[DAD]

Glit

You have a point. I am too slow and the cars are too fast for me to read a name lettered on the other side cowl of the car. In the age of instant printing why not take the sign in sheet and print it out at the end of hot laps. Get a kid (That might be a problem) to sell the sheets for a dollar and pay the kid 25 cents a piece to sell them. Programs would be nice but I guess in these times they represent too much time and effort to produce. I can Remember getting a program with a separate loose sheet in it for drivers names and cars. I guess That was ancient history, but it seemed like promoters back then put a lot of time and effort into producing and selling adds for them. I wonder what their motives were? I know that they are expensive to produce but what if the customer got one with each adult ticket? I get all kinds of trade magazines in the mail for free because the publishers are trying impress their advertisers with circulation numbers. Could tracks do this?

Honest Dad himself

[Jonr]

For those of going to the Knoxville Nationals, you need to download thier app on your phone. It has everything that you would ever want to know. Qualifying, lineups, results, main event lineups., etc.

While I have bought line up sheets in the past, I would think that having an electronic media would be much better. I know that many of the national series twitter feeds will always have this information. It would be very easy for each track to tweet out all of this information. The POWRi format seems to be the easiest to read and understand.

[JarrettFarms73]

I like the ideas to improve the branding of the driver. However that's done: announcers, name on car, or a lineup sheet I think it's a step in the right direction. I think branding and debunking the sport as being for "hobbyist" is key. Co-vocational does NOT mean hobbyist!

My thought is more towards what can I do to make any new fans around me have a better experience. Try to have small talk and find out what else they're involved in. Kid wearing a baseball jersey, tell him about KT Jr. and point out that helmet. (Branding 101) Dad wearing an HD shirt, tell him about Steve Butlers flat track days... Anything to bridge what they know to what they're seeing. Open myself to any questions they may have while humbly stressing to them i'm not an expert but I'm glad to help if I can. Point out the greats and up and comers. Who's hot, who to watch especially if they're starting in the back. Find out what racing background they already know. Love it when NASCAR comes up so I can contrast Bristol times. Now Chris Bell from Eldora last week is another tool we can use! Highlight non wing and wing characteristics and stress the risk these drivers are taking in open wheel cars.

I disagree that price is a deterrent for most new fans. We're talking about a demographic of adults that drink $5 coffee and pay for $200 little league bats and $125 basketball shoes. Not even going there on travel ball expenses. Friend posted his Brickyard ticket clipped the $100 mark this year.

When I'm not at the track, I wear my T-shirts out as often as I can. I buy a new track shirt every year so that even if the #15 on the nose seems arbitrary, the crispness should at least imply that particular track is open. I can always expand upon the great tracks of Indiana during conversation. I look for signs that someone might have a need for speed or appreciate motorsports in general. A quick casual conversation can be sparked by some guy wearing a Badlands or SuperCross shirt, or a couple putting golf clubs in their suv that has an HD decal on the back window. The best part about trying to make others aware that there's another event going on they might love if they'd try it is that its not a sales job. Sprint car racing really is awesome!

[DAD]

Jarett

Make it relevant>>>>>>>>>>You know many years ago Chris Economaki held workshops up in Indy in the winter at the Speedway Motel for up and coming drivers to help them communicate better with the press. Why not do the same thing for race track announcers >>I know some are born but others need help to bring them along. A day or two discussing different techniques and style would sure help a lot of young kids just starting out. Most announcers depend on OJT but a little education could sure go a long way. No one thing is going to be the silver bullet that gets crowds back in the stands again but several small things in combination might help. Then we go back to the "ECONOMY" some kids play with high dollar bats others just sit home and wish. The crowd we would probably be catering to is the ones that don't travel all over t USA to watch their kids play ball (They wouldn't be home anyways to go to our races) so lets think on making it family friendly. Racers are competing for that ever shrinking disposable income part of the family's paycheck.

Honest Dad himself

[JarrettFarms73]

You're right there! Seems like a tweak in multiple areas are warranted. A great announcer certainly does enhance the evening.

I guess I bring up travel ball group because it seems like for every parent I hear loving it, I hear two others looking for a way out or at least complaining about it.

