http://gaternews.com/racing_blogs/blogs/index.php?blog=6
Please before you take a shot at some one read that link!
Well I will be Mr. Negatory here. It is not the negativity on forums that kills racing. It is what causes the negativity that is killing racing.
Look at CCMP. Everything that surrounds them is positive. The fans are positive, the drivers are positive and the personnel are positive. That track is going up. Dirty dealings and favoritism have killed short track racing point blank. Saying otherwise is just a bunch of smoke and mirrors. Why should I, a racer put up with a bunch of BS at a race track. This is a hobby, not a business for me. If I went to a plumbing store where people throw beer cans at you while you are in the parking lot, cuss at you and call my girlfriend names I would not repeat on here, you can damn well bet I would not shop at that plumbing store. A race track is no different. Until the vast majority of promoters change the way they thing you will continue to see a decline in car counts across the board. Racing just costs too much these days and drivers are just not going to put up with it anymore.
I used to run in excess of 35 races a year. I have whittled that down to less than 10 and intend to very shortly whittle it down to none. It is not because I can not afford it. I am just fed up and tired of the headaches and bullcrap that is continually thrown at me by a bunch of napoleon track owners and promoters.
[QUOTE=ovalracer44;12805]Well I will be Mr. Negatory here. It is not the negativity on forums that kills racing. It is what causes the negativity that is killing racing.
Look at CCMP. Everything that surrounds them is positive. The fans are positive, the drivers are positive and the personnel are positive. That track is going up. Dirty dealings and favoritism have killed short track racing point blank. Saying otherwise is just a bunch of smoke and mirrors. Why should I, a racer put up with a bunch of BS at a race track. This is a hobby, not a business for me. If I went to a plumbing store where people throw beer cans at you while you are in the parking lot, cuss at you and call my girlfriend names I would not repeat on here, you can damn well bet I would not shop at that plumbing store. A race track is no different. Until the vast majority of promoters change the way they thing you will continue to see a decline in car counts across the board. Racing just costs too much these days and drivers are just not going to put up with it anymore.
I used to run in excess of 35 races a year. I have whittled that down to less than 10 and intend to very shortly whittle it down to none. It is not because I can not afford it. I am just fed up and tired of the headaches and bullcrap that is continually thrown at me by a bunch of napoleon track owners and promoters.[/QUOTE]
I respect your opinion, my question is does all the complaints do any good or is it just the GREED on the track side OR the EGO in the pits that keep it going in the wrong direction at some tracks.
I would like to see people post their grips and an ANSWER to that gripe. I would like to see what the drivers think are the BEST track to go to and work with. The CONDITION of the DIRT is not the reason a track is good or bad it is the people that MAKE that track good or bad.
GeorgeP
George, I won’t be critical of any track, Lord knows we need them all. I hear promoters say the economy is the problem with the low car counts. Well I’d
imagine that effects it some. I’d like you to look at the UDLMCS for a moment. We had 61 cars at Volusia, and average 48 cars at all our shows this year. These guys, with the exception of the local drivers that race with us, travel a long way to race with us. The economy effects them as well, but I feel the real difference is the way they are treated and the consistancy of rules application. We have a problem once in a while but each problem is delt with fairly and with respect to all thats involved. Ovalracer mentioned CCMP. Thats the same situation there, drivers are treated fairly and problems are delt with fairly and with respect. Most weeks at CCMP there are 120 to 125 cars in the pits. Now CCMP and UDLMcs are doing something right. JUst My opinion and observations. Bob…
Interesting observations in the article. I will add that positive comments can make a difference also. Take CCMP and Ocala as just a couple examples where there are primarily positive comments on the message boards. The attendance and car counts at these tracks have definitely improved. Sure one switched to dirt but the comments have still been positive. Then you can take some examples of track owners making statements on message boards that keep customers away. I have avoided tracks because of comments on boards and also attended them for the same reason. I think the secret is for the track operators to try to be fair, approachable, and open minded. If they try, the negativity is kept to a minimum. JMO
Interesting thoughts, but I think a lot of comments have some accuracy to them. They may be nice. They may be pointing out faults. But most of them cover their point fairly well. I don’t think the internet is killing stock car racing. There are a lot of things that are, but not the internet.
