Thoughts on creating new fans
 

After another great ISW I have invited friends for Smackdown. They have their tickets and plan on bringing their RV. Now some comments derived from this year's ISW as to how to get them to come back for more-

1. Please have an adequate PA System. Terre Haute terrible, Kokomo needs improvement, most others fine. To us who are dyed in the wool fans this may not seem important, but to a new fan it is critical they be informed and entertained as to driver name, program format, etc.

2. Start on time, be prepared to adjust program if weather threatens.

3. Track prep was great at every ISW facility, yes Terre Haute has room for improvement. Heavy is best, dust a downer.

4. Fans, please use seat saving in a considerate way. If you have saved enough room for 10 people and only 4 show up, remove your tape, blanket, etc. so others may utilize the space. They also paid admission.

5. Continue to upgrade rest room facilities. This is often a new fan killer.

6. Provide out of car driver intros. on track for feature event. (Weather and time permitting)

7. Announcers hype the driver bio, and play by play the race over the PA.

Going to try leave all the rain in Florida before heading for another great Smackdown!:)

Get rid of the seat saving all together. Go to the reserved seating like TSS and Eldora. If I was a new fan and had to sit low and have dirt clods in my face. Probably not coming back. How does a new fan know that he has to be at the track 8 hours in advance to get a good seat?

Re: Thoughts on creating new fans
 

Originally Posted by captrat:
7. Announcers hype the driver bio, and play by play the race over the PA.

Not sure I agree with the play by play while under green. I know I sure as heck can't make out anything the announcer is saying when there is 20 sprinters zinging around at full song.

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Why do the play-by-play over the sound system when the races are running? You can't understand a word being said, you just hear the screaming.

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No Seat Saving of any kind at any time. List a gates open time, stick to it. Reserved seating is prevalent in every type of event, have that and a good bit of general admission. Seat saving kills it for many, many first timers and even for some that have the racing sickness. Promoters that allow this have no clue how much damage and ill will this causes, most unfortunately don’t care.

Inform the poor first timer sitting in the first few rows that they are about to be annihilated. Use signage and announcing, a track person walking the grandstands talking to people, informing them. Should always have some representative in sight of the fans. This person should NOT be Uncle Charlie but someone with some people skills that enjoys what they do. Teenage kids, from the pits or track would be good for this. Let them in free for this. Track shirt, nice pants, you know, what anyone in their right mind would wear – presenting a friendly face of the operation. Think about it!

Rope off a part of the pits, park 10 cars and have ALL the drivers there for 1 hour. Advertise this. School the drivers on treating kid’s right. Give out some shirts, hero cars and other crap. Have some pop to hand out. Stickers. Mandatory or you go back 4 rows.

Announcers. For god’s sake shut up during the racing. Give good solid info before the green. Follow up with finishing order and any pertinent info. Explain hot laps, qualifying, heat races, line ups and so on right before that particular deal hits the track – before the engines fire. People in the stands do not need nonstop ear splitting blather; give it a rest at times. If you going to play some music, keep that to a level that people do not have to shout over it. The announcer and sound system can make or break it for a new fan and has chased off many potential fans.

Spin outs, stopping on the track, wrecks, running in the track. All this has to be done with some sense of urgency yet over and over it is not. You must keep the show going.

Do as much as possible for the kids in attendance. Make them feel a part of it and make them want to come back. Something needs to be done to allow access to the racers and cars after the event. This goes all the way to running a quick show and making team participation mandatory.

I fully realize what these track owners and promoters are up against. W/O these hard working risk takers were all in trouble. However, I feel that the fact that there may be new fans, fans with kids and such sitting in the stands is lost on the track personnel. This should be in the front of the mind not the back.

Scan the grandstands, lots of gray hair. We need new blood in this thing and we need it now. Much of how we are going to do that starts with the basics.

Originally Posted by Wingman:
Get rid of the seat saving all together. Go to the reserved seating like TSS and Eldora. If I was a new fan and had to sit low and have dirt clods in my face. Probably not coming back. How does a new fan know that he has to be at the track 8 hours in advance to get a good seat?

The fan arriving at 3 or 4 and purchasing their ticket should be seated until the program starts?

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Don't run 7 classes! 3 at the most. Get them in, put on a great show. Let them go home happy! At a good time!

