Originally Posted by Grocery Guy:
So, what tracks have closed exclusively blaming FLO? That's an honest question. I don't profess to know everything. If you know what tracks closed DUE to FLO, list them. I guess bad management, poor promotions, operations, local car counts, and expenses don't play into your reply. Just FLO. ???
I don't profess to know facts about everything and I'm probably wrong on a lot of stuff.
Gas City Now Gone
THAT several times
Bloomington four promoters in ten years?
Burg.
PRP who still had LUCAS and All star races this year with FLO but lost DTWC.
Take your pick. No, Not all of it's from FLO. But it's not helping. at least at current royalty payments. I got no clue what the real numbers are for Royalties to the tracks. But they hold the event, The sanction operates it and the racers are the reason the viewers watch. Kevin Miller in his 2023 Banquet speech gave some numbers such as 50k viewers per USAC Race 2hrs 27 minutes timestamp
https://www.floracing.com/events/114...aying=11628088
And almost 150k for the BC39 Almost 374 million total views for the season.
I also don't know what the royalty is. But I was told by two promoters that they almost never made a profit and often lost on Local shows and the only way they could do local shows was selling track and class sponsorships. That they're specials (Both mostly USAC) is what made promoting and operating worthwhile.
Don K of Perris said they paid 1000 per race and that he was losing 400-600 attendees per FLO shown event. This led to most of the other USAC/CRA tracks kicking FLO out If a tracks losing 11,000 worth of attendance in a event how does that make it possible to operate? That's just gate. Not concessions, souvenirs, parking (Which perris charges)
Other series and tracks are dropping flo. Anderson, 500 Sprint tour and others.
Im sure it cost flo a bit to put a two man crew and announcer at all the races I don't know what it is. But whats fair compensation to the tracks? Put it dollars and cents terms. Flo gets 50% cost, tracks and sanctions the other 50%?
If a USAC Race has 50k viewers does 20Cents a view sound fair to the track?
IDK, It's mind boggling and I know it's the future, Right now it's a slowly sinking one because In my mind, Most of this money is going to races just for flo and not spread among what made flo successful in the first place.
I was told by a former promoter that they thought racing would come down to a couple of dozen tracks. Mostly all owned by the sanctions and that each sanction would lease the others tracks to hold events.
As I said, Im probably wrong on some of it, What I know I'm not wrong on is Im seeing many tracks that regularly had two to four thousand in the stands almost every week, Had 30plus car counts every week, Now many are gone or run very limited special events only and only a top Sprint or LM class most bi weekly for those running weekly..
I can sit here any race nite and watch people posting pictures on facebook of them watching two or three races at the same time on two or three TV's or watching on their decks. The tracks and the racers are the one's that suffer. Without the gate or fair compensation. They will cease to exist.
Been watching racing or over 55yrs, My childhood racers racer just passed (Wilkerson) I don't post this stuff to boost my ego. I post it because I care. Less tracks will mean less memories for others. It was always a family affair until recently. Still got to watch midget week at Burg (But there were 50K watching on FLO) with Dad last year (Two of the few who saw it in person) It kept me out of trouble in my teens and twenties watching or working on race cars and it's one of the few in person sports or activities I still enjoy today at 60
Visit in person if you can, Good, bad or so so, it's always a memory you can share.
I blame a lot of things, The cost of everythngs gone up and the gate haven't matched it. But Flo is one of them. If it's taking away from the front gate because people are watching it rather than attending. It's not FLO that's hurting. It's the tracks.