[Indy1808]

3 hours - 188 miles
Thankfully I have vacation time I can use. Even before that I would lose the days pay to go.
Not that I'm rich but I woulda paid for one of their boys to go in if I had been standing there.
Hated to hear that.

[Wayne Davis]

Originally Posted by wingless1 It's not a bargain. $100 for a family of four to get in is way too high, sorry. Here in north east Florida in February you have your choice, drive to Ocala for the USAC sprints pay $25 bucks a ticket, plus whatever you buy, or eat at the track. Or (in the Jacksonville area) go to EverBank field home of the Jaguars, see the largest jumbotron screen in the world, with limitless food and drink options, see the crazy Monster Jam truck festival, for $10 bucks, some tickets as low as $5. I've never gone, nor would I, but I've also never been able to convince any of my native Florida neighbors, or friends, to make the drive to Ocala. Plus during speed weeks at Daytona you can get into many different stock car races for $10 bucks, I've only been to Daytona once, it bores me, but I've not been back to Ocala for 2 years as well, call me cheap, cuss me out I don't care, been going to races since 1960 but when the ticket price hit $25 bucks, I quit going. Let someone else pay for the pleasure of watching the guy who starts on the pole lead every lap and win, which is the norm for USAC these days. You can go to the movies, then drop by a local restaurant, for a couple beers, cokes, appetizer, discuss the movie (this is what my 2 kids enjoy the most for entertainment $) and it costs us $22(early bird) for 4 adult movie tickets, and $35 at the restaurant still less than 4 tickets just to walk into the track for the USAC show.

Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick Ga. is $8.00 per person or $15.00 a couple...kids 12 under free. I was there Sat. night and seen more couples there with their children then I have at all the other tracks down here combined...Mitch if you like non wing racing then come up and join us June 6 with the Southern States Midget Series

[FrankR63]

This is a sore spot with me so I have to offer my .02
If this sport does not do more to get the younger generation excited and make these kids fans the thing is doomed. All the talk about the high costs of racing and nothing changes. For the most part at least. For one, shame on the Dad in this case for not having his crap together enough to know what he was getting into but…..5 under – Free, 6-12 $5.00, 12-16, ½ adult ticket with adult. For USAC & WoO type events.
And how about getting the kids down into the pits somehow some way for an hour or so – advertise this!
Get the word out to the local schools, how hard is that? Does USAC have any marketing people? Have a car, hauler, crew and driver at a local school once a week and make the rounds. Fire up the car, let the kids touch it, sit in it and give them some handouts. AND SCHEDULES, have some kid friendly thing going on at the track, make them WANT to go. Pay that crew to do this, out of USAC’s pocket!
If racing had to survive outside of its bubble in the real world it would already be doomed, you’re not born with a passion for racing, someone leads you to that passion. If the industry keeps relying on race addicted 40+ year olds – good luck!
This sport is eating itself alive and just like our country we complain but do little to right the ship.
Carry on….

[Jonr]

So, I am actually going to take the opposite view. I think it is a mistake to confuse a USAC/WOO/etc show with a regular race night. I do believe that for a regular Saturday night that you should have a discount to get the kids into the shows. I do think that having kids in the fans helps with the future, but it also helps get the parents back to the track. If the kids love the show, the parents will come back.

However, for a USAC/WOO/etc show, I think that the promoter should do all that is possible to maximize his front gate. He has taking on a large financial risk to bring in a traveling series. He needs to be sure that it is profitable, or they will not be back. If charging full price for children is what it takes, then I do not have an issue.

Also by charging full price, it also makes sure that the kids that go to the track are the kids that want to be at the track. I have a lot of patience when there is a crying child at a regular show, but when I have to pay the extra money to get into a special show, I have very little patience.

[JK]

I hope that family doesn't give up on going to the races for entertainment. I know this day and age the casual fan hears the advertisement on the radio to come out to the races this weekend to see dirt track excitement. Dad thinks it sounds like a fun time goes home tell the family and they decide to go. Race night comes they head to the track to find out that admission is too much to afford or justify spending that amount for one nights entertainment. Now they leave mad about the whole situation and tell everyone they know about their bad experience. That's a losing situation for all tracks. Not sure how to fix the problem because promoters need the gate admission to pay the purses and sanctioning fees while trying not to price themselves out of business. Hilltop Speedway in Millersburg, Ohio charges $10 adult admission at regular shows and $15 for specials. Kids 12 and under are always free. I have been there about 10 times and there are more kids (1-18yrs old) that attend that track than any other I've been to.

[openwheelfan1]

I can see both sides of this discussion. My personal opinion is that it is an absolute MUST that the sport get more young people through the gates. Although we haven't attended all that many races over the last 10 years, I can safely say that the average age of those attending the races we have been at is quite high. Whether it is a weekly race or a special show, I think some sort of a "graduated" admission price would be appropriate. As someone above proposed, maybe something along the lines of "under 6 free, 7-12 $5, 12-15 half price with paying adult, 16 and up full price. The way I see it, if you look at it from the perspective of the example at the start of this thread, the promotors would have realized $75 (2 paying adults and 2 half priced) versus the $0 since they left. Just my opinion.

[flagboy55]

At 15, you can't drink drive or vote but your an adult at a dirt track. That's my problem with it, not that there is a line, it's where the line is drawn. As someone else said on here, if you can drive yourself to the races than pay adult, otherwise there should be discounted tickets

[davidm]

I've mentioned this before, but Williams Grove is doing a great job with there Saturday Night Series with the Super Sportsman, 358 LM's and Street Stocks. It's $6 to get in and they are out pulling the Friday night 410 Sprint and 358 Sprint Program in fan turnout. The place is packed with kids playing in the infield and watching the races. Were else can mom and dad take the kids out for $12 for an evening of entertainment?

[JordanBlanton]

Why does a USAC show need to be a bargain? If we're comparing prices to minor league sports events, are we treating a USAC show as a premier event?

[Hamby812]

I agree with the free/discounted ticket prices for kids under 16. And to be honest lower gate prices for youngsters is the only hope for the sport we all love in the future. The scary thing for me is, everytime I go to a regular show at my home track the crowd size is roughly about the same. Bring in a traveling series and the stands a noticeably more full. I'm afraid they aren't more full because of good advertising, pr, etc. I'm afraid they are more full because of traveling fans. It's never a bad thing to see the stands packed but how much of it is new blood and how much of it is just one of us on here deciding to travel to watch usac/woo/mowa/boss/ etc. I'm afraid the amount of new people coming into the sport is virtually zero. Just folks like us running all over the place to catch a race. I'll be at Bloomington this Friday, somewhere(undecided) Saturday, and TSS Sunday. Send me a message on here bring a kid, I'll pay for them. This is what it will take to help this sport. Tell your friends whatever it takes. Preferably someone new. Heck maybe some of you can join me. I'll cover 1 general admission ticket each night for anyone under 16. If there is no fee I'll pay for one of the adults who brought them.