My Answer
IF I had a track
- Rules 5 years LOCKED with no changes except safety or if the rule is that stupid.
- POSTED for all to see the payout in EVERY CLASS
- Take a green in the main and get your pit fee back AT LEAST
- Track READY TO RACE when it is supposed to be, Unless God does something.
- POSTED for all to see the amount of Money in EACH classes Point Fund.
- EVERY official who has a say in the outcome of a race will have NOTHING to do with ANY CAR in the pits.
- Give the FANS what they PAY FOR a SHOW!
George, you adhere to those and your track should run well. I’ve been around racing 55 years and if theres nothing else I’ve learned its that racers spend the grocery money to race if they have to, and i don’t see any reason why that won’t continue. When you are bitten by the racing bug you’re going to race as long as you are treated well and decisions are fair. I think the same goes with the di-hard fan. As long as you have a good show and take care of them they’ll come. The tracks we have visited with the UDLMCS have had standing room only many times. I believe that was because we put on a good show. At one of the tracks we visited an employee said he hadn’t seen such a crowd there in a long time. Bob…
Is the internet killing auto racing?
is the internet killing little league baseball? soccer? high school football? wrestling? go-karting? SCCA?
no track ever died until the internet showed up? they all did great until people had a place to bitch and moan?
Anyone representing a speedway must tread very lightly when responding on a message board.
that should be changed from “message board” to “public statement”. and then it should be stapled to Rex Guy’s forehead.
i keed, i keed. :grinser010:
6. EVERY official who has a say in the outcome of a race will have NOTHING to do with ANY CAR in the pits.
not a bad rule George. i’ve said that if i had a track, any car affiliated with an owner or official could race but they wouldn’t be eligible for trophies, points or winnings. maybe last place payout, but that would be it.
it doesn’t matter how honest and fair you are in your tech’ing and officiating there’s just no way to prevent accusations of cheating if the ‘track car’ does well. if the ‘track car’ is dominant, it’s going to piss a BUNCH of people off whether deservedly or not. both in the stands and in the pits.
This article is still circulating on forums. I thought I would share my thoughts that I used on those boards.
If a business fails to evolve with times it is bound to fail. The internet is here to stay. For a well run track the internet can be a very good marketing tool. For poorly run tracks the internet can be the coffin nail so to speak.
We live in the information age. If I crap my pants in walmart, you can almost bet it will be on youtube before I get home to change my drawers. I for one appreciate being able to hop online, check out the going ons at a track to see how things go. If there is more than an exceptional amount of complaining Im bound to not go. If people seem to get along fairly good and there is not much complaining about management there is a good chance you will see me there eventually. The heads up before a long tow is nice. If you want an example of what I mean, go to trackforums.com. Look up sumter speedway and screven motor speedway. These are 2 tracks at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. On one, there is nothing but complaining. Every thread is comprised of people making threats, arguing about this that and the other too. On the other, everyone pretty well gets along, the promoter is part of the discussions, theres a lot of big shows in town and the fans and drivers have good things to say. one track is on life support, and the other track is making big things happen.
Personally, the internet is not a bad thing or message boards. If used as intended, a message board can be a very good thing but some don’t want it to be. Racing is a business and yes, the economy does affect it not only on the driver side but the fan side. Some tracks are smart enough to make that extra step and make sure their drivers feel wanted and appreciated. It takes everyone at a track working together to get drivers and fans and not just expect them to come. After all, they are your customers also and you need to keep your customers happy to make them want to come back.
I hope I make the Orlando drivers know that and that each and every one of them is appreciated and wanted. I respect each and every one of them and I miss them when they are gone (Pedie).
