Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

All tracks except one are paved. Which may or may not mean anything.

My hope is the decline in NASCAR viewership might get some race fans back to the local tracks.

This past weekend 15 markets chose preseason NFL for local coverage over the Bristol night race. Not everyone got an alternate channel option. Yes, mostly due to the NFL being huge right now but it's still a decrease in local tracks competing against NASCAR TV coverage. I like that.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

The best thing for a local track is the Die-Hard fan talking to a 'rookie' at the water cooler on Monday morning. Talking it up and trying to sell the rookie on the show. Promotors and owners can do everything they can. Flyers, commercials, Social Media. But when the advertising comes from spoken word, and first hand accounts, I believe it to be that much more investing.

The man who taught me sprint car racing in Arizona, worked as the Race Director for USAC in AZ, but also would do shows in SoCal, Texas, New Mexico, Vegas. He drove for a while, raced karts with his son, but his love was the USAC sprint cars. I remember on multiple occasions him telling folks "I'll buy you a ticket for the first night, and you'll buy a ticket for the second night to verfiy you saw what you saw."

He's an all around racer. Owner, Official, Driver, Sponsor, Fan... He bleeds methanol. But that statement alone over the years has gotten a few folks out at least once. Then its up to the track, drivers, concession stands, etc to keep em coming back.

Hell, as we speak, I've got a co-worker who had never been to a dirt race before last Saturday, texts me wanting to buy a car. Asking me to sponsor. Wanting to know the sport, the ins-and-outs. I cant be sure what posessed him to go on Saturday, but in a message he sent me, he said he doesn't want to miss a show. But something between hot laps, and the final checkered flag hooked him.

I think, as fans first, wether we own a car, drive one, own a track, or sponsor a racecar, we need to put ourselves back into the shoes we were wearing when we first saw what we love now. Strike up a conversation at the gas pump with the guy next to us or the neighbor or mailman. Something to get em through the gate and into the stands.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Racing isn't the only sport that struggles to gain new customers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/19/sp...-one.html?_r=0

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Good read, Vukie. Thanks for posting it.

It reminds me of a NSSN article about 10 years ago by Dave Argabright. He was sitting in a diner down in Florida around SpeedWeeks and saw this couple decked out in Dale Earnhardt, Jr., garb so he went over and started speaking with them. The story went along the same lines...... no interest in dirt, no interest in local tracks, no clue what a sprint car, late model, or modified was, just NASCAR via TV and hoping to meet Junior and get his autograph some day.

A very good article. It would appear to me attendance and car counts are down across many tracks in the Midwest...not just In Indiana. While the government and the news outlets keep saying how much the economy is improving, the improvements don't seem to be reaching the middle class, the lifeblood of a short track. The downturn in the economy got a lot of people out of the habit of going to the racetrack on a regular basis, and track owners/promoters are going to have to get creative to get people in the seats and competitors in the pits.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Originally Posted by openwheelfan1:
A very good article. It would appear to me attendance and car counts are down across many tracks in the Midwest...not just In Indiana. While the government and the news outlets keep saying how much the economy is improving, the improvements don't seem to be reaching the middle class, the lifeblood of a short track. The downturn in the economy got a lot of people out of the habit of going to the racetrack on a regular basis, and track owners/promoters are going to have to get creative to get people in the seats and competitors in the pits.

Using the economy is a lame excuse. Granted it is not great, but is better than it was. If it was the deciding factor all tracks would be in trouble. Some are doing pretty well

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk:
Using the economy is a lame excuse. Granted it is not great, but is better than it was. If it was the deciding factor all tracks would be in trouble. Some are doing pretty well

Using the economy is a lame excuse??
If I remember(or you can just look it up on your smartphone) unleaded regular was about $1.75 a gallon on November 8th 2008. It seems to me it has doubled!

