Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

Race track promoters are frequently uninspired and lack creativity when actually promoting their shows. They would do well to learn from minor league baseball teams when it comes to creating wacky and inventive special promotions that drive attendance and gain publicity.

My latest article address this (the second in a series that started last week with car counts) is up on the Examiner.com site. Do you guys have any ideas for off-the-wall promotions, or know of any that tracks have done recently? I'd love to hear some good stories and ideas.

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

Sorry .... Baseball only requires one ball !!

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

There's a ton of bright ideas from minor league and summer collegiate league baseball that could be adapted for short track racing. One in particular is the "Beer Batter" type deal. Most teams will select one hitter from the opposing team to be the target for the promotion. Anytime that hitter strikes out, beers will be reduced for the next half inning. Perhaps tracks could select the driver who draws the highest pill that night, and if that driver wins their heat race, beer prices get reduced for 15 minutes. This is just one idea, there are so many more.

As for worrying about alienating the older fans, the sad reality is that they very likely won't be around 20 or 30 years from now. But their grandkids will be. Besides, I really don't think that anyone is going to stop going to a track with great racing simply because they don't like goofy promotions between races.

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

:6:I am not a good announcer by an stretch and will never claim to be.I think that I'm to much of a fan and find myself getting caught up in the excitement of the race instead of calling it like I should. What I think I am pretty good at is getting the fans into the show. I believe you get the kids pumped up and keep them occupied the parents will love you for it and want to come back and the kids will never forget the experience. I do this by putting the kids on the mic and asking them question about their favorite cartoons and giving out a little prize for a right or wrong answere. My point is so many times promoters push their staff to get the race over fast and announcers take their job WAY to serious, you wouldn't believe just how serious they take it and forget that it's a show and people come to get entertained by the entire show not just the racing. It could be the worse race ever but if I can make it fun for the adults by getting them and their kids into it then I think they'll leave happy.I don't think a track needs to have to many wacked out gimmicks to draw the crowd in they (the promoter) just needs to remember a few things like, what it cost for the consumer to get to and in their facility and what it cost once their in (food) and that people want to be entertained and escape from reality for a few hours and get their hard earned money's worth.You have to make the consumer believe in his heart that he or she can't miss next week. You as a promoter want your patrons to feel guilty about missing a race and you want the kids to bug their parents all week about going because they got to talk to that crazy announcer on the mic.I have said it a thousand times before we need promoters and a lot less race track owners. John Gurley SCORA Sprint Car Series
****See you all at the Action Track.

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

One night at Pike County, instead of having the six drivers in the micro sprint dash for cash simply draw for their starting spots, we had a "frozen t-shirt contest." The first driver to get their shirt pulled apart from the balled up shape they were frozen into and pulled on started on the pole. So we had six drivers beating these frozen t-shirts against the top of the guardrail, right in front of the fans.:):2::3:

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

saw this post and thought i might jump in on this one. one of the very best promoter's for this type of thing has now retired, but still does some consulting. linda holdeman, who once ran winchester, as well as oswego, had very innovative ways to entertain people @ the track, aside from the racing action. too many promotions to list here. she also went out of her way for children at the races, often combining a children's fair on racing weekends. if our sport is to survive, we must engage the younger generation and get them active in our sport at an early age. anyone who may want to call upon her expertise in the auto racing industry can contact me through this site and i can put you in touch with her. hope everyone has a great day, and the rain stops soon!!

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

I have only had time to visit Kokomo and VCS this year so far but, VCS was a very pleasant surprise. The promotor came down in the stands with a remote microphone and kept the show going with drawings, introducing the fair queen contestants etc. I would have to say he "gets it" when it comes to promotion.
btw I can't wait till the Daisy Duke look-a-like contest:8:

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

Last weekend at butler motor speedway in michigan they had an autograph night where they opened the pits up for 30mins for anyone to come and meet their favorite drivers. good idea for the kids. They all looked happy, despite the rain delays.

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

Does minor league have 8 teams playing on the weekend 100 miles apart?:10::14::15:

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

Glad to help the Drunks who come to a sprint car race so they can get a D.U.I on way home and save a buck doing it ..GOOD TIMES...by the way I don't go to a local track because of the dog and pony show...low car count at the last sprint car race [26 cars] ..heats and main only .they drug it out for 3 1/2 hours..as far as your older fan comment,look around at the next race ,they may be gone in 20 years but their paying their way today...but wait that generation always paid their way..you must be from the currant generation..everybody gets a participation trophy/free lunch/free ride...let's see how that works out for you....respect your elders *******!:6::15:

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

The beer batter idea was just one example of a promotion from baseball. I don't care if any promotion involves beer, as I've never had a beer in my life.

Trust me, I have all the respect in the world for the old-school fan that hasn't missed a week at their local track in decades. Those folks helped build the sport. Still, if we're going to have a discussion on how to draw new fans to this sport so it can continue to survive and thrive in the upcoming years, we shouldn't get hung up on the objections of folks that won't be around in 30 years.

I'm just not sure that the kids of today are coming up in the same car culture that kids did a generation or two ago. So perhaps the mere presence of cars and racing might not be enough to attract large numbers of fans a few decades from now. It might take something extra to get them to come out on a Friday or Saturday night and plunk down some of their discretionary income. We can bemoan that fact, or embrace the reality and figure out how to make it work for us.

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

I know the former promoters of the Berlin Speedway used college students (interns) in their marketing departments. They could be found at Ivy Tech and and other local learning centers. Maybe even people conected with theJunior Acheivement programs could be contacted. A win win situation for both parties.

The avererage age of the spectators at the midweek regional midget series and the crowd at Grundy County is 50ys plus. Not a good sign. The participants may be young but as marriage, job responsibilities and daddy's money runs out, they may not be fans in the future.

On a good note the spectators at weekly races at Plymouth and to some extent , Kokomo seem to draw families and young people.
Marketing is everything! Look at the popularity of cage fighting!
Look at Rockford speedway, 2 nights a week for years, in one of the most depressed areas in the country.
The late Hugh Deery said something to the effect that his job wouldn't be finished until every resident of Rockford was at his track on Sat night. Thats a great attiude.
Dale Weis
Valparaiso IN

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

this is a great idea. I know that many of the college interns take these jobs at no pay. They will work for free just to get the experience on the resume, or maybe you could get them to do it as an independent study course. The best thing about this idea is that these kids will not be burdened with "that can't be done here" mentality. It will take a lot of work by the owner to keep them going the right way, but the energy level would be great.

I also am a fan of minor league sports (mostly hockey) There are a ton of things to be learned about promotions by minor leauge sports. However, there is a lot of things that a promoter could do to help his show at no cost. My biggest pet peeves are: Start the races on time. If the ticket says 7:00, then the first heat should be hitting the track at 7:00. Limit the car classes. I don't need to see four class of cars that all look the same. Have a set intermission or no intermission at all. The best intermission I ever saw was at a track that had a timer on the lap board. When the last heat was over, a ten minute count down started on the clock. When the clock hit 0:00 the main events were on the track.

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

I go to see the races and could care less about anything else they do. I would rather they pay more in the purse then give it to some clown entertaining the kids. Bigger purse = better cars and counts.

Re: Promoters could learn a lot from minor league baseball
 

I completly agree. In fact I have issues with the invocation done at most tracks. BUT, the promoter is selling entertainment to the casual fan. I'll sit through delays because of track prep and things of that nature. I was one of the idiots that left Kokomo at 4.00am years ago at Wolverine midget nationals. But I didn't have kids with me. The casual fan has to be considered in the promoter's plan.
Dale Weis
Valparaiso IN