I can’t wait to see all of you again, Todd you are included in that. And I hope you all know that I do appreciate you and I try my best to show you that.
Have a good weekend whatever you do.
Jane
Top 10 things that can help race tracks if I owned one
- Grandstand admission for all races $10
- Last place car in each class gets free pit admission the following week.
- A simple hand shake and “thank you for coming” to each driver.
- Good, HONEST and fair tech officials
- Racing over with at a decent hour.
- More inter-action with the kids especially after the races.
- More public promotions and meet and greets.
- No B.S. intermissions, get the racing action on and over with
- Driver interductions before the racing starts.
- Better food
Kevin You have a big hammer, you hit that nail on the head. An example, one night several months ago a fan came in and complained at the office that an employee had been rude to him and his wife. The next week he was gone, and he wasn’t just an employee he was also a sponser. Bobby will not stand for that among his people. He realizes that they pay the bills and the drivers as well as how they are treated is why they fill a seat at CCMP. When I go to the track each week it is a joy to have every one smiling and enjoying the sport. Bobby runs it as a bussiness but his bussiness is customer focused. Bob…
We Want everyone happy at ccmp!!!
If while your at ccmp you feel like you weren’t treated fairly, please see Bobby Diehl or Ronnie Sims. On behalf of all the staff of officials at ccmp we are honored to have all racers and all race fans at our facility. Also if you have any suggestions flag one of us down, we do listen. Thanks Ronnie:sport009:
[QUOTE=Jane;14269]
I can’t wait to see all of you again, Todd you are included in that.
Jane[/QUOTE]
A glutton for punishment I see. :grinser010:
I have seen my home track go from Infancy, to an asphalt jewel in the south, to the gutter and closed in 6 racing seasons.
Things that I personally see work.
10:30 curfew. People do not want to be out until the butt crack of dawn
Autograph sessions before racing starts. We would all take our cars up to the front straightaway before features. Kids and even grown kids would come down, shake your hand and get an autograph or a picture. We are not Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart, but to a 10 year old they dont even know the difference. All they know is they see racing on TV and they get to meet race car drivers and sit in the cars and get pictures. Even the adults like it. Most of the people can not afford to see cup racing in person, so to get to meet those of us that do race it was a big deal.
Cheaper grandstand tickets Especially when car counts are weak. Hardeeville would sometimes do a 5 dollar night to get in and would get 3 times as many people. It doesnt take a mathematician to know that 2000 people at 5 dollars each is more than 700 at 10 dollars each. Not to mention that is more sodas, beers and hotdogs sold.
My favorite part of the night was when I would try to be ready to load up and pull out the pit gate around to the front and sit in the stands for the last features of the night. Thats when you really found out how many people follow you and actually know who you are. You can gain a lot of fans that will stand by you through anything by just sitting and talking to them, regardless of how strange they may be and how much they remind you of Todd. There was one crazy old guy that came from Hilton Head to watch the races. He drove an old green bug and from what I later figured out was well off. He found out that I was struggling to keep the car up and was starting to see my finishes suffer because I didnt have a lot of money, especially for tires, he started giving me money to help me along, all because I was the only driver that would come and talk to him.
Get your fan and driver interaction up and fan counts will go up even with low car counts.
I can’t wait to see all of you again, Todd you are included in that.
oh boy. what’d i do now? ( as a guy, i’m never quite certain what it is i’m in trouble for this time )
you know i always make sure to stop by and say hi to my sweetie!
And I hope you all know that I do appreciate you and I try my best to show you that.
yep, she sure does. i’ve never had a problem with anything Jane did at the track … think i’m gonna make a nomination for new track head honcho. what’s that, there’s no “head honcho” position? well, make one, it’s not like there are too many administrators already or anything.
and how much they remind you of Todd
i’ve never heard of anyone else compared to me. i think they threw the mold away as a bad try or something.