Points I was scared of the check, but that's a totally different story! ( Turns out, that was a really cool place!)
Don't know about the check amounts, but there may be an actionable offense here. I would have your friends call the Bell County DA. He "loves" hot check writers!
Oh man, I'm probably starting something now!
Anyway.......I am just sorry that there are problems there. Thanks for the info Nova Man!
Tim, I think these things will work out. Like I said, I have had a very enlightning conversation after I started this thread.
I grew up in Temple and spent a hell of a lot of time there. So it really pains me to see this happen. Clifford did a good job there. You may not know the story but his dad, who opened the track in 1958, had an accident at the track when Clifford was pretty young. Although he was born to run that place, he was thrust into the position. He had a few misteps, but he learned fast and did well. I miss him, but I am glad he ain't here to see this mess.
I just hope that if things do work out, people don't let the old girl die. Every name racer from Texas has raced there. My guess is, if the conversation I had is any indication of things to come, the track will still have some life in it.
You are right about big names runnin there. Anyone remember a certain blue Road Runner with a young guy driving?? Or a I believe Red Nova with another young guy driving it and I believe a roadster as well?? 
Also anyone remember trhe 57 Chevy wagon that would pull like 4 foot wheelies and ran STRONG!! You could advertise on the bottom of this car!! 
Tim, you're bringing back many memories. I've been going there since 1970. And have actually worked there off and on since '74 or'75!
Don't know which wheelstanding wagon you are talking about, but Ed Marrow's Nomad used to run Modified Production, remember those, out of Cameron. It would drag the bumpers.
The short list though is Lee Shephard (Reher-Morrison), Dick Marris, Kenny Counts (Counts and Weakley), Edmond and Scotty Richardson and many many, more.
As for match racers, everyone from Don Garlits to Mike Burkart, Dale Emery, Gene Snow, and a bunch more!
We ran motorcycles and won the '84 point chase. (the first one)Temple is an incredible place. I haven't been there in almost 2 years. But I understand Linda made some improvements to the racing surface. Probably cost a fair amount of $$$$.
All I know is the track will turn 50 in 2008. I hope it can see that birthday and many more. It needs a pretty good amount of hard work to make it compare with the new tracks that have been built. But the track is pretty central to the whole state. I think there is still a good story to tell. I just wish I could tell it!
I really appreciate everyone who is responding to this thread. It has brought back an incredible amount of great memories!
Gary
Wow, I'm trying to figure out who you and your brother are. Unfortunately, I know a lot of people by sight, but not always by name. If you remember, there used to be a bunch of bikes. We always pitted on the river side and didn't have much contact with the car guys.
I remember, maybe the late '80s, Scotty used to bring two cars and win in both classes quite frequently, especially on two day meets! He was quite good with the Road Runner!!
What a time!
We still have the car we ran at Temple but we built a chassis for it. When we were coming to Temple regular it was a small tire car. It was white with a lot of contingency stickers on it with Gideon Family Racing in big red letters on rear quarters. It ran 11.40 and 50s in our Texas heat. We used to come out with Lyndon Rutland and several others from North side of town. We've had the MOST fuin that we ever had at Temple. Ask Lyndon about Mrs. Gideon's fried chicken and he still smiles about that one weekend. Made a LOT of friends that day at the track. Absolutely LOVE that old chunk of highway that was turned into a track. The pecan trees made for a great pit space also.
Yeah and we also slept on trailer on some of those multiple day races. My son liked it got to go racing and camping at same time. These were some of the 2 things he liked most at that age.
I remember you guys now. It's cool you know the trivia! The track was Highway 95!
Those two day meets were fun when Jerry was still alive. Everybody would show up friday night and would party till sunday. The track didn't have lights then. It would get so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Man o man what a deal! I don't think there was ever a better time to be had.
The River was a great place! 
Bear with me its not really a racing story but one of the funniest stories of Temple I can remember.
My wife, my brother, my son who was probably 4 and I were in my truck heading to Temple with car in tow. My parents were behind us with a friend of ours Mike with his car and family in his truck and 2 other cars behind him. We were in the lead because we had been there before and knew the way. On one of those many MANY hills on 36 a undescribable smell overwhelmed us in the truck. It got so bad I had to stop to air the cab out and along with us EVERYONE else in the caravan. All the men got out of their vehicles to see what was wrong. My wife immediately blamed my brother on the smell and he said it wasnt him HONEST. It turns out it wasnt him it was my 4 year old SON!! Poor boy was stuck strapped in the cab with the smell this whole time. We all stood on the side of the road and just laughed ourselves silly. Lyndon Rutland drove by us while we were there. We still laugh about that trip to Temple. Man the good ole days. My son is now 22 and the father of my beautiful granddaughter and still gets embarrased by this story.
Another story from Temple. Our car was footbrake car and we raced with Lyndon Rutland and his family. We'd travel to races together and help each other if needed. Well one trip to Temple was the beginning of delay box racing for Lyndon. He bought one of the old Meziere delay boxes and put it in his car and was convinced he'd win everything. Well we got unloaded and went up for first time trial and Lyndon went before us. He ran then we did and when we got back to pits he was bragging on his .515 light because of his delay box. Well my brother wips out his timeslip and shows he had a .512 light with NO help. Well Lyndon takes some numbers out of the box and goes to take another hit and cuts a .510 this time, well brother goes makes his hit and comes back smiling. Lyndon asks what he's smiling about and he shows his .506 light. Well Lyndon takes more out of box and tries his 3rd and last time trial and goes .505 this time. My brother says that ones gonna be tough to beat but says he'll try and comes back with .500 ticket only to aggrevate Lyndon and make me laugh. We proved if you try hard enough that you DONT have to have a delay box to be competitive or at least back then. Im affraid that electronics have come a LONG way since then. This was one weekend to remember though. HAD FUN and did good.
That's too funny! I loved it when we could finally get reaction times. I remember when they put the unit in at Temple. It was a TSI deal that was wired into the existing timing system. At the time there wasn't a delay box for bikes or any reaction time trainers. I used to go down on Saturday mornings and Clifford would run the clocks and I'd do 60 footers just to get a reaction time. We'd do it until the clutch got too hot.
Clifford would mess me. Never knew if I was gonna get a .5 tree or .4 pro tree or an instant green! Sure helped with the reactions though!
I guess I'll tell another good one! This one involves the concrete barrier that protects the tree. All of us old guys will remember that there used to not be one there and the tree got hit more than once. You may also remember that the trees used to have five amber bulbs instead of three. Temple's tree was fairly tall.
Anyway, this was late '70s. I was racing my Honda against a guy on a slower Yamaha. Now I'm pretty much blind in my right eye and I was in the left lane. I never paid attention to the other guy. I always tried to just run my deal. Anyway.....I didn't see the guy red light, or his BACK tire hit the top of the TREE! (he got ****** and hit the throttle and of course had no wheelie bars!) Well, all I saw was my light and I nailed it. I just caught glimpse of the action and nailed the brakes. The tree landed on my front tire! I sure wish I could have seen that from the stands! After I got my wits back, I went a couple more rounds.
Jerry had the barrier constructed by the next weekend! Still have a picture of Wille Joe somewhere with what was left of the tree!
I know that there is some more people who raced Temple from the late 70s to late 90s like we did?? Give us some more stories.
I liked the track before the fence for fans was constructed. My brother usally drove and I tuned but one time I raced on Saturday and he ran on Sunday. This was my first time and couldnt get over looking at all the faces looking at me as they leaned over the guardrail!!! Funny to see race to them and they step back as you go by!!
