# Sequoia Speedway - The First of a Legacy. (Part 1)



## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

I had a number of oval tracks going back to 1966 when I raced with my brother in Texas. Over the years there were a bunch of tracks built and torn down, and even for about 10 years I did no slot car racing at all. I got back into it in the late 1990's and had a few simple flat tracks but in the summer of 2004 I decided to break ground (so to speak) on what would be my first Legacy track, Sequoia Speedway. 








Sequoia was designed from the outset to be mobile, and it had to be not longer than 6' to fit in my SUV at the time. That meant it also could not be wider than 3'. Since this was about the size of most of the other short oval tracks in my area it wasn't an issue of size, but I wanted something "faster". I had contemplated making it a high banked 4 lane but the thought of drivers just going wide open all the time wasn't a solution, so instead Sequoia was to have an 8 degree banking. So lets get first into the design....








The original main grandstands and pit area had foam walled buildings, so the track was laid out offset on the base to accommodate their placement. A later renovation would replace all of the original buildings (more on that later). Once the track location was set the power to the track was all wired from the bottom of the pieces and run through the base, then the main straights were tacked into place. To get the banking on the turns they were first epoxied together while the track was still down, and then the complete curve sections were removed and taped down at the angle I wanted the banking to be. 








This amounted to between 8 and 10 degrees, just enough to lay down some fast laps but not enough to allow a wide open run. The turns were then heated and progressively bent with a hair dryer, allowing them to cool between sessions. This process took about 2 hours but the angle was eventually achieved. The turns where then reattached to the tacked down straights, braced from the bottom and epoxied to the braces. After drying I then placed a piece of 1/2" styrofoam insulation that had been cut to match the track profile over the infield and outside the track areas. Extra laminations of styofoam were used to bring the height of the foam to match the height of the outside of the banked turns, allowing all 4 lanes to be run at the same time. Expanding foam was also used to fill in any gaps between the insulation material and the track. 










http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b604/zero-point-zero/MVC-047S_zps59f0ac7d.jpg








I used a wire BBQ brush to shave down the foam in areas to match the height of the track and the expanding foam insulation was easy to cut with an X-acto knife. It even sanded down rather smooth.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

After all of the area outside the track was level and smooth I then used blue shop paper towels coated in white glue to cover all the foam areas. The pink area was actually a type of Spackle that dried white, that was painted black later in the build and acted as a berm for the 4th lane.








Originally the track was landscaped with model railroad grass but after having serious shedding issues the grass was removed and the grass areas just painted green. Also the use of "kitty litter" to represent gravel on the inside of the turns proved to be a problem and that was removed as well. Trees were added as was a track sign and those foam buildings were installed. 


























For the next year this is how the track looked and it saw a race every 2 weeks during the CCRA season. The track proved to be fast, was somewhat bumpy but the racing with vacuformed winged Magna-Traction cars was about the best you could get. 

In November of 2005 the track slid out of the back of a truck while being transported to a race, destroying all of the buildings and cracking the landscaping. Instead of scrapping the track I set out on a month long job of revamping Sequoia Speedway into a more modern and detailed track.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

*Revamping Sequoia.*

All new buildings were made from plastic, the new grandstands were the first to be completed and featured a roof mounted announcers area. Once completed it was then populated with HO figures and painted dark green. 

A pre-built refreshment stand was also located between the main grandstands and turn 4 bleachers. A bathroom block was added and more figures were added for realism. For even more added realism the line to the ladies room was made longer than that for the men's room. On the other end of the main grandstand a pit gate was made. The track got all new fencing all the way round the outside of the track. 

The track was later updated to have emergency vehicles, a pit area medical clinic, a drunken brawl in the pits with responding cops and a line of Sequoia "Christmas" trees down the back stretch. 



















http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b604/zero-point-zero/DSC00010_zps0475999b.jpg




























Sequoia operated a couple more years until all of the frequent moving started to make the track warp. It's last race was in October of 2008, the track was dismantled and the buildings, vehicles and spectators were built into a new track at a friends house. That track saw it's last race in 2011, where the remnants of Sequoia wound up after that is anyone's guess.​


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

That is really amazing work man. I love it when guys put the effort into an oval track and it shows on yours. :thumbsup:

So hey...now is Sequioia Speedway modelled after a real place?