Announcers view here, I do the play by play because there are video crews filming the races and those who listen on the FM transmitters can listen in as well. I tried to make the event at Bloomington as interactive as possible with all of the trivia before the races and with all the giveaways. It's always good to interact with the fans. I just wish I got to do it a little more during the show. Everything is always a work in progress.

I have to agree, a good P.A. And good announcer makes the whole night more enjoyable. Note to L.Burg announcer. You need to stop screaming the drivers names for the line-ups, as the green flag drops. WE CAN'T HEAR YOU! Also it is very interesting if the announcer can relay a little behind the scenes info on the drivers and teams. We want you to know more about them than we do. Help entertain us, during track prep, or down time. Also, if you want new fans to come back, it has to move along without too much down time. There needs to be something to do during track prep, etc. a interview with a retired driver, like a Butch Wilkerson, with some stories and racing history helps pass the time. Promotors need to promote their product for the whole time we are there.

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Announcers.... yeah.... LOTS of work to be done there. One of my pet peeves for YEARS.

Tell the fans before hand how many cars advance out of the heats, how many go to the redraw, and who is in what car PRIOR to cars taking to the track. Nothing like trying to hear an announcer spending 1-1.5 minutes telling who the sponsors are, the car number, etc., and THEN who the driver is as someone gasses it on the front stretch and drowns out the most important part.

Look at the field if they are on the track for crying out loud and don't even BOTHER to speak if the field is gassing it to catch the pace car/truck. If someone gasses it while you are speaking, REPEAT what you just said.

Here is a good learning tool: Sit about 4-5 rows below the booth and announce - in the stands. Now.... see if YOU can hear yourself when you speak.

You think this would be easy.... but it goes on and on, race after race, at track after track. I could do it EASILY myself if I had the time to announce.

Here is another tidbit that helps: Lineup sheets. Send a few 50/50 girls out pre race and pass them out, charge a buck.... whatever. Bring THOSE to the fans. With transfer spot numbers, etc. It does not take long to type them up, make copies, and go.

With all of that, you have captured the attention of all new fans and they do not have to look around confused as to what is going on in the heats.

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Just having a sheet with drivers names and numbers on it would be helpful. It was standard procedure to do this 50 years ago but now it's too much trouble. I don't get it. Charge 50 cents per sheet or a buck so the fans know who is on the track whether they can hear the announcer or not.

I agree with the line up sheet. With today's technology it wouldn't be difficult to do. If the track wants to give them away for free, that would be great. If they feel the need to charge a small fee, that would work also. Just make them available !!!!

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I have heard announcers who don't have a clue about what they are even talking about, such as guy had Jon Stanbrough from 5 different cities in one night. Another night called his fellow announcer by wrong name twice in one night and they have worked togather 5 6 years. He goes to the pits and writes down drivers and cars I think but maybe not cuz he still gets wrong drivers in wrong cars. He also rambles on and on , be great if he rested his voice just for 5 minutes :7:

Gotta make it cheaper to bring kids. Charging an 11 or 12 child 25 bucks to get in is crazy. I'm not saying it needs to be free but 5-10 bucks is more than fair.

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How about an APP like Race Monitor but track specific, put the line ups, driver and car info on that.
I know everyone does not have a smart phone but many do.
As to the line up sheets, if you charged .25 you would be making $ after the cost of the printer is realized.

I use twitter while at the track to get line ups or who is driving what. Drivers like ballou,Shuman and Bacons wife give me info then an announcer. When it comes to saving seats yes this has got out of control IMO. To many blankets down but no butts in them!!

Baylands out in California used to sell a program each week, for a buck or two, that had pictures of the drivers and cars that were there on a somewhat regular basis or were likely to show up. It probably had 40 drivers or so shown in it. It made it really easy to identify the cars if you had not been there before. It also had adds for the track sponsors, a page for autographs and some pretty cool pictures of race action. There was also a loose page for writing down qualification times and if I remember correctly, the sheet also gave a run down of the night's format. I might still have one somewhere. It would be pretty easy for a track to do these for not a lot of money.

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Seat saving should be done away with. Some put down big coolers and you can't even get in the rows..or out for that matter. I saw people had blankets to save seats infront and behind them so no one would sit there...like a buffer zone...good grief. It is a safety hazard, especially at some of these tracks that have 8 inch wide vintage board bleachers. You have to be half monkey to get in or out of your seats.

