Laguna Seca Lawsuit: Homeowners Perplexed as Iconic Race Track Materializes Overnight
Imagine the shock if, after moving into your home, you discover that a popular and world-renowned race track had materialized overnight in your general vicinity. The horror. You’d rightfully be confused, possibly even enraged at such a happening, and keen to pursue a lawsuit. Believe it or not, this is exactly the phenomenon that unfolded recently. Based on our deepest reporting capabilities, we can find no evidence that WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca ever existed before 2023.
As expected, this sudden and unexpected conjuring has local residents incensed, as the noise and traffic from the venue came out of nowhere and was a shock to those who had moved into the area over the preceding handful of years. Naturally, residents have banded together to get rid of this nuisance that definitely has not been in the same location since 1957. The group, the Highway 68 Coalition, filed suit against Monterey County, which operates the fledgling track, on December 12, 2023, seeking to curtail racing at the venue.
The lawsuit hopes to target the track by calling into question the track’s zoning laws and lack of explicit racing use being in the track’s permits. The County of Monterey owns the track and spent more than $18M renovating the track surface and installing a new bridge over the front straight in 2023. The track is credited with bringing in about a quarter of a billion in local revenue each year, but the Highway 68 Commission makes a good point, noting that they have, “suffered and will continue to suffer irreparable injury as a result of the continued violation of the Respondents’ zoning laws.”
When reached for comment*, the Highway 68 Coalition was shocked—outraged even—that its mobile phone plan included the possibility of incoming calls.
The appearance of said track, which is suddenly very popular and definitely hasn’t been a staple of the area for almost seven decades, has taken a massive toll on local residents. “I can’t believe it,” said an unnamed real estate agent who recently listed a property just a stone’s throw from the track. “This house sold for $2.5 million seven years ago, long before the race track was there. Today it’s listed for just $4.25 million, we’ll be lucky to sell it for $4.2M.”
It’s almost impossible to imagine such a tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with those unfortunate souls who, through no fault of their own, live just minutes away from the Monterey Car Week festivities.
*We didn’t really call them and don’t much care what those jabronis think.
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On the north end of Santa Maria, CA is/was (?) the Santa Maria Speedway, a small track that’s been there since 1964.
Also known as Stadium 805.
In 1988 I bought a house in Nipomo about 5 miles from the track.
I all the paper work I signed was a notice of acknowledging that the track was there.
From what I’ve found out that since then the track has undergone some changes and is now an entertainment venue beside racing.
I don’t know…maybe we *should* call them. But definitely not over the course of 50-60 evenings at about 930pm, and definitely not while blowing raspberries in our phones as loud as we possibly can. Definitely not.
Rasperries violate a number of local noise ordinances.
The vibrations carry.
In addition to which harassing phone calls are seriously illegal, unlike harassing lawsuits.
I worked at a water reclamation plant near a beach surrounded by high ground. People built residential communities on the hills then complained about the noise and lighting.j
Who wrote this. Someone who knows absolutely nothing about racing. Nicky Hayden won the MOTOGP championship there in 2006. All of this information is available publicly, yet they left it out because this article is one sided. The track was there before people started building houses around it yet complain about the noise. People suck!!!
The author is being satirical.
The writer stated “Based on our deepest reporting capabilities, we can find no record of WeatherTech atvLaguna Secca Raceway…”
Let Google help you out:
The founding date of the Laguna Seca Race Track:
NOVEMBER 9, 1957.
Weathertech makes those great floor mats in a huge amount of cars. It’s founder is a wonderful American Entreprenual success story.
I flew one of our corporate Jets into a nearby airport for the race. Inside it was the aging founder of one of Aviation’s great success stories. We were there to watch his son (Indy lights driver) and the legendary Mario Andretti race his final race there.
If the author and the homeowners are or were not aware of the racetrack when they bought, they surely did no due diligence.
That like buying a home near an airport and suing because of airplane noise.
BTW I still have the T shirt commemorating Mario Andretti’s final race at Luguna Seca. It’d from the early 90s.
The idiots bringing the suit should be countersued for substantial amounts. Bet there’s far more money and numbers of people on this side.
The article is satire. The author is well aware of Laguna Seca’s decades-long existence.
Yo’, hey Einstein…it’s what’s commonly known as ‘sarcasm’ or ‘satire’…you might want to look it up, before you fall for any more of it.
HPDE here we come. Definitely making a point to get to LS as soon as possible… As an east-coaster it was already a bucket list, now its moved up the priority list. *goes to garage to prep tow rig and starts scanning MSR for track days…
Don’t worry. John Porter (previous post) just informed us racing is “…all-day every-day…” at Laguna Seca. You can just hitch up and go.
I live in Tucson Arizona people move in next door to an AFB then bitch about jet aircraft
There’s a certain type out there, any they are breeding you and me out of existence.
This article is misleading. Laguna Seca has been in place and active since the 1950s. Long before any of the houses were built that these people now occupy. Not an accurate article that misrepresents the facts.
For Christ sake, it’s SARCASM. EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT LSR EXISTENCE.
God, next you may have to post an article explaining what satire was, as a community you would think Car enthusiast’s would be the smarter bunch, un buggering a carb is apparently easier than deducing something is satire
Best sarcastic reporting I’ve read in awhile 🤣
Wow if The Onion shows up next I’m gonna have to buy me a lottery ticket.
Well, it’s clear that Brandan couldn’t write for a serious news organization like The Onion. He doesn’t know how to gather factual information. 😛
Note to several commenters: Sajeev and I are sharing a wink-wink moment here. If you do not understand it, we are terribly sorry*
*We didn’t really are not sorry and don’t much care what you jabronis think. (with credit to Mr. Gillogly)
Furthermore, I am terribly sorry DUB6 needed to add a clarifying statement after such a delightful joke.
🤣🤣🤣
The article is absolutely worthy of inclusion in that fine publication, a favorite of mine since my time at Northwestern University in the early 90s.
Laguna Seca Raceway is World Famous, and has most definitely been in the same location as an Active Track for many decades!!
I do appreciate the humorous Sarcasm in the article 🙂
RIP Bridgehampton Raceway.
That track isn’t going anywhere while it bringing in a quarter billion dollars to the county unless maybe these people want to cover that with higher taxes
Might research how long the track has been there. Much longer than the homes. Really. Posting this shows the mentality of the writer.
I think I’m enjoying reading the comments almost as much as the article 😂
Right?
Absolutely!
And THAT posting shows…….
Overnight? I was going there to watch the races with my dad in the 70s. It was a great track then. No extra fee to walk through the pits and could park so close the track you could occasionally be hit with tire debri . Great place
Laguna Seca, as it was originally named, was built on the grounds of the Fort Ord US Marine base originally. And there were NO BEACH HOMES where the Marines practiced beach landings before liberating Japanese held islands during WWII. Sue the homeowners group and liberate the beach!
Let’s be clear – FT Ord was established by the Army, not the USMC, in 1917, and was used as a Basic Combat Training site for many years. It was actually established as Gigling Reservation, name changed to Camp Ord in 1933, FT Ord in 1941. The BRAC announced in 1991 resulted in the base’s mission being moved and the site being closed and repurposed.