11 things promoters must do...
 

I found this article... And wondered what everyone thought.

http://speedwaybenefits.com/track-ow...hings-trouble/


Track Promoters: If You Aren’t Doing These 11 Things, You’re in Trouble

Well folks, the season is really upon us and you all have already noticed trends…attendance, back gate, concessions, etc. Up or down?

Hopefully you are up but I will guarantee it is those tracks with the best and most competitive shows that have the following patterns:

1. Admission of $10-14 for regular shows


2. At least four to five passes for the lead in the main feature


3. 100 or more cars and less than four classes


4. If you start at 7:30 it is all over by 10:25 (unless you have a lesser division walkout)!


5. As little dust as possible if you are a dirt track. Yeah, I know there are people who wear “dirt masks,” but remember the gals are paying upwards of $30 for a good hairdo.


6. At least two to three rollovers! Please, I am not a freak, but flips are great entertainment. If you have an asphalt track with low riding late models, when is the last time you have seen one? Raise those front ends at least 3-5 inches!


7. A total cost of less than $10,000 per night…ok, you guys who run the sprints are a little different, but the show is worth it.


8. A simple menu in concessions: great all beef dog on a steamed bun; wonderful, tasty quality, juicy hamburger and little more other than the soft drink, beer, chips, etc. Put the candy, ice cream, specialty items in separate areas so you do not clog up concession areas.


9. BIGGIE: Do you have a villain yet? If not, forget the kids. They MUST have a good guy/bad guy, and if you don’t, the kids are gone mentally…Just forget them. That is what makes every Monster Truck Show, cartoon, etc. work: A VILLIAN!


10. Clean, clean everything….from the restrooms (especially the girls) to the seats. Do you clean your seats the day of the event? If not, consider yourself in the Old Promoters Graveyard! How long would movie theaters last with dirty seats?


11. Big Show? Do you have a Big Show at the start and end of the season and are you selling at least 600 reserved seats to the event in ADVANCE? If not, join those Old Promoters in their Graveyard. Think about it….Your October show is the Pulaski Tire 200 (laps with stops) and you charge $25 in advance and sell 1000 seats. That is $25,000 in the bank! What will you think if you have a rainout? Lucky Dog! Buy some of those seats the big NASCAR tracks will get rid of as they downsize due to a lack of drama, color, no rivalries, etc.


That is pretty simple folks. The tracks that are doing the above are doing fine. Those that don’t are in trouble.

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

Biggest problem is getting most promoters,and or sanctioning bodies to read this.

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

Interesting to say the least especially after I saw who the author was. Most of the Indiana tracks do at least the majority of these things. However, they could all take a look at this and see where they might improve upon their product.

The one that I preach constantly is #4. If you can't start on time how will you ever get finished on time. Anything over 3 hours and you start losing your audience. Also remember that as parents are taking their kids out of the gate prior to the end of your show, you just witnessed the next generation of YOUR race fans leaving not happy campers.

#3 also is important in my opinion. If you run 6 classes and don't do a good job of time management, see #4. I plan my evenings entertainment like a sprint race not a marathon.

For all promoters out there, take this to the bank. If you have a "big show" with a large part of your crowd being out of towners, don't hold them hostage while you run the mortifieds, street stocks, thunder cars, hornets, Detroit iron, etc. We came to see the "main event" not your weekly features. On those "special events" nights, maybe try to run no more than 3 classes and save the goat milking contest for another time.

I would add a #12. Do everything in your power to promote your racetrack. The more ways people see your promotion, the more likely they will have their butts in the bleachers. Remember, kids bring their parents and grandparents to the races whether you believe it or not. Be a promoter not just a track owner!

I have only seen a couple of promoters or an employees do this but I was very impressed when it happened. They were at the front gate at the end of the evening shaking hands and thanking folks for coming. When was the last time you saw that happen?

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

#12 have thick skins.

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

Andrew,

I plan on printing some of these off and sending them directly to the tracks that in my opinion need some attention. They still might not read it but they can't say that they didn't know.

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

WHAT skipping the goat milking? I ain;t going then ;)

#7 has a sprint car exemption.

What should that $10,000 cost be for sprint car tracks?

Indiana tracks pay roughly a $7200 feature purse alone and Modifieds are around $3000 for feature.

What do think is the average general admission attendance for regular shows?

Many of these I agree with, but number 6 is ridiculous.......

2 words came to mind when reading this. The burg!!!

