Story Created:
Apr 8, 2009 at 6:16 PM PDT
Story Updated:
Apr 8, 2009 at 6:44 PM PDT
One look at Dwight Bennett's garage and you can tell how much he loves racing. There are two race cars waiting to be worked on, an engine about to be rebuilt, and tools and parts everywhere.
As a boy, one of Bennett's favorite places to go was Bakersfield Speedway.
But after he lost one of his legs, going to the Speedway became a problem, because Bennett claims there are not any handicap accessible port-a-potties in the pits. "I have to drive about a 1/4 to 3/8 of a mile to use the restroom, through a crowd of people, get security to let me in the gate to the main grandstand area," said Bennett. "The actual bathrooms are not handicap friendly; they're just a plain wooden building with small stalls."
So if Bennett needed a bathroom he'd either go home or, "Go find a handicap [friendly business] that will let me use the restroom."
But Bennett adds the hassle didn't end there, "Then to go back to the track and fight with them...to get back in. So it's just easy to not even go. I just stay home. I stay away."
Bennett has voiced his complaint to the Speedway for the last two years, but says nothing has changed. "Every time I get the same story, 'Well, we'll tell the owner.' Or, 'Next week.' Or, 'The guy who supplies our port-a-potties are out of them."
Eyewitness News went to the Speedway to see if there are any handicap accessible bathrooms. The main restrooms were locked up, but we could see the Speedway's pit area. There are port-a-potties located there, and non of them were the handicap accessible type.
Eyewitness News did try to reach out to the Speedway's owner, but he was not available for comment. But according to Speedway staff that we spoke with, they say they have rented the handicap port-a-potties in past, but they weren't used, so they haven't rented them again in the future.
Bennett disagrees, "They've never had handicapped facilities period, it's been going on 60 years. I think they should at least get one [port-a-potty]."
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the California Building Code a public facility, like Bakersfield Speedway, is required to have handicap accessible restroom.