Re: Weekly Sprint Car payouts?
 

Originally Posted by dsc1600:
Knoxville pays its weekly purse from profits made from the Nationals. I don’t think many weekly shows pay for themselves.

You know I have heard this comment for years and I think there was probably a time it was the truth. Now a days I think Knoxville is the perfect example of how to market and promote to bring fans in. I mean they actually have had a full time PR Director in Kendra Jacobs for the past several years and there is always new sponsors, different fan nights to promote the events, and events in the community to get fans involved, really thinking outside the box. Bummed to hear Kendra just recently left to take a roll at Flo as someone has big shoes to fill with her gone. Plus you put 5k fans in the main grandstands and the place still looks empty, think there are more fans there than what you think.

Re: Weekly Sprint Car payouts?
 

Originally Posted by staggerman:
You know I have heard this comment for years and I think there was probably a time it was the truth. Now a days I think Knoxville is the perfect example of how to market and promote to bring fans in. I mean they actually have had a full time PR Director in Kendra Jacobs for the past several years and there is always new sponsors, different fan nights to promote the events, and events in the community to get fans involved, really thinking outside the box. Bummed to hear Kendra just recently left to take a roll at Flo as someone has big shoes to fill with her gone. Plus you put 5k fans in the main grandstands and the place still looks empty, think there are more fans there than what you think.

You are spot on, with all points. Especially with the amount fans that might be in those grandstands on a regular night.

There’s no way the weekly shows, point funds, insurance, safety crew etc…are not subsidized by the Nationals. They pay a $166k point fund and their weekly shows are almost on par with a Usac or All Star purse for 410s plus a healthy purse for 360s.

I’m not saying there is 200 people in the stands for a weekly show, but you’d need 4-5k weekly for that show to pay for itself and all the other costs and that just isn’t happening weekly.

Re: Weekly Sprint Car payouts?
 

Originally Posted by dsc1600:
There’s no way the weekly shows, point funds, insurance, safety crew etc…are not subsidized by the Nationals. They pay a $166k point fund and their weekly shows are almost on par with a Usac or All Star purse for 410s plus a healthy purse for 360s.

I’m not saying there is 200 people in the stands for a weekly show, but you’d need 4-5k weekly for that show to pay for itself and all the other costs and that just isn’t happening weekly.

I think you are hung up on the fact that Nationals funds them all, which I don't believe to be 100% accurate. Does the gate fully pay for the shows, probably not, which is the whole point that we are trying to emphasize.

The additional revenue streams pay for these weekly shows. Now, they have a weekly DirtVision feed, which is providing an external revenue source. They are the best in the business at marketing and promotion and local business want to be apart of it as it influences consumer behavior in that market greatly.

If every seat was sold @$50 per night for the Nationals @ 25,000 seats they would gross $5M in those 4 Days. The total purse pays $1.1M. I"m sure they clear $2M after all purse and fees and overhead is paid off of ticket sales. If every weekly show is $100K total purse that would be eroded in 20 shows based on your logic that the Nationals pays for it all due to the lack of attendance. Then how would they pay their points funds at year end? .

Not a sustainable model even for a fair board.

I doubt it has a huge impact. If you’re running a 410 most expect and understand it’s a loss anyway. I know it has NO impact on our plans.

Do you think the reason why Knoxville can pay more than local Indiana tracks is the fact that there are a lot fewer sprint races in the area for fans/sponsors/competitors to choose from?

Counting wing 410 & 360 races Knoxville has 24 race nights. There are another 15 races across the state giving Iowa a total of 39 sprint races. NONE of those are scheduled against another sprint race in the state.

Checking the Indiana schedules there are 138 non wing race nights scheduled. There are multiple nights where two (and sometimes three) tracks compete against each other. And this doesn’t include steel block sprints, World of Outlaws, silver crown races, or pavement racing.

Originally Posted by Sandy Lowe:
Do you think the reason why Knoxville can pay more than local Indiana tracks is the fact that there are a lot fewer sprint races in the area for fans/sponsors/competitors to choose from?

Counting wing 410 & 360 races Knoxville has 24 race nights. There are another 15 races across the state giving Iowa a total of 39 sprint races. NONE of those are scheduled against another sprint race in the state.

Checking the Indiana schedules there are 138 non wing race nights scheduled. There are multiple nights where two (and sometimes three) tracks compete against each other. And this doesn’t include steel block sprints, World of Outlaws, silver crown races, or pavement racing.

You make a good point but that’s not the case in Pennsylvania and specifically central Pennsylvania where there are multiple tracks with 2 competing with each other on Saturday night and I don’t believe any of them pay less than $3K to win…the same can be said for Ohio where you have both Attica & Fremont paying $3K/300 & while Attica has no Friday night competition Fremont can have as many as 3 other tracks running sprints on a Saturday night

Re: Weekly Sprint Car payouts?
 

Originally Posted by motorhead748:
You make a good point but that’s not the case in Pennsylvania and specifically central Pennsylvania where there are multiple tracks with 2 competing with each other on Saturday night and I don’t believe any of them pay less than $3K to win…the same can be said for Ohio where you have both Attica & Fremont paying $3K/300 & while Attica has no Friday night competition Fremont can have as many as 3 other tracks running sprints on a Saturday night

From what I've seen their car counts are no higher than ours and sometimes less. Only Port seems to be able to have three or four heat shows with consi's

Knoxville Nationals weekly shows run as a deficit all year.
The money made at the Nationals keeps the weekly acton afloat.

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester:
From what I've seen their car counts are no higher than ours and sometimes less. Only Port seems to be able to have three or four heat shows with consi's

You may be correct but the discussion is on payouts