[DaleDuBois]

Most racetracks want to race on weekends

There are just too many tracks racing on Friday and Saturday nights,
mostly on Saturday nights and Sunday nights is not a good night for raceing
as people have to work on Monday or have already spent most of their money
going to the races on Friday and Saturday nights. In all of my years of
racing and watching races I've seen races on mid-week nights with very good
car counts and spectators. Along about the middle of the week people are
looking forward for the week-end racing and they would attend a mid-week
race if they knew it would last no longer than 3 or 4 hours. I know of no
tracks with their regular night of racing on Wednesday night. The good
thing about a track racing on Wednesday night is that they can run most any
class of race cars out there, the ones that draw in the fans. They would
have the USAC sprints and Midgets when they are racing in the area along
with others like the MSCS sprints. They also could have the UMP late models
and the pro-late models. Whatever class they should chose on a Wednesday
night as the main class, 2 more classes is enought for a 3 or 4 hour show.
A track racing on Wednesday night should not race the same classes every
week, but here in Indiana they should stick with the non-winged sprints
mostly. I believe Paragon Speedway should try this as no-one else has ever
had their regular night of racing on Wednesday. A Wednesday night track
should not start their racing season till at least the middle of April.

[ThrowbackRacingTeam]

Great idea I think it could work in Indiana. My only suggestion is wait till May to start. April is a terrible month for racing.

[TQ29m]

Back in my younger years, we had Thursdays thru the week locally, always a packed house, early 50s, course it was the bunch from California, who came and spent the summer, and winter in some cases, with all the famous last names that are still around! Wasn't much different from today, just a lot more fans with not much else to do.

[ginblueearth]

Originally Posted by DaleDuBois Most racetracks want to race on weekends There are just too many tracks racing on Friday and Saturday nights, mostly on Saturday nights and Sunday nights is not a good night for raceing as people have to work on Monday or have already spent most of their money going to the races on Friday and Saturday nights. In all of my years of racing and watching races I've seen races on mid-week nights with very good car counts and spectators. Along about the middle of the week people are looking forward for the week-end racing and they would attend a mid-week race if they knew it would last no longer than 3 or 4 hours. I know of no tracks with their regular night of racing on Wednesday night. The good thing about a track racing on Wednesday night is that they can run most any class of race cars out there, the ones that draw in the fans. They would have the USAC sprints and Midgets when they are racing in the area along with others like the MSCS sprints. They also could have the UMP late models and the pro-late models. Whatever class they should chose on a Wednesday night as the main class, 2 more classes is enought for a 3 or 4 hour show. A track racing on Wednesday night should not race the same classes every week, but here in Indiana they should stick with the non-winged sprints mostly. I believe Paragon Speedway should try this as no-one else has ever had their regular night of racing on Wednesday. A Wednesday night track should not start their racing season till at least the middle of April.

Not in Indiana, I'm in Minnesota, but we have the same problem here. Everybody wants to run on Friday or Saturday. So a couple of tracks have tried to run on Wednesday or Thursday. And sadly. It just doesn't seem to be working for Them. They're not getting many people in the stands. And their car counts are low. Their promoters are saying it's because. People just don't seem to wanna come out when they have to work the next morning. They're running a fast show seem to be getting the people out of there before 9:00 o'clock at night. But still, if people have to travel even an hour or More. They just don't want to attend. Same with the drivers. What's really sad is the tracks that are running on Friday and Saturday. Are all getting low car counts and not many people in the stands. It's not like it used to be, where everybody had decent car counts. Things have changed dramatically. You used to be able to go see fullfield of cars at all the tracks. Three sometimes 4 heats. And pretty much every class. Now it's down to one Maybe 2 Heats if you're lucky. In each class. And the stands are pretty much empty. I don't know how some of these tracks are surviving. And in my honest opinion, I don't see things improving at all. And tell things change in Washington, DC. How many economy improves? Can we see much lower fuel prices? Truly believe that's the big determining factor. Everything will Revolves. around that. Glen Murra

[Charles Nungester]

LPS tried this about the second year of spiker. It didn't work well

[DaleDuBois]

You have got to remember that all of the hotdogs from everywhere that race sprint cars hang out in Indiana in the Summer. Just look at Indiana Sprint Week, 7 nights in a row and packed stands. The same with Midget Week. Then also a Wednesday night
track could have their own specials which draws more racers and fans. A racetrack cannot just keep having big money races to get racers, they have the track to make money with. I do believe a Wednesday night track will work in Indiana Mostly because Indiana is the biggest racing State. Up North Iowa is big with racing but not much else to do and the same with other States up North. Here in Indiana the only reason to go up North is to go fishing.

[Grocery Guy]

I can only remember two pavement tracks that ran season long mid-week schedules: Raceway Park in Blue Island, IL. Track now closed. Wisconsin International Raceway still runs a regular Thursday night schedule. Check out their website if you want to see their schedule.

Dale, I think you answered your own question. What teams, fans and families are gonna sit through a 4 hour show on a Wed? Throw in track delays, rain delays and any other delay. And go to work the next morning? Mid-week shows are fine for occasional special events. Look at Kokomo. How many Sunday nights to do they run now? Think we've got enough occasional mid-week shows to enjoy over the summer.

[The bubs]

I think it could work. But it would have to be the right car classes for the region. Give the people what they want to see. And most importantly the show has to run very efficiently. No more than 3 hours total. Better yet less than 3 hours if possible. Also staff the concessions properly. No crazy wait lines. I think I would initially try something like 6 shows total to test the waters. Just my 2 cents.

[TQ97]

Sorry to be this way, but non wing in Indiana regularly scheduled mid-week won’t work.

1) to draw the bigger names on a weeknight you’ll have to pay better than a local weekend show.

2) the smaller names have real jobs and can’t regularly make mid week races work. Even if they could make the race, running let’s say on a Wednesday night then requires a full night of washing and maintenance on Thursday to turn around and run on Friday. Without the smaller teams you won’t draw enough cars for the promoter to be successful.

3) this economy is headed into a dangerous predicament, less and less of the smaller teams are going to be able to run consistently.

4) enough fans won’t travel on a week night for a regular show.

5). It’s not the 80s or 90s anymore like when Thursday night thunder was on. A centralized track, say like Circle City, wants to run a Wednesday night race once a month,I’d give it a 20% chance of being successful. Weekly or even bi weekly, 0%.

[The55]

Isn’t the original thought about too many tracks in IN racing on Friday and Saturday incorrect? Gas City and Bloomington Friday with LPS, Lburg, and Paragon on Saturday is it, I believe for weekly shows. Outside of LPS and Paragon the other tracks running the same night are pretty far apart. Paragon seems to have its own niche. Car counts have been pretty good I believe. Fans that go to Gas City are not traveling to Bloomington, same with the Saturday night tracks. In the end this seems like a solution looking for a problem. As others have said, I can’t see regular weeknight shows attracting enough cars or fans. There are too many entertainment options now and not enough sprint car fans to make weekly midweek shows work.