Quote:
Originally Posted by SoIllSprinter
Quote from Petty in Autoweek, “I guess I’m looking at it from an old-time deal because we spent years and years and years trying to become a professional sport. Years and years to get away from that stigma (that racing wasn’t professional). But dirt-track racing is not professional, so we’re going backward.”
Thoughts?
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I think we are hearing from an old sage who has witnessed the rise (the stigma), the glory (Daytona & big money), and the fall (the greed & buy a ride) of a sport he loves, during his lifetime. Over time, all things evolve, including sports such as racing. The automobile is no longer status and a right of passage, but a phone (hand held computer) is. Our attention span is shrinking and NASCAR's 4+ hours of going in circles and IndyCar going 50 mph on city streets is pointless to most fans of competitive auto racing. The grassroots dirt is where WE began, stayed, and remain. The sanctioning bodies have ebbed and flowed, but the on track product has demanded our attention. The explosion that is FLO Racing is proof that real racing exists locally across this country and is marketable nationally if given the proper platform to disseminate its entertainment value. With 3 hours events, multiple action packed races (heats), a fair purse paying throughout the field of competitors, and content that personalizes the professional/amateur participants, we might be on the cusp of rising to the forefront of auto racing industry's attention. PS. (Tony knows...Two hour show, multi purpose chassis, multiple track styles and surfaces, and drivers that have earned the right to compete in the eyes of the audience.)