How bout a used car? The people with limited incomes have seen the used car prices skyrocket after the intelligence of "cash for clunkers". You still don't think taking the drain plug out of a motor and running it till it blows up had some agenda written all over it.

How about a loan from a bank on a older car with over 70,000 miles on it from your local bank? My credit score is over 750 and my bank I had been doing business with for over 40 years said the government had changed there credit tactics after the "bailouts" and they could not help me finance a older "work car"

I don't have the time to draw a graph of how much your food prices have gone up in 5 years but I would easily say they have doubled.

The American people are hurting! Most American people have no idea of how things have CHANGED the past 5 years.

The same media that took one of the best people in Sprint car racing and convicted him of killing someone before they looked at the facts is the same media that is telling you things are better!!:7:

These are not the only factors why the local seen is hurting, but calling the excuse about the economy a lame excuse is not really a FACT.

Well that was depressing

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

All good points, racer-x, but you're not being PC enough by telling the truth.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Schools now open a month early and close a couple weeks later this means your up against high school sports. I know the crowds at Bloomington on regular shows has been small this summer. I don't have any answers or any ideas that are worth printing. I do know that Paragon and Putnamville seem to have good crowds.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

I agree that all are good points here. One more thing I am going to interject is TV coverage. Back in the 80s, USAC got a lot of coverage out of Thursday Night Thunder and subsequently Saturday Night Thunder. In the early to mid 90s, TNN had the Slick 50 Sprint Car World Series from Manazanita and then Canyon Raceway for three years airing over the Winter months. This gave sprint cars a LOT of air time and hooked in a bunch of fans, I am guessing.

Now, 20 some odd years later, with the exception of the WoO Sprints tape delayed on the old Outdoor Channel 7-8 years ago, which, in my opinion, was GREAT, this well has run dry. There is nothing out there to reel new fans in. Sure, you have the end of the year stuff at the Dirt Track at Charlotte, but there is no Knoxville Nationals or Chili Bowl live coverage anymore, no Thunder, no Winter series, etc.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

I was thinking about this this morning again, and as much as I said it was up to the fans to co-promote, I think it is equally up to any supporters and sponsors of a track, driver, etc.

We all see the banners, billlboards, etc with the local business that advertise there. Wether or not that the $$ has long since been spent and the billboard just hasnt been taken down, thats another story. But, what about a small display in the parking lot of the local donut shop, or breakfast cafe on saturday morning? Driver meet and greet, see the cars, ask questions, etc. Offer 2 bucks off admission with the purchase of a dozen donuts.

That puts the promoting into the sponsors and supporters hands. Draws attention from someone who's possibly never been.

Maybe instead of bringing people to the track to see the cars and stars, bring some out to the people.

Then you've got an incentive to have a clean car on Saturday morning, and hey, maybe a flashy looking car to catch the eyes of the mom and dad and kid out to take the dog for a grooming. They pull over to grab a donut and see the 'weird thing with that big fin on top'. Or that 'dune buggy looking car'. Later that night, they go to their local track. Mom enjoys the family time. Dad likes the chili dog and beer. Kid loves the racing. After the checkers, they see the same car that they saw that morning, in the pits. Muddy, driver in the firesuit. Dad buys a shirt for the kid. Driver signs the shirt, kid smiles, parents smile... Happliy ever after. Then dad goes to work, and talks up the racing, cold beer, bomb food, etc. Kid wears the shirt to school, talks about the racer he got the autograph from. Mom's happy that she didnt get dust in her hair, how much fun her husband and son had. Those 3 now told 3 more people. They ALL come back the next week. Now with a driver to cheer for. 3 more beers, 3 more shirts.. the ball continues to roll...

I think we've all at one point or another relied solely on the promoter to put butts in the seats, when with a little effort on everyone's part, we all have an oppourtunity to grow the sport.