Terre Haute has real rest rooms and people appreciate it, I don't think a track should be able to serve food or drink if the rest rooms are not functional, lack supplies or close to being clean. With tracks charging $25 a head to get in some improvements should be possible.

Race announcing is a lost art. We get tired of hearing faked excitement and screaming and probably 95% of the crowd could care less of endlessly hearing what Chassis, shocks, motor, tires and goofy nickname chanted in a 3 second blurb, every time a drivers name is mentioned. Seems the announcing is always good at DuQuoin.

It is hard go get folks we invite to make a second trip mainly due to dusty tracks.
Someone needs to hold a seminar and invite the Knoxville track prep crew to do a class.

With the admission price being 20-25 dollars customer service needs to be much improved, along with driver pay, but thats another topic.

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Cut the width of both rear tires in half - would do wonders for non wing racing in many, many ways.

The announcer can make or break the events for the evening. I can't stand going to a new track and not knowing who is in what car and when the announcer fails to inform the fans who is who it sucks. Saving seats has to change, people now a days have no respect for other fans and it's driving off fans who aren't diehards. Restrooms need to be clean and functional. I don't mind porta johns but if you are gonna have them make sure they are clean and stocked. Concessions also need to be affordable and have what is on your menu. Tracks also need to be kid friendly if kids like the experience they will bug their parents to come back. Lastly promoters and track personnel need to use the time wisely younger people's attention span isn't very long and if they lose interest for even a short period of time the probably won't be back. Most tracks I have attended do a pretty good job with most all of the things I mentioned.

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One way is to bring new fans with you. My nephew lives in TN and was visiting last month. I took him to Kokomo for a race. He really enjoyed and ask me where the closest track to him was. I told him it was 3.5 hours from the Sprintweek finale at Haubstadt. He brought 3 friends and they had a blast. He called me Thursday and told me they were planning on coming to Kokomo for the last 2 nights of The Smackdown. Take someone and show them the ropes and they will have a good time.

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You can blame pa's announcers etc all you want but the times I took people that wanted to and do go again, some regular went with me and I informed them of who was who, what was what and who was hot or not. Even made pick a winner a game with them in each race and purposefully chose one not likely to win.

The times I took newbies that didn't want to come back were late running shows period. The kids were having fun early but after 10 all they wanted to do was go home. Heck one of em the feature didn't fire till 11:15

Take em, Thats the main thing, Not everythings in control but some will like it. Some won't.

Ban smoking inside the entire spectator area or at the very least desinate a smoking area.

I used to smoke and believed that anyone complaining about my smoking was a fool just looking for something to complain about.

I now apologize for being such a selfish jerk to all the folks that were forced to inhale my second hand smoke for so many years. It pains me to think of how many people sitting around me up in the stands that I inconsiderately dampened their evening at the races over the years.

I used to purchase reserve seating at every event when available but since I stopped smoking I do not opt for reserve anymore because I cant just up and move if my family gets stuck seated near a smoker.

I also wonder how many "first time" fans I personally turned away from attending short track racing simply because of second hand smoke.

I understand the air quality at a race track isn't all that pure but cigarette smoke is simply not acceptable at sporting venues anymore along with most other entertainment venues.

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A lot of good points on this thread. The really frustrating thing is most of these can be done with no to little money from the promoters, and a couple ideas will actually generate money. My thoughts:

- Start on time. Run the show with urgency. Have a self imposed curfew. It is amazing that the shows with a curfew are always done on time.
- Track prep. Work the track during the week so you do not have to farm it on the race night. I am almost as a point where I will leave once I see a tractor hit the track. Also, it is called a dirt track not a dust track. As a long time fan, I have a hard time with dust bowls. What do we think brand new fans will think?
- Saving seats. Do away with it. The worst I ever saw was during a Hell Tour event. Some people associated with a team went into the stands when they arrived when the back gate opened, and put down a blanket. I saw people sit on the blanket twice. Once during a heat, and once during the main event. The driver broke early in the main event, and the people got up and left. At Devil's Bowl, they have a reserved seat section at the track. If you want to sit in the main grandstand in front of the flagger, you have to pay a couple of bucks more to sit in this section. If the promoters could do this at their track, they could actually make more money off of the people all ready at the track.
- Announcers. I am indifferent to the announcers screaming during the races. However, they better be prepared before and after the races. I expect to hear the drivers names and numbers. I want to know the transfer spots. I want to know the number of laps. Finally, do not be afraid of some down time. I do not need someone talking to me for four hours straight.
- Family sections. Create a family section that is no drinking and no smoking. While I grew up in a house of smokers, my children never have. When they get behind a smoker, it really impacts the quality of the night. The same way with drunks. I do not get drunk in front of my children, and I really do not want them to see you drunk acting like a fool.
-The fallacy of social media advertising. While social media is important, it should not be your primary form of advertising. Only the hard core fans follow you on Facebook. Only the hard core fans follow you on Twitter. Only the hard core fans visit IOW. If you are only directing your message to your hard core fans how are ever going to get new fans?