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

Did that come from how to succeed As a race track promoter as told by Humpy Wheller? He wanted nick names for all the drivers and names for the cars even. Promoting is a rough job just surviving this great economy is going to take a pretty smart cookie.

Honest Dad himself:6::6:


I read the post first>>> then responded>>>> and then read the article. Guess that makes me half cocked. He wrote this thing several years ago in brighter times.

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

For the younger crowd (I'm 33, I like to think I'm sort of in that category) the biggest thing a track can do is #4 - move the show along. There are so many entertainment options that many people don't want to spend 6 hours anywhere doing anything. In essence, the tracks in Indiana that Sprint Week visits has many of these points working already. We're pretty spoiled in Indiana.

#10, for all us guys out here who try to get their better half to go to the races with them, you can't imagine how important this point is. Most of the fairer sex don't really look forward to dropping trou in a soggy outhouse.

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

Two ambulances

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

I work with kids, so, yes, I understand where he is coming from on this. But deliberately creating drama that doesn't already exist is just stirring up a hornet's nest. Dumbing down the sport with a "WWE" mentality might get a few more fans. But if it casts doubt on the credibility of the sport, is that what we want?

Growing up in northen Indiana I remember at Fort Wayne just about every driver had a nickname. I remember those names more than cars or numbers.
Don't like villans and gimmicks. Read about how Andy Granitelli packed soldier field.
Yea you young fans the bears stadium filled for stock cars and midgets.

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

Several of these are my biggest pet peeves and I am glad to see that someone wrote them down.

The races need to start on time and stop on time. The show needs to move along, and it should be the rare exception that I see a tractor farming your track. No one has ever paid to watch trackers farm a track.

Four classes of cars. (that look different) One of our local tracks now has a A mods, B mods and now E mods. How will a new fan every get excited about these classes when it takes a trained eye to spot the difference. (if you can)

I don't know anyone who wants to go to a Dust track instead of a dirt track. Both of my boys have bad allergies, and if the track is dusty, it will be months before I can talk them into going back with me.

I also agree with a clean facility that you can be proud of. There is a track near my home that is littered with broken down trucks throughout the pits. It's nickname is Stanford and Son Speedway.

I also agree with the villain concept, and if you are paying attention it is easy to create without going WWE. Find two drivers who don't particularly like each other. (pretty easy at a weekly track) Once you have the two drivers that don't like each other simply play them off of each other. A good announcer can make a rivalry between drivers in half a season if he knows what they are doing. All it takes is a couple of good sound bites, or a couple of bad slide jobs, or in modified country a good engine claim and it is on.

Re: 11 things promoters must do...
 

Solid list! As for the flips, Yeah, it makes fans oogle. But I for one, never want to see a car get outta shape and upside down. It costs money, adds work to the crew, puts the driver in a bad spot.. Anyways, Flips arent anything to promote. Everyone knows that usually, on a regular night, you're gonna see one get upside down. I believe this is enough to draw the 'fans' who like to see that kind of thing.

As for Rivalries.. Somebody get on facebook, look up Lancaster Speedway in South Carolina, read and enjoy.. The fans post more than the drivers and the promoters; rooting, cheering, booing, hating, etc. That place has been around a while and has a rivairy in just about every division. Sections in the stands dedicated to "Baker Nation" or "Timbo Nation". Its all stock cars, and latemodels, but still. Drive around the town, and see the decals on the trucks, hear people talking about the races on Tuesday.. Its a good gig for the fans, and Timbo and Baker love it as well. They sell shirts and hear the fans cheer. Awesome.

As for moving the show along, I completely agree. As well as the big shows and their weekly classes. It always confuses me when I listen to a DirtVision show and hear John Gibson hand it off for the Hornet Main event.. If you got big hitters in the pits who hauled, chances are you have folks in the stands who hauled too. Cater to them just like the big teams.

-Justin

I will say it again pack the place with a 2 our 3 day show and with all the campers and hotels sold out in your town and folks are saying what is going on that speedway will say wow they must have something neat going on and that might bring in some new racing fans.

Starting on time is the biggest thing to me. Promoters typically have control starting on time. Starting hot laps on time to me does not mean time to start getting heat in the motors or using race cars to start packing the track. Starting hot laps at the advertised time means pushing cars off and dropping the green flag. If you start late the show is likely to run longer than it should have. Sometimes shows just run long due to on track issues but just start at the advertised time.