Attached is a picture of our booth. We have set up booths over 35 nights this summer mostly county fairs, businesses, and music events. Talked to hundreds of thousands of people and handed out lots of free tickets....in doing so we have gotten a lot of new fans. It's takes a lot of time, effort and long days. But you got to get out there and work for it. The days of just opening the gates are gone and have been for years. I challenge all other tracks to do the same.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

:22::23::42:::24::41::

Great work Dave. We are doing something similar at our tracks over here in Illinois. Reorganizing our outreach to try to be present at community events, gatherings, parades etc. We really haven't done a good job at that in the past. It is going to take the support of teams and fans to help with some of that.

Over the past few weeks I've spent a lot of time studying Minor League Baseball marketing. I think it's a good comparison. 20 years ago Minor League baseball was about dead. Now it is thriving. They really don't have a baseball product to sell because no-one knows their players. Instead, they sell a fun experience with a family friendly environment, top-notch facilities, community outreach and creative promotions.

I think there's a lot to learn from Minor League baseball. I certainly haven't learned it yet, but heading into 2015 it's going to be the cornerstone of our marketing efforts at our tracks in Illinois. We will see what happens.

Originally Posted by mc/rider:
I very clearly remember $4.00 a gallon in 2008

Sorry to get back to those pesky facts again but on November 8th 2008 the national avg for a gallon of no lead was $1.75. Yes it was more then that before that date in august but the past 5 years it has never stayed that much for years like it has. The weak dollar and epa are 2 of many reasons why. Wait till they finish the coal industry with regulation.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Originally Posted by racer-x:
Sorry to get back to those pesky facts again but on November 8th 2008 the national avg for a gallon of no lead was $1.75. Yes it was more then that before that date in august but the past 5 years it has never stayed that much for years like it has. The weak dollar and epa are 2 of many reasons why. Wait till they finish the coal industry with regulation.

I guess you forgot the economy collapsed in 2008.

http://www.politifact.com/texas/stat...ng-gas-prices/

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Originally Posted by racer-x:
Sorry to get back to those pesky facts again but on November 8th 2008 the national avg for a gallon of no lead was $1.75. Yes it was more then that before that date in august but the past 5 years it has never stayed that much for years like it has. The weak dollar and epa are 2 of many reasons why. Wait till they finish the coal industry with regulation.

Racer

It is no longer considered to be politically correct to say, "IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID!!" ;):5:

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Originally Posted by racer-x:
Sorry to get back to those pesky facts again but on November 8th 2008 the national avg for a gallon of no lead was $1.75. Yes it was more then that before that date in august but the past 5 years it has never stayed that much for years like it has. The weak dollar and epa are 2 of many reasons why. Wait till they finish the coal industry with regulation.

Racer

It is no longer considered to be politically correct to say, "IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID!!" ;):5:

I will have to admit that Dave is doing what it takes up at the Burg, but it is a lot of work "Getting the word out". You can do it with a lot of money or a lot of extra time. Give the boy scout troop free tickets, how about the little league teams, to addict them first you got to let them involved.

Heck give them a coupon for free "pop corn", make your money back on the "pop".

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Originally Posted by DAD:
Racer
Heck give them a coupon for free "pop corn", make your money back on the "pop".
Honest Dad himself:6::6:

A somewhat controversial topic, but how about loosening up and letting the fans bring in their own food and beer? Hartford Speedway re-opened this year and got rid of the "No BYOB" policy that was put into effect a few years back in an attempt to chip the crowd out of more money. Things went sideways from there on out.