Re: Thoughts on creating new fans
 

Found this video on another message board. It is about a new track that the Edwards family in DFW are planning on operating. A lot of the things that are mentioned in this thread is addressed by Lanny Ross Edwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gzH...layer_embedded

Interesting video and you would think if they can keep the dust down in Texas they certainly should be able to in Indiana.

Re: Thoughts on creating new fans
 

Originally Posted by Chris Nunn:
Announcers view here, I do the play by play because there are video crews filming the races and those who listen on the FM transmitters can listen in as well. I tried to make the event at Bloomington as interactive as possible with all of the trivia before the races and with all the giveaways. It's always good to interact with the fans. I just wish I got to do it a little more during the show. Everything is always a work in progress.

Chris

I like your idea on interactive announcing to coordinate with the video people.

In the winter we attend a lot of plays. As a convenience to their patrons who I assume are racers also and have lost most of their hearing they offer head sets so that we may also hear clearly the actors presenting their lines. Up until the time that I tried these things I didn't know how deaf I was. They actually helped me to enjoy the play.

Why not set up a concession to rent headphones/ear protectors for the fans. Make it reasonably>>number the headphones>>charge a couple of dollars rent for the night and secure them with drivers a license. Offer them for sale also for the regulars. Then the newbie as well as the regular would have the opportunity to listen to your play by play as well as the informative info on the drivers and class racing on the track. Racing is kind of hard for the novice fan to figure out, We don't we offer them a lot more information like TV does. This could only help crowd become involved in the action. What is a slide job where is the cushion who is on a winning streak who are the rivals. The modern day fan watches most of their races on TV so when they show up for a short track experience they are like fish out of water.

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

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This was my first ISW. I WILL be back. The comments on saving seats is right on. My son and I weren't up to speed on this. Never have seen this anywhere else but Indiana and I've been to races in six states. I have it figured out now and will prepare next year. We went to the second half and the only complaint was Terre Haute being a little dry. But a small complaint as we LOVED being in the infield.
I'd agree with the comments about bringing folks to the races and explain to them what is going on. Best way to sell it.
This trip to ISW was a graduation gift for my son. He and his brothers have been going to Kville and tracks at surrounding states since they were two. (I let them get potty trained first) My son sent texts, tweets and whatever the hell these kids do now with their phones to his brothers who, are demanding a trip to ISW 16. Who am I to argue?

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Chris

Maybe something like this? http://raceceiver.com/fusionplusdoub...anpackage.aspx

Have a separate channel for the announcer and the old pros cold also tune into the tracks channel for that added little bit of entertainment.:5:

This would be a great concession opportunity for that over worked and underpaid announcer to help supplement his salary. And if he knew that entertaining his public was at stake he would probably also work on his presentation. Wonder if they make these headphones as a single piece package?

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

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What I hear from fans on the left coast is do not drag the show out & no dust storms , to a lesser extent but more relevant to more potential hard core fans & participants is running the engines & technology they are familiar with !

I've heard this from smarter people than me(Tim Clauson) run the sprint car feature last so the new fans and kids can get in the pits before the guys are loaded up and gone.

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Another thing for the new (and old) fans: The non-wing drivers do a good job overall putting the driver's name on the sun screen atop the front bar. Sometimes it is hard to read due to the fonts, mud, angle, etc., but at least it is a step in the right direction.

How about a side board of some kind, or even getting the drivers to expand and highlight their names on the SIDE of the car for the fans? That, in itself, would be a one time shot/investment for all drivers. Lots of them already have their names on the sides, but you need binoculars from the stands to read them.