[DAD]

Originally Posted by JarrettFarms73 You're right there! Seems like a tweak in multiple areas are warranted. A great announcer certainly does enhance the evening. I guess I bring up travel ball group because it seems like for every parent I hear loving it, I hear two others looking for a way out or at least complaining about it.

Jarett

We had something like that also when I was growing up>>>We called it Quarter Midget Racing.. I can't count the number of Motels that invited us to never to come back again. Usually because of the parents shenanigans (Dads in Particular) instead of the kids. Thanks to FB I have been able to reconnected with a bunch of fellow racers I haven't talked to in 50+ years. The stories just keep on coming back.

Honest Dad himself

[1121]

Picture a new fan and/or sponsor hearing about the wonderful, exciting world we call sprint car racing. What’s the first step they are going to do in the 21st century? They are going to go to the internet and find out what it’s about.

Have any of you done a Google search for “Indiana Sprint Car Racing?” I did and the first site that came up was Indiana Open Wheel.

So what do you think it does to a new fan or sponsor when they read some of the hate and venom that goes on here sometimes? Look at the post about USAC ruining midget racing because Poweri had a low car count. Do you think that will bring fans or sponsors to midget races?

To me, one of the best things we as drivers, owners and especially fans can do to bring new people into the sport is to be good ambassadors of the sport.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we need the pits and grandstands to be full of a bunch of Pollyanna’s, but as I asked of a poster once that was trashing a certain race, “What are you trying to achieve?”

In my opinion, you will get better results e-mailing an organization, or track, or owner, or driver directly and expressing your displeasure. Be concise, be accurate, and be truthful. Don’t be hateful. And include your name. I have worked with several customer service representatives over the years and nothing makes them hit the delete button faster than an anonymous e-mail. If you truly believe in what you are saying, you should have no trouble revealing your name.

If you look for the good, you will find the good. If you look for the bad, you will find the bad.

Tom Paterson
PDP Racing

[darnall]

I would love to see tracks acquire a show car... not a new top notch ready to race car by any means... a tweaked 10 year old chassis, with enough parts to make it sit on wheels and tires and something to have headers bolted to. Put a new Earl Schieb paintjob on it and a little flashy vinyl advertising the track. Make sure that show car is on display somewhere every day of the week, at your sponsors places of business, any local trade show, car shows, festivals, ball parks on little league nights, etc etc. Beside that showcar should be a stack of flyers/schedules, a sign that tells what it is and how fast it goes, and a DVD playing some video of some wheelies, slidejobs, and yes even some flips on a 3 minute loop (basically any jac kslash promo commercail would work great). People who don't know what sprintcar racing is will see those big dang tires, some crazy action, and learn where to go see it live. If one viewer out of 100 comes to see the real deal and brings a family you have introduced hundreds of new potential fans to the sport each year.

When we started racing the winged outlaw karts in Missouri in 2003 we took a similar approach. Ran a couple local commercials during some nascar races, took karts everywhere we could to get people to see them. We grew our local active car count from 8 karts in the spring of 2003 to over 120 by the fall of 2005. Granted we were focused on growing participation, but we did attract several one off or regular spectators to watch a small scale motorsport. I have never seen actual "fans" buy tickets to any sort of kart or mini racing but we frequently had our limited bleachers full of folks who were there to check it out, not to watch their grandsons or nephews race like most kart races get.

[DAD]

Darnall

Just get a nice open trailer to go with it and haul it around town all week. Post a schedule and some action photos all around the trailer and let the car do the talking.

Honest Dad himself

[oldfan49]

Valley Speedway uses this mobile app, Fans can get race line ups sent to their phone they are set and results are sent after the race finishes up. Full results of the nights action is sent to the web page after the races.

http://speednetdirect.com/mobile/

He also has an old school bus and at intermission loads the bus with kids from the stands and gives them rides around the track with the windows down, you should see them laughing and screaming and waving to the stands.
He hits all the car shows, fairs, the tracks sponsors businesses, and malls and has pretty good luck in getting local racers to bring out cars. One racer has a 2 seat Modified and the promoter just bought a 2 seat sprinter to take to the promotions as well as give ride a longs.
Early this year he worked out a promotion with the local hockey team and several local racers drove out on the ice with motors in full song and the crowd loved it.