All three times I have been to Hartford Speedway this year the crowds have been huge. I am sure the crowd for this Friday's SOD Sprint race will be right up there, too. Good for them, too. Good promoting. Good fan interaction. Win-win.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Hey Racer X get away from ******** and just look at racing. When racing has thrived historically have been in tough times. That is a fact. When midgets were king it was when our country was recovering from the depression and 2 World wars. How much was gas then? I bet it tripled by the seventies, yet things were pretty good. The cost to compete I think also has a lot to do with it. Dirt is doing better than pavement right now, but that could always change. Not everything is political, including common sense

To get back to those pesky facts gas was over $4.00 per gallon in the summer of 2008 and only was down for a very short period of time. Gas price in 1980 was $1.25 and in today's money that translates to about $3.50 per gallon. Gas price in 2008 is a bit of a red herring anyway. If the economy is to blame for poor attendance then every short track that is struggling might as well fold. There is no dramatic turn around in the economy on the horizon. To simply blame the economy is to give up. The two guys who have commented that are running tracks have it right. It is about promotion and meeting the need the consumer has. I don't have the answers or I would be buying a track. My fear is that the hard core fan may not like what it will take to get butts in the seats. We may be too set in our ways.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk:
When midgets were king it was when our country was recovering from the depression and 2 World wars. Not everything is political, including common sense

One big difference Mr. Funk. We are headed into a depression not out of one. Those in touch with the truth know it. Those that believe the media are going to get a big surprise. That isn't meant to be political, that my friend is common sense.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Originally Posted by Stevensville Mike:
I agree that all are good points here. One more thing I am going to interject is TV coverage. Back in the 80s, USAC got a lot of coverage out of Thursday Night Thunder and subsequently Saturday Night Thunder. In the early to mid 90s, TNN had the Slick 50 Sprint Car World Series from Manazanita and then Canyon Raceway for three years airing over the Winter months. This gave sprint cars a LOT of air time and hooked in a bunch of fans, I am guessing.

Now, 20 some odd years later, with the exception of the WoO Sprints tape delayed on the old Outdoor Channel 7-8 years ago, which, in my opinion, was GREAT, this well has run dry. There is nothing out there to reel new fans in. Sure, you have the end of the year stuff at the Dirt Track at Charlotte, but there is no Knoxville Nationals or Chili Bowl live coverage anymore, no Thunder, no Winter series, etc.

Back in the 80s and early 90s when we had sprints and midgets on TV I got 8 to 9 guys to watch it and they came in to work talking about how kool and good the racing was so I asked them about going to see it live and everyone of them said samething Why should I pay to get in when I see it for free? I tried explaineing why but I never got them to go

I think mike makes a good point about how the TV races helped promote short track racing. Mav TV is doing a great job of it now, but not everyone has it. To his point, when the outlaws were on TV was back in the time they built the dirt track in joliet. The first woo race there was almost standing room. They never duplicated that crowd. Why? A lot of first timers came and got covered in dust, so the sport we love kinda shot itself in the foot. That said i don't think they would have filled it up the first time had not the TV races drawn interest.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Just for the record, I have spent a good portion of my free time studying attendance and trying to help promote racing. This is only what I have found, and may be different from other places. I feel that many other thing are having a worse effect than the economy. On any given Sunday at Kokomo 75 to 80% of those in attendance come from at least 50 miles away. If gas prices were the only problem, I don't think it would be that way. Not saying it is not a factor, just that it is a lot more to it than that. I am always amazed when ever I return from a race anywhere, and there are pages of people on this site who did not attend, but lived pretty close to the track. Didn't have that in the old days.

Re: Regional speedways all facing major challenges
 

Don't ya think social media has had a big influence on that, I know in the late 40's up thru the late 70's, even further into the 80's, best ya had was a "land line", couldn't keep many informed that way, then along came the cell phone, internet, tweet, twitter and no telling what else, I know myself, I like to be able to just peek in, and see what's going on, I no longer have the income I had a few years ago, I spent it all on racing, now I only get to indulge when it's close by, I mean within 20-30 miles, almost like it was when mom and dad could only go once a week, to Columbus, to see a race, we had 2 choices, Thursday nite at the 25th Street Fairgrounds, or the "Pit" on Sundays, just off 7 at the East edge of Columbus, both about the same distance from our house, 15 miles or so, one way. That also was an effect of the economy. Bob