I am willing to pay more to watch and unless a BIG time sponsor or sponsors emerge, that is what will have to happen to raise purses. I am not sure that the rest of the paying customers would be as willing as I am, and there, my friends, is the rub. USAC does a good job, remember, they are a multiple division series. If they could afford to pay more, as a non-profit, I’m sure they would.
Hopefully this is where floracing will provide help over time. If it provides more exposure may be easier to attract sponsors both to teams and events. Event sponsors would fund bigger purses.
Originally Posted by streetglider:
Here is another analogy of how far USAC is behind the times. AJ Foyt made $23,728 for winning the Hoosier 100 in 1968. Tyler Courtney was victorious in this years Hoosier 100 and was paid a whopping $10,000. You can spin your defense of USAC any way you want, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out the math on that one. 51 years later and racing for almost 14k LESS!!! Even I know that's bass akwards
This is not comparing apples to apples. In 1968, the Hoosier Hundred was part of the Championship Trail and was the second largest (in attendance) date on the Trail. Also at that time, USAC had a policy of a fixed purse vs. a percentage of the gate (I believe in 1968 it was 40%). Since attendance at the HH in the 60's could easily be over 20,000, the winners share could be significant. During the 60's, the Hoosier Hundred also had lap money, which was included in the published $$ winnings. This lap money came from sponsors donating the money, NOT from the race organizer. It could reach up to $100/lap. If a driver led all 100 laps, he could win $10,000 more than the purse.
While I absolutely agree that purses should increase for USAC races across the board, I personally think it is going to take an increase in admission prices to fund it. A series sponsor bumping up 40+ (the USAC Sprint PLANNED schedule for 2019) event purses by meaningful amount would be a significant number.
Originally Posted by Chris Nunn:
In Indiana, a Why pay more when you can get the same drivers for 1200 to win
Paragon pays $1400 and is not getting any USAC regulars other than possibly Darland who competes in a non USAC car.
Here's who you dont see at Paragon regular show, Courtney,Bacon, Windom, Stockon, Cummings, Grant, pretty much the front runners at USAC.
Originally Posted by oppweld:
So what's the answer then?
Convince the top 15 USAC drivers to stop running local shows. And then make sure that they show up to the big 'Local' races that pay up. Guys like Ballou, KTJ, Cottle, Stockon, C. Short, Leary, Bacon, Cummins and TMez all pick up weekly shows around the state when USAC isn't running. We've seen them at Gas City, Lawrenceburg, and Lincoln Park for $1,500 to win and $200 to start. But chances are, those guys are driving home with that $1,500 while the local guys are mad that a USAC guy came and cherry picked.
The other answer? Make sure there is something USAC going on every weekend. USAC has a lot of racing where you're gone for a week, but they still take quite a few weekends off.
If you look in your mirror and see a line of cars behind you, be kind and pull over.
There are a lot of reasons to point at besides USAC for lower purses than over 20 years ago. The fact that you are reading this on your digital device is a big one. The sad fact is that there are fewer butts in the grandstands to pay for anything. And "sponsors", like the ones on this page, need a return on their investment. Anybody that turns the wrenches or loads the trailer knows there is a lot of work before there is and sound for excitement. Young people don't want to get their hands dirty or travel for a few hours unless there are wannabe "musicians" or opportunity for intoxication involved. The days of Foyt and the Unsers are history. There are plenty of exciting drivers to watch today. Few are ready for their "close up"..can any avoid saying "gotta thank my crew, they worked their butts off'?? Cost of admission isn't the problem. Try taking a kid to ball game. Ernie Saxton showed that decades ago. Doing nothing is also not an option. If you are a spectator, take a kid to the races next time. If you are a racer, watch tapes of Bobby Cicconi. He as always an entertaining "get" for announcers. He actually thought before he opened his mouth. And respectfully submitted, I don't see more trailers pulling in the back gate unless we figure out how to stop the spiraling cost to even bring something there.
