The SCCA and Daara for that matter, race once a month, if that. The people in the club race for fun and as a hobby and most with that mindset.
I think someone starting a circle track club would be successful but you would have to keep it to one or two classes, maybe full chassis and full frame, and race once a month, maybe at two or three different tracks a year.
Charge $200-300 to race for two days. Run whatever gas and tire you want. Guarantee number of races or laps in a two day event. Maybe have a tournament type set up and on Sunday have three or so final races with the real fast cars in one, the fast cars in one and the slower cars in one.
The biggest problem of having “races” in circle track is that there are numerous wrecks when people are racing. Maybe make the Saturday “heats” run a practice format with timing transponders and break them up on Sunday accordingly for the “races” on Sunday?
Have a big BBQ / Concert / Beer event on Saturday night for everyone, race somewhat early on Sunday and get people home halfway early.
I don’t know the costs of track rentals, insurance and safety efforts but I would imagine at some point if you could get 100-150 cars on a weekend you could break even as racing club.
Boneman - you are honorary chairman to start…Jacko has the SCCA knowledge, OS has the passion…there’s a starting point.
[QUOTE=fred23;174515]The SCCA and Daara for that matter, race once a month, if that. The people in the club race for fun and as a hobby and most with that mindset.
I think someone starting a circle track club would be successful but you would have to keep it to one or two classes, maybe full chassis and full frame, and race once a month, maybe at two or three different tracks a year.
Charge $200-300 to race for two days. Run whatever gas and tire you want. Guarantee number of races or laps in a two day event. Maybe have a tournament type set up and on Sunday have three or so final races with the real fast cars in one, the fast cars in one and the slower cars in one.
The biggest problem of having “races” in circle track is that there are numerous wrecks when people are racing. Maybe make the Saturday “heats” run a practice format with timing transponders and break them up on Sunday accordingly for the “races” on Sunday?
Have a big BBQ / Concert / Beer event on Saturday night for everyone, race somewhat early on Sunday and get people home halfway early.
I don’t know the costs of track rentals, insurance and safety efforts but I would imagine at some point if you could get 100-150 cars on a weekend you could break even as racing club.
Boneman - you are honorary chairman to start…Jacko has the SCCA knowledge, OS has the passion…there’s a starting point.[/QUOTE]
Fred, I love your idea! I do believe there is a future for this.
This thread has me recalling a day-dream that I let slip away… In the style of Rick Bristol’s Charity Truck weekend, I always thought it would be cool to put on the Boneman Nationals (or call it whatever). Lease a track, generate cash and interest (simple, right?) and put on a great show.
It never got past the day-dream stage.
I used to picture my two favorite classes: sprints and figure 8’s. Add in something different and exciting like pavement motorcycles or rallycross. And as much as I like local, Saturday night action on a budget, I would try to put on a show that did NOT star 40 year old Monte Carlos and other antiques.
Here are some of my assumptions, perhaps invalid assumptions, but assumptions nonetheless:
Track Owners & Promoters are trying to do the best they can.
Track Owners & Promoters and maybe even car owners will read this thread and it may spark a thought or two, perhaps better thoughts than my own.
Things will improve.
Otherwise, y’know, why bother typing…?
If you have encountered negative things at a given track, it may be time for another venue for at least a while. I have frequented different tracks at different periods of time along the way.[/QUOTE]
Honestly, no particular issues with any track. It’s all of them. When the most late models you can get is the high teens (or 11 at Auburndale), who wants to drive to sit through a drawn out show for 5 hours and a bunch of 9 car races?
Well, um, yeah, as per post #1:“In the last few years it seems like a new trend has been taking place. Everything looks like a light late model field.”
The question is, what positive steps will produce better fields? First it has to be financially attractive to the Owner/Promoters, since really, it is their game to change.
[QUOTE=OldSchool+;174523]Well, um, yeah, as per post #1:“In the last few years it seems like a new trend has been taking place. Everything looks like a light late model field.”
The question is, what positive steps will produce better fields? First it has to be financially attractive to the Owner/Promoters, since really, it is their game to change.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, the margins aren’t there in FL racing to pay late models $5,000 to win and pay good through the field. And since there aren’t enough late models, or shall we say late models that can afford to run at current purse levels, then you’re at a stalemate you simply can’t solve. Now Sportsman’s are getting out of control. $20,000++ for a Sportsman will quickly make all the slower cars give up. Check out the ACT Late Models. They are slower than a Sportsman even, but that’s how you do it. It’s far too late for FL, and it’s not all perfect around the rest of the country. Enjoy what you have while you have it, but the product in FL just isn’t worth it to me personally anymore.
Old school…my hats off to u for tackling this “geometric” question. Its a mathematical problem that even Einstein himself would spend years trying to figure out.
Joe…I agree about the early 80’s at Jax Raceways. If memory serves me right…there was the “late model” class with the likes of Shugart, Mock, Bennett, Moran, Riggins (also an SCCA/IMSA driver), Ezell to name a few. There was also the “Street or Sportsman” stock class with Raulerson,Philman,Poindexter,Lloyd…to name a few more. Yes…30 + cars in each class was the average.
My thoughts are deep on this subject and way too much to try and type. One day maybe someone will sit and discuss with me. Do i have solutions…no. Just various questions and input on a wide perspective of this.
As a fan…I don’t mind seeing multiple classes on a single night. But I do agree that low car counts hurt the overall appeal of the presentation. It would put a big question mark on my future time and $$ spending.
