I think one of the biggest things hurting car counts is being ignored. The fascination with the "to win" money and ignoring the start money. It's getting harder and harder for the "field fillers" to get home and face their family. Most of them just build the car they can afford and race for expense money and try to not loose more than they can afford and more and more are just having to park their cars.

As far as the stands, I live in Kansas and go to more races in Indiana than in Mo. and Ks. combined. I got tired of paying to watch 10 classes (some tracks have 5 classes of mods and 3 or so stock cars) with not enough cars for more than 1 heat each when the track takes rubber before the heats are over. I also gave up taking friends who were not race fans because none of them want to sit in a dust cloud watching cars ether slow roll the bottom or rip around a rubbered down track both single file.

It sure seems more and more there are fewer casual race fans and most people in the stands are associated with someone racing being the reason they are there.

That's what I was saying about the over saturation of support classes diluting the TOP CLASSES.

When I was young, We had Sprints and stock cars (Late Models). Occationally booster beetles on the card or midgets Not 305 racesaver, 305 open, 360 ASCS, 360 open, 602 crate, 604 crate, STEEL BLOCK

Didn't matter what you had in that, You ran the Mainline Sprint class or didn't run at all. there was all kinds of motors, Buicks, olds, Big Blocks, small blocks, flat head fords. In the stock class there was even a inline six that was competitive.

But that's what people came to see, Two classes and a guest class or thrill show or whatever and not six classes, none of which can fill a full field.

PA perspective here. We seem to have decent car counts as mentioned before. I think most of the races I've been to this year have paid 400-500 to start. I'll ***** about some of our promoters but when I step back and look at how they have upped their game to keep the racers and fans I have to applaud them.

These two things are intimately related. I wish there was a promoter near me who understood.

I don't recall ever witnessing it, but I've heard of tracks combining the classes, and just running one "feature", for the whole bunch, and paying out "whatever" they had money for, and did it on more then one occasion, wild and woolly they say!

Yeah these multi division shows take more time. And I like sprints and big blocks more than other divisions. Also features more than heats and consis.

So I am lucky to have Bridgeport nj nearby w races on Flo and season passes sold. Can enter late for just the features even if ticket office has closed.