Illiana closed for 2016
 

Heard on the local radio that Illiana Speedway in Schererville, Indiana wont be opening this year. They said rainouts , the owner having health issues ,small crowds and social media were big factors..
Best memories were when Sheldon Kinser flipped over the back stretch wall when I was a pup. Also Usac put on a great weekday sprint car night race with packed stands a few years ago.. Also the South shore 100 in the new silver crown series was a good one.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Sorry to another track close. I think in is funny how many tracks say "social media" is one of the reasons they are closing. My business has stopped all print and radio advertising and markets now 90% on social media. ROI has be way better. Perhaps is these track were ran better people would not trash them on social media. Just a thought.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

remember vogler running sideways around the place in jack steck's #74...

Social media? How about advertising! Usac ran there a couple of years ago and they only had a 3x5 marquee sign out advertising it. Try and find it doing 45mph on US30 and its 50ft from the road.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

I posted an article on the IndianaSprintCarNews twitter feed the other day from the Chicago Tribune. The article made it seem that if a new buyer came into the picture they could race this year and said there were a few interested parties trying to make it happen.

As far as the social media playing a part the current owner said in the article it was all the negativity around the track that helped kill it by driving down the attendance.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

That must have been the PRA race. That was the only time I ever was there. It was a good race.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Attendance has been awful the last few years and I don't know why. It is a really nice track (considering it is paved and the cars have fenders!) and the owner poured a ton of money into it after he bought from the original owner. I was there for the last race last year, the Bettenhausen, which has always been one of the premier races. The car count was decent, around 24 or 25 late models and the the race was decent. I was shocked at how few fans were in the stands when I left the pits to watch the feature! The stands were literally empty!

The following Saturday night was a demolition derby and school bus races and I happened to be driving home down Route 30 around 5:30 PM. The parking lot (which is very large) was full to capacity and traffic was backed up in both directions on Route 30! So, it is obvious the people know the track is there.

It seems to me there is no interest in pavement racing because Plymouth is an hour away and the switch from pavement to dirt seems to have breathed new life into that place.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

I don't know what can save it. It is the closest track to greater Chicago land since the Great Raceway Park went the way of the way of the buffalo, but nobody cares. I was just blown away by all the people at that stupid demolition derby bus race thing. If someone bought it and dug up the asphalt, I am sure they would get closed down by the homeowners around it. Nobody comes to see the pavement races. It is just a shame.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

I am sure my opinion will not be popular with many on this board, but here goes. If social media was not hurting, why does everyone who shuts down say it effected their decision? Wouldn't they know more than anyone?
I think everyone involved in racing does it for the love of the sport. Car owners do not make money, but try to minimize losses. Its the same with racetracks. maybe a guy loses $3000 dollars on a night when weather is threatening and the next day all they see is people complaining. After a while you say heck with this, it ain't worth it. Anyone who says that wouldn't effect them should go buy a track and show everyone how it is done.
If you don't think a lot of people stay home and use social media to follow the action. There are a few people who have sought out internet fame by trying to out do others at updates. If anyone is interested, I would like to try an experiment. There are roughly 3200 members of this board. On any race night, simply say if you are going, or staying home and keeping up on the computer.
There are always going to be reasons, and no one can attend every race, but I think it would be interesting to see how many people actually don't go at all. Just a thought, and I will be the first to admit that last year I worked 27 Saturdays and really hurt in getting to as many as I wanted. Anyone interested?
As for the old coyote, I think you are right pavement seems to hurting everywhere. Sad

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Went there in the late 80's for an ARTGO race that featured most of the ASA stars at the time. Great race and enjoyed the place. I dont do much pavement these days but I hope someone can save the place.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Ohhhhhhh....... saw a few good ones at Illiana back in the last decade, or so. Saw a 17 (or maybe 18) year old Brian Vickers win a Hooters Pro Cup race there. And as stated earlier in the thread, when ASA was in their heyday before Steve Dale destroyed it, those were some good races at Illiana.

Social media my -ss. You treat people right and don't give them a reason to complain and everything will take care of itself. Do you think Kokomo or Bloomington have a social media problem? You know why? I'll give you one guess.

If tracks have a prob with social media..... well..... maybe they deserve it.

On the other hand, the track can also USE social media to benefit themselves and their position. Promoting.... rebuttal.... the proper spin....

But in all honesty, I do not need social media to turn me on or off about a place. I pretty much know it from past history. I am the fan. I have the $$$. Do me right and all will fall into place for all.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Actually one of the reasons given in an article in Sprint and Midget by the Miles family when they quit promoting Bloomington was social media. In my opinion there were no nicer people than them.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Is 30 the only way in & out of Illiana ? Been by the place several times when I go to Sauk Village.

Yes

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

I could see where that would be mess getting into & out of but there is not a lot of lights right around there.

I live 15 minutes away from Illiana. For me it's more that they race stock cars, as opposed to any other reason I don't go. Big picture, I think it's more dirt vs asphalt. As Mr Funk and others have said, pavement is hurting. I have to say, Illiana is a pretty much follow the leader kind of track. It got better after the resurfacing, but still mostly one lane. I hope it somehow stays open, and I hate to disagree with Nathan, but the answer is to plow it up. Make it a special event track that runs 8 or 10 events a year. The neighbors wouldn't be quite as pissed off not running every week, and all the big draws could race there. Both woo series, all of usac divisions could run there, Lucas oil late models. All these groups have one thing in common, DIRT!

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

To Blazes with the neighbors! The track opened in 1947 when the area was rural. The neighbors chose to build or buy houses near an operating race track, then wanted the race track to go away. If people do not like living next to a race track, why do they buy or build houses there? The heck with them!

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Yeah, I feel the same on that topic, sp33dy. I remember a few years back outside of South Bend there was this housing sub-division petitioning their local board members because of a very malodorous hog farm a few miles away. Same situation - the hog farm was there long before the houses. The builders sold the buyers on being "out of the city and in the country". They hit that nail right on the head.

Now, in Illiana's case..... this might not be part of it but I can remember 20 years, or so, ago when Hartford Speedway first reopened, as dirt, the city of Hartford has a curfew agreement with the track. No heats starting after 11:00 p.m...... or maybe it was midnight. I cannot remember. But said curfew was broken many times and this lead to bad interaction between the city, citizens, and track owner. Anyone who went to the Wolverine Nationals Midget Event there the one year will also say it lead to bad interaction between the track owner and FANS, too. All all day event with a 40 lap feature cut short by the curfew. But this was all track prep fault.

So, in a curfew case, I could see the neighbors' beef. But when it comes to buying and selling a house, anyone with any experience will tell you location is everything.

Is that Hooters restaurant still on the corner on I-65 and US-30?

Yes the Hooters is still there.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

None of my business, but my 2 cents worth, people who complain, continue to complain, making it a special event deal once in a while, I don't think would make it any different, things have changed, and people have different reasons for what they like and don't like, the more they could run it, would over time, the folks would become to adjust to it, and it would be a part of their life, they've had the same problems at a lot of tracks, and the best answer is to just keep on keepin on, Brownstown, Bloomington, Twin Cities in my area have all faced the same thing, Columbus being the only one that has succumbed to the grief brought on by complainers, they stopped the racing at the 25th Street Fairgrounds track years ago, in favor of a Shopping Mall, guess what, the Mall is failing. Some times you just have to adjust! Bob

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Social media does not always mean "negative" comments about the track. When people can get results within seconds, why go to the track? They can see video high-lights usually within hours. Some cases, they can watch the racing live on their phone. Simply put, there just is not as much incentive to go to the track like there was 20 years ago.

Combine that with the negative feedback, it can be frustrating. Before facebook, and message boards, people grumbled about the track in the race shops. Now they grumble for the world to see. weather it is deserved criticism or not, most people can only handle so much. They put a ton of time, and money in to something they love, only to be torn down by a few ass hats. Awesome facility or not, you have to have some pretty thick skin to deal with some of that stuff. yes, it does affect attendance. A first time fan is going to look online for some information before they go. If all they see is negative crap, they most likely will change their mind.

It takes a pretty special place to survive in today's world.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Pavement racing I'm sure is fun, but watching it is like watching paint dry.
If a dirt track gets paved over you know the end is near. (usually)
My beloved Flemington Fairgrounds Speedway got encroached upon by civilization and they paved it as a last resort. Nobody cared or came. If you never seen Flemington dust you aint seen dust. It was a combo of great black clay and calcium. At the end of the night everything was coated thick and everyone looked like raccoons because most had googles on.
Its a lowes or home depo now. I remember goin past and stopping one time where the track stood previously. As I was sitting there feeling like crying a carload of old dudes pulled up and all of them had tears in there eyes, pretty crazy all these years later. (I might be tearing up right now) lol.
Sucks losing a track, especially a pretty fairgrounds like Flemington was.
Looks like were losing our racetrack, I don't believe Champion Speedway is going to open.
No Speedwaybikes \ no fun :7:

I've been to plenty of paved racetracks. There are 3 that stand out as a track I would travel to see a pavement race. Winchester, Salem, and possibly the most scary of them all the gone but not forgotten Dayton. I've seen other good asphalt shows but I have no idea why anyone would prefer it to dirt unless it's the dust factor, and the on track action more than makes up for it. Back to the topic, and I don't want to be labeled as the guy who is using social media to bad mouth the track but Illiana, while I want to give full marks to the current ownership, is not the most exciting track. I was absent for a few years and when I returned, I was really impressed with how great the place looked. Put some good clay on it and you might have something that could race in a similar fashion to the great "Action Track"

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

I have not been to this track. But as far as social media doing in a track, I do not believe that is true. If you look at a few tracks in Michigan, Crystal and Butler. Both are some what of a dump. But they have race cars and fans that show up ever week. You should see some good racing each week. Both places run late into the night. Crystal is ran real well. Races start on time and move along. Just a ton of cars that race there. Butler is not ran as well with a lot of down time. But year in and year out they are always up and running.
I-96 speedway is between them and does not do as well. They really do not race the whole year. The same classes do not race week to week.
If you look at Winston and Thunderbird on the lake shore. Only about 30 minutes about. Winston is a nice track, doing well. Thunderbird has been sitting closed for years.
Compare Berlin, Kalamazoo and M-40.

So what makes one track do well and another in the area do bad? Is it the track owner, fan base, location, pavement or dirt, type of cars and classes ran?

I always find it funny about the Wolverine Nationals Midget at Hartford. We raced there that year. The fine for going over the curfew was like a $100 per night. So he holds a $10,000 to win midget race. Runs like 8 laps then stops it because of the curfew. I am sure the guy who was in 2nd place would have been glad to keep the race going and take the $100 out of his winnings. We would have passed the hat to pay the fine. That maybe a reason that place had hard times for a lot of years.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Several valid points on here about the utilization of social media. You have to stay on top of it or it can really do damage. Hate to say it, but you really need a young person to do this. It takes constant monitoring. I will tell you one area that really hurts no matter what you do, inclement weather. All of us have been to plenty of rain outs. Heck I seen a Tornado at 1 track from the parking lot. With everyone so "connected" and "experts" on everything, it is hard for a promoter to roll the dice on an event. I had an event last year. Rain all the way around us. For some reason it kept splitting around the area we were in. The track was prepped, so we did not cancel. I had drivers and crew members posting all kinds of rain pictures on there way to the track. Several people complaining about how hard it was raining at there place less than an hour away. I posted picture after picture of a dry track under gray sky's. We ended up with a with a good turnout in each class. The problem is, with all of the complaining, we had about 20 people in the stands. We ended up with .10 inches of rain between 5pm and 11pm. We had a couple of very light showers pass through during the show. It was a great event that no one saw. When asking people why they did not show up, several brought up all of the rain pictures. Many brought up all of the complainers. The other really stupid thing, the event was our championship night. Fans wanted to see the event. We took a lot of negative publicity for holding the event in the days after. 10 years ago it would have been a grand slam as fans would have traveled in from other rain outs. Today it was a loss. Next time it will probably be just another cancelation at noon.

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

Very well said. :9:

Re: Illiana closed for 2016
 

winchester will be the next indiana track to close