Trev


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## RiderZ (Feb 19, 2007)

Been a long time Pete.Lookin'good.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Shadowracer said:


> That is really amazing work man. I love it when guys put the effort into an oval track and it shows on yours. :thumbsup:
> 
> So hey...now is Sequioia Speedway modelled after a real place?
> 
> Trev



Sort of a combination of a couple of tracks. Hanford, Tulare dirt tracks and a track back near San Antonio, Texas I grew up around. For a long time every track I built was named Pan American Speedway. About 8 years ago though I got on Google Earth and noticed that the only thing left of Pan Am was an outline and a little asphalt peaking out of the trees. 










...even less is left of it now, a commercial development built over the old parking lot, I haven't looked in over a year but it's more than likely gone now. The track built after Sequoia was Three Palms and it was more like the old Pan Am was with it's pit area and style of grandstands...Three Palms was a very fast track despite having short straights, you could really hang it out on the 18" corners.


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

So , tell us , when are you coming back ?

Gonzo


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## Rick Voegelin (Oct 27, 2006)

This is a great history -- even though the track is gone, you still have the photos and the memories, thank you for sharing with us. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to bank flat plastic curves, but you have proven me wrong <g>. I've been thinking about building a portable oval on a hollow core door, and seeing your tracks has given me the motivation to get started.

Thanks!
Rick V.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

gonegonzo said:


> So , tell us , when are you coming back ?
> 
> Gonzo


LOL, can't make a come back when there's no racing left. 3 years ago or so I gave away probably 2 dozen early NASCAR T-jets that had about $50 in each car, there was just nobody left here to race them. I built the track, all of the cars, even write a basic computer program and all of the 1/32nd scale guys thumbed their collective noses at it. The last track I had was....the last track, period. I'd love to do drag racing, it hardly takes up any room, there's some great resin bodies and decals available, but there is just nobody racing HO in my area.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I'm sure you've thought about places where you could find potential racers...Here's a couple off the wall ideas where you might find some potential racers you might not have thought of...

Is there a hobby shop around town, preferably one that sells HO slots? If so, I'd talk to the owners and see if they'll let you post a want ad at the registers.. If they sell them, unless you're the one buying all of them, there is someone local. It's just a matter of meeting up.

Another option (my favorite idea, and I wish the closest VA was a lot closer) would be to talk to the local VA (hopefully it's much closer than ours is). I'm sure you can find guys who would love to do something slot related, be it drags or roundy round... The VA might even allow some space to set up, and even pay to supply some of the materials if it catches on. Anything that takes their mind off of the issues the vets are dealing with is usually accepted, and this exposure should net you a bunch, and of all adult ages. Granted most won't be local, and they'll come and go but I'm willing to bet that track would get used a lot by them, and you could handle arrangements for impromptu races. Odds are you'll find some of the vets live close enough to support local home races, and it would be a good way to get more slotters active.

Another possibility is check with retirement homes in the area, remember, we're all getting older, and the ones who were setting up those brandy new T Jet and vibe tracks for their little ones under the Christmas trees are surely at that age. Again, they might even help set you up with space to put a small table and might help out with public accessories. The catch with this and the VA is you have to "sell" the concept to the big wigs. But think about it... How many dads played with those vibes and T Jets...ahem... just to "make sure everything works".  

I'm sure you've tried a bunch of ways to find racers.. I hope you can find a good group to play with again, or at least find a way to get active again. Hopefully one of these ideas helps. 

By the way, your scratch building skills are awesome Pete (like the grand stands) and were inspirational to see! I'd love to see you at it again!!


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## Sumopig (Oct 28, 2015)

Just browsing and came across your track. I like the work you put in. Tell me what did you use for paint? Sumopig


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