Lots of good ideas in this thread. Thanks for starting it. Let's hope we can get new fans to come to the tracks.

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Originally Posted by Joey Woods:
Ban smoking inside the entire spectator area or at the very least designate a smoking area.

I took my 4 year old to his 1st race this year at Kokomo during ISW. And unfortunately the man two rows below us was smoking as fast as I was breathing and blowing right in our faces. It got so bad I had to call his mother to come and get him after the heat races were over. So I agree either no smoking in the stands or have a certain section for them to be.

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Just my ten cents worth, but this is a new age, good or bad, most kids, and I'm not excluding anyone under the age of 50, just aren't into it, if they can't text all day, and more than half the night, what it is worth, it's gonna take a huge prybar to get them off the phone, and to a racetrack, then I'm not sure it would work. Here's what I notice, the kids eat more than the older folks, why not drop the admission a bit more, and make it up at the concession stand, I know, who's payin, well, who else, Dad, grandpa, but you can bet it isn't the kid, I don't know who to try and attract, I know when I got out of the Service in 1963, it was all a mystery, nothing I saw was being advertised, and that was long before mobile phones, and tweet and twitter, if Dad doesn't take you, or a good friend asks you to go, you probably aren't going to discover it, it's just not the thing anymore, too many other things that take up that time, school stick and ball stuff, danged near 24-7, and weekend games, some clear out of state, meaning no one left to go, it's a tough nut to crack, the competition is new age, beats me, I hate to say it, but it seems to me the interest just isn't there anymore. Sad! Bob

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Originally Posted by wcbrock02:
I took my 4 year old to his 1st race this year at Kokomo during ISW. And unfortunately the man two rows below us was smoking as fast as I was breathing and blowing right in our faces. It got so bad I had to call his mother to come and get him after the heat races were over. So I agree either no smoking in the stands or have a certain section for them to be.

There is no smoking allowed in the stands at Willims Grove.

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Originally Posted by wcbrock02:
I took my 4 year old to his 1st race this year at Kokomo during ISW. And unfortunately the man two rows below us was smoking as fast as I was breathing and blowing right in our faces. It got so bad I had to call his mother to come and get him after the heat races were over. So I agree either no smoking in the stands or have a certain section for them to be.

WC

You know had the Government done half as good job on propaganda on drugs as they did on cigarets we would not be having a drug problem at this time. SECOND HAND SMOKE yeh when I was 4 years old I would get terrible ear aches and the only thing that make it stop hurting was my dad gentling blowing that smoke into my ears. Don't buy into all the Government sponsored research because the researcher have a stake on how it come out.

I am with Bob on ticket price and available new fans. Ticket price is a lot like choosing a gear ratio. You need to be low enough to fill most of the seats and high enough to make a profit. We experiment with gear ratios Maybe track owners should experiment with ticket price. Usually it takes several laps to know if we went in the right direction the same holds true with ticket price.

Get that kid some ear protection I could have used some many years ago. If a guy is smoking like a freight train move. When I quit smoking I was going through 4 to 5 packs a day and I thought since the had raised the price from 35cents to 40 cents that I just wasn't going to spend that kind of money to make my self sick. All without the help of the Government. Also since I quit I can't take the smoke either but the second hand bull I haven't bought.

In another year he will be old enough to race Quarter Midgets and you can solve your problem. I think they still have a track in Kokomo. Try to find it and take him to a Quarter Midget race.


Honest Dad himself:6::6:

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Originally Posted by DAD:
Ticket price is a lot like choosing a gear ratio. You need to be low enough to fill most of the seats and high enough to make a profit.

:8:

THAT is a classic comparison! Nail hit right on head!

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Colder beer!:22::22:

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Stevensville Mike has a few great ideas - I do wish there was a better way to identify the cars/drivers - Announcers should not assume everyone knows who is in the cars - the biggest one that bugs me is not knowing who someone is - trying to catch their name during qualifying - and they only say it once - and that is when they are going by on the front straight - the idea to have the 50/50 person sell driver/car lists is excellent - I take a list with me - but there are WAY too many different cars to get them all - always have a few guys I am not sure of.

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Give someone free admission have a laptop with printer , make driver list sell them for a buck and the person doing the work can keep the money. All the fans want is a driver name and number list. Eldora sells list every week always a line of fans wanting to buy.