Jacksonville POWRi Foreign/Traveling Fans

kdobson · 5/29/17, 6:50 PM

It's that time of year when we look forward to our contingent of POWRi Speed Week visitors at Jacksonville. If you are a part of an Aussie/Kiwi or other overseas visiting group, please shoot me a text or give me a call early this week so we can work to make your visit go smooth as far as camping, hotels, directions, activities or seating goes. If you'd like to sit together in a section, if your group is big enough we'd be happy to accommodate. The same goes for US visitors that aren't familiar with our facility.

We have a new bar area under our grandstands for some great post-race bench racing. If you have a request for a particular brand of beverage that your group would prefer during the races or after, the beer order gets placed on Wednesday so let us know. Coolers are not allowed at Jacksonville.

Grandstand admission will be $20. Pit passes $35. Hot laps will start at roughly 6:15 with racing at 7:00. Please don't be shy about getting in touch with us in advance.

Also please note that the East half of Morton Avenue, which is our main East-West road through town is under heavy construction. If coming from the East, as most of you will be doing, please take the third Jacksonville exit for US 67 and come into the track from the West side of town. It will save you a lot of headache... especially in a race hauler.

Thanks

Ken Dobson
Jacksonville Speedway
217-371-3653
kdobson99@gmail.com

Simon_says17 · 5/29/17, 9:17 PM

Now there's some forethought and hospitality. Jacksonville's got it going on! I'll be attending on my way to Knoxville, cheers.

kdobson · 5/29/17, 10:17 PM

Shared that tremendous SportCenter piece on our track Facebook page today... and it kind of got us thinking about BC... started going through old track pictures of him in the winner's circle here... standing with Lauren's family and grandma in her home town, His first sprint car wing dance, midget wins wearing our ugly but cool Indy knock-off wreath etc. I remember catching a tweet from Bryan years ago when Lauren took him to a HS Basketball game at our local gym called the Bowl where he made some sarcastic but funny tweets about how awful our team was that year... came across that picture I always use to promote our Herb Barlow memorial in September of BC and Chris Bell tangled at the finish line with Bryan inching out the win in the local Pollock 21x...

Sure would love to see him drive a midget off our walls here again...

BC was an important figure in the history of this race track in Jacksonville for many, many years just like he was at most every open wheel race track across the Country. It's probably not our place to have some big tribute to Bryan over other tracks and claim we had some unique connection that other tracks didn't... but let's do this... $2 off of every grandstand admission Friday if you can show you are an organ donor as our quiet little tribute. Yea, it's not much... but it's a way to say thanks to those that have chosen to make that commitment to others. We'll be thinking of him as we watch midgets and non-wing sprints in our little corner of the racing world Friday.

kdobson · 5/30/17, 7:30 PM

WOW! How 'bout this! Chris Blair from Gateway Motorsports Park said.. "I'll see your $2 discount and raise you in memory of BC..."

The first 250 adults who purchase an adult grandstand admission this Friday Night and show a drivers license or other proof that they are an organ donor will not only get our measly $2 discount off a ticket... but will also receive TWO free tickets to the June 17th Drivin' For Linemen 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Gateway Motorsports Park.

So by being an organ donor, for $18 you not only get to see an incredible racing event here Friday Night featuring POWRi Midgets and WAR Sprints, but also get to see a NASCAR Camping World Truck Race at Gateway featuring one of our track favorites Christopher Bell!

Great fella that Chris Blair... and we are lucky to have him keeping major league racing alive at Gateway to our South. As Chris said... "I'm all in on doing ANYTHING to promote the cause of BC." And thanks Kim Stewart for setting the ball in motion!

jonboat15 · 5/30/17, 8:17 PM

Hi Ken, I plan on attending Friday night. I appreciate your info about coming into the speedway from the west due to road construction. I also appreciate the two dollars off admission for being an organ donor ( I have been for a long time).
Now you get together with another wonderful promoter and up the promotion level another notch. I would like to see you come in to PA and give our track owners a "How To Promote Racing" seminar. lol.
I should get there early on Friday, If I get there early enough to get the truck tickets I will gladly donate them to a good cause.

kdobson · 5/30/17, 9:57 PM

Jonboat... thanks for the kind words, but no matter what track you go to whether in PA or anywhere else, you have a promoter at your home track working their butt off to keep the place alive. Just came back from mowing and spraying weeds, and I'd bet 90% or more of the local race track promoters in America were doing something similar tonight.

Thanks for joining us Friday. Instead of grabbing a ticket to donate to a cause when you live so far away, perhaps you simply pass on it and save it for someone local coming later. Your call. Again, Thanks... and we look forward to seeing your Friday. Actually, I doubt I see you... I have to leave to take my daughter to a basketball tournament in Kansas City at 6:00 Friday after we get everything in place. My wife has covered the last 4 weekends. My turn... and with the show in good hands with the POWRi folks, it's one week I can sneak away. Gonna be driving with visions of sliders in my head. I haven't missed one of these for a long time. Enjoy it for me.

jonboat15 · 5/30/17, 10:49 PM

Our track owners have employees that work very hard for them to put out a nice show. I understand the work that needs to be done to keep a facility up and running.
Promotion seems to have become a lost art. Some tracks think they can get by on just their reputation, that works for a while but not in the long run. It seems you are doing a bit more promoting than what I am used to seeing. I'm not trying to offend any track owners, I'm just saying that good promotions equal good public relations which equals fans in the seats.
Since I won't be able to make the truck race at Gateway I won't get in the admission line to early.lol.
Its a shame we can't meet, I understand your family plans. I'll probably enjoy this show enough for the both of us!