I love stock car racing. More than most would know and have since I was 3,4,5 years old. Even at a half century…im as giddy as a child before Christmas day when I get to a track. Nothing else in life exists for me. Its my personal Sanctuary. Its my stress relief. The sounds…the smells…the atmosphere is like a drug.
I’ve always wanted to be part of racing but life drove me down a different path to pave my way. But…I have never strayed far from it.
We all know that “we can’t live in the past” but “the past has a way of repeating itself”.
In the past…drivers could race cars to support there lives. In the present…drivers work to support race cars and lives. Of the latter…which is priority?
These machines are expensive and costly ta boot. The 70’s gave us the weekend racer and when money could be made…the 5 night a week racer. Repairs and "what not"were done with friends and family by knowledged back yard mechanICS for little cost. In the 80’s the weekend racer slowly transformed to the “nomad”. Wandering to find the right fit…the right venue…to support and enjoy their hobby. Parts and equipment became more of “mail order” and who has the next big idea.The 90’s brings us the “corporate barnstormer” whose chasing the big deals…big money…the big association to hopefully hhigher greatness.Someone else is footing the bill with some deep pockets. The new millineum gives us the “super series”. This is a handful of talent that travels with the circus to capitalize on media and compare to others with similar or greater talent then theirs. With that said…when and where does the bubble burst in this situation. How does it affect the weekend bullring.
Affordability on both sides of the wall need to be rebalanced. Touring series are great but they have committed drivers and committed sponsors with $$$ to back it up. Over saturation of series tends to hurt things.
How many “home track” drivers do u see go to other venues. If “street stock” class at track A averages 25 locals on a Saturday night. How many would go to venue B for a bigger payout or just to test a different venue. My guess would be 2. I would also bet that those 2 would be hi to mid runners at there home track. Has there ever been a multi track points series or are the tracks just that disconnected? If a driver from venue A could periodically go to venue B or C with the possibility of earning “double points” towards an overall points league between 3 different venues I bet the count would be 10 -13 cars traveling. Of course…travel incentives have to be made. Again…$$$ are not what they used to be. 40 years of financial rollercoasters in our economy do factor this. Personally…I would ask around for input on this flagrant thought.
I agree with some of comments about cars. There are “super late models”…“late models”…“sportsman…that look like late models” …“street stocks…that look like under developed late models” and nothing like a street car… …“modified minis” that look like half scale versions of late models…“mini stocks” …that want to be modified minis…strictly or pure stocks which are usually our start up classes and some type of 4 cylinder class. Talk about identity confusion? I won’t drag mods or sprints in here. The are there own. Why so many classifications.
Again…I could go on with questions…concerns …etc. I still would like to discuss one day with someone to wrap my head around with the future of our beloved sport in this state. I just wish someone would step outside the box and try something new. Failure is the next step to success . Try a full weekend show…Saturday and Sunday. Keep both sides of the wall happy. Be fair…be consistent . Ty to all my weekend heroes who keep the love of stock car racing alive. Wish I could be door to door with u every week.
RMM, thanks for the memories! I remember all those guys. I am friends with Tommy Riggins, and I still see Wayne Shugart once in awhile. If I remember correctly, the show would be heats and features for both divisions, a couple of good pit fights, and the fans would be outta there by 10:00 or so after seeing a helluva show.
Joe…glad to be able to rattle a few memories. Jax was my first intro to “southern dirt track racing”. Wow…was I shocked but eventually realized that it was actually different and adrenalin fused. My cousin grew up in Jax and was a regular fan at the old speedway. Luckily he was an avid photographer and took “lots” of pictures over the years.
My dad, him and I traveled to Golden Isles…Columbia county…volusia…valdosta over the times. Saw many great shows and have many cherished photos of the 80’s era.
For awhile…we were consistently at Columbia. For whatever reason Jax was going thru a slump and losing their regular drivers. Then the tide turned and things went the other way. Its weird how we are kind of at the same crossroad with current venues.
With Jax now long gone…none or very little talent will be able to be showcased on a local level. Periodically I will hear of someone out of the j-ville area racing in central Florida. Nor will that sector of the state be able to enjoy a Saturday night short track without driving 2+ hours. Not too many families will do that. Die hard like myself…maybe.
[QUOTE=racin movie man;174555]Joe…glad to be able to rattle a few memories. Jax was my first intro to “southern dirt track racing”. Wow…was I shocked but eventually realized that it was actually different and adrenalin fused. My cousin grew up in Jax and was a regular fan at the old speedway. Luckily he was an avid photographer and took “lots” of pictures over the years.
My dad, him and I traveled to Golden Isles…Columbia county…volusia…valdosta over the times. Saw many great shows and have many cherished photos of the 80’s era.
For awhile…we were consistently at Columbia. For whatever reason Jax was going thru a slump and losing their regular drivers. Then the tide turned and things went the other way. Its weird how we are kind of at the same crossroad with current venues.
With Jax now long gone…none or very little talent will be able to be showcased on a local level. Periodically I will hear of someone out of the j-ville area racing in central Florida. Nor will that sector of the state be able to enjoy a Saturday night short track without driving 2+ hours. Not too many families will do that. Die hard like myself…maybe.[/QUOTE]
I really miss those days. I am afraid they are long gone. You reminded me of another crazy place, Valdosta Thunderbowl. I race there a few times and that place was like the wild west!
Every year we get to have the same discussion and everybody has the same answers and their opinions again . