Originally Posted by Scott Daloisio:
Our Thursday and Friday crowds have always been brutal. The main reason is So Cal traffic. I am 36 miles from the track which is about a 30-35 minute drive under normal conditions. After 4:00 p.m., that can easily stretch from 90 minutes to two hours. From Los Angeles to the track is about 80 miles. That can end up being three or four hours. For someone getting off work at 4:00 or 5:00 p.m., they are going to miss a good portion of the show so they stay home. Nowadays with Flo, rather than miss a portion of the show driving to the track, they can stay home and see it all. As Tim said above, the outrageous gas prices keep some people at home as well. Thus, the crowds on Thursday and Friday are mostly out-of-towners who have come in for the race or campers.
Scott, I'd imagine that USAC wouldn't sanction the Oval Nationals if you guys couldn't commit to a 3-day show, which is obviously tough to do. Has there ever been, or is there ever any possibility that any other track out your way could be added to the schedule to help this National western swing make more financial sense for everybody?
With the insane inflation we've been seeing, I'd be heartbroken to see this no longer work.