[Brettski98]

First off, I am 19 years old and have been around racing since before I was born. I raced quarter midgets for over ten years, and I absolutely WILL NOT miss an Indy 500 or Bettenhausen 100. I know that makes me a unique individual among today's younger generation, but I have no regrets. I think there have been a lot of good valid concerns and complaints here in this post, and I'd like to add my two cents on the subject.
The basic theme of this is the future of racing, right? We all want our treasured sport to thrive and prosper. Rather than drone on about more of the same stuff that has already been posted, I want to say something NEW!
There has been a lot said about what promoters can do better. One thing that I think would help is more support for the lower classes, the support classes. I understand that the headliner, be it POWRi, USAC, whatever is the reason for the show. But tracks, along with racing itself, cannot live purely on the big names. Without the microsprints, lightning sprints, 305s, etc. the show could not go on. Not only are these folks bring more in the back gate, they truly are the pipeline for the future. These are the drivers that will be the Dave Darland's, the Jerry Coons Jr.'s of the years to come. If we don't take care of them, what is going to happen? Also ,the public like someone they can get behind. Johnny over here is a pipefitter by day, but a high wheeling racecar driver on the weekend. People like that are relatable. When there are drivers like that, there is more of a possibility that family, friends, co-workers, the like will want to come out and watch and support him/her. Even some might say, "Well hey! If they can do it, can I?" These are the classes that people can afford to drive. No bloke is gong to come off the street and sink 15k into a midget to start of and see what happens! If the promoters give the support classes a good track, and the drivers put on a good show, I think that does just as much if not more for the track and sport than a Big Series race once or twice a year at said track. You've got to get the non-racing public involved somehow, and I think that is a fairly decent start and not hard for promoters to do. Talk these drivers up! Give them the tools to put on a good show!
Today's racing world is much different than the racing world of fifteen years ago, let alone thirty, forty, and more. However, the basic fundamentals are still there. Still have to have a track to race on, a competitive class to invigorate fans, and drivers who put the whole experience together. With that, we have the tools to lay the groundwork for our future. There is much more to it than that, and there is a lot that needs to be done, but every building needs a good foundation.