Salinas Speedway, a Day at the Races

I’ve been wanting to cover this venue, ever since we drove by it, 2 years ago.

Racing and showing off your car is very popular here in Puerto Rico.

I’ve spoken before about the interest in big bikes and jeeps.

Well, little ‘souped-up’ imports are also very popular.

Auto parts stores and tire shops do a brisk business.

On to Salinas-

It’s a straight shot out of San Juan via Highway 52. There is an off ramp to Highway 1 for Salinas, after that, turn east on Highway 3. A huge sign marks the entrance to the Salinas International Speedway.

I should say up front, I’m not a ‘motor-head’, never was, but I do get the attraction.

Some of these rides were absolutely beautiful!

This was another Photo MeetUp, though it was on our side of the island.

NICE!

Tickets were a whopping $15 per person to get in.

Parking was open. At that price, I did not expect the place to get crowded, but it did. When we left at about 6PM, there were a couple thousand people milling around and the parking was full.

Though the gates opened at noon, the races did not start until 4PM. Not knowing what the deal was, we got there a little after 1PM. 3PM would have been just right. The entrance gate will start to back up, so plan accordingly.

The weather for the day was hot and dusty.. nor was there a lot of shade. On the plus side, since the coast is nearby, we did have a nice breeze almost the whole time.

I’m glad we had the good sense to load up our little cooler.

Coolers and folding chairs were common, up until the races started. Then folks moved to the covered bleachers.

There were a bunch of import cars on display. All were personal rides. There were a few ‘stand-outs’ and I got shots of those. I also shot some of the crowd.

Now I know why almost every guy here is a mechanic or knows one.

I’m a little surprised, none of the car dealers were there to show off their new stuff. A missed opportunity as far as I’m concerned… this is the ‘target profile’ for potential buyers. There were a few parts suppliers showing off their stuff, but that was it.

Food and drink vendors of all types were set up behind the stands.

About 3PM, I stopped and got a giant chicken Pincho with Tostones on it. It set me back $3.50. I think the Tostones were of the frozen variety.. they were a little hard.

The price seemed normal for this kind of event. Beer was available and cotton candy too.

Music was blaring out from all sides… it was very festive.

While working from the top of a set of open bleachers, I turned to see a guy holding his ‘pet’ snake. No kidding! He let me take his picture. That was a first for me.