Quote:
Originally Posted by ThrowbackRacingTeam
Gonna be tough if not impossible for this event to succeed. It’s just too far away from its car and fan base. I was shocked when I saw this race announced. Hopefully the guy didn’t loose too much money.
|
I don't disagree that the current fan base and cars are far from South Dakota. But back to Jonr's comment about the Chili Bowl initially losing money, realize that in 1987, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and for that matter anywhere between the Mississippi River and the west coast (save the RMMRA) could be construed as "midget country". The old Southwest Invitational Midget Series (SWIMS) would roll through once a year in mid-80's and race the fair, but other than that, there hadn't been ANY midgets in that area since the 50's. Now open wheel fans, we were thick with them. But I recall asking a college buddy who was CONSUMED by the World of Outlaws if he was going to the SWIMS show at the Fairgrounds (Oklahoma City) and he said "He!! no, why would I want to listen to a bunch of Volkswagens buzz around all night?" But through perseverance and PROMOTING, the Chili Bowl is now the iconic, must see event that it is. And accordingly, 1/3rd of the drivers in Tulsa, come January, will be from Oklahoma.
Midget racing, because of the Chili Bowl and POWRi (and now USAC) has a fan base in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Kansas.
Nothing says that wingless sprint cars can't catch on outside of Indiana. But you've got to be willing to let it happen. These things take time and commitment. And you've got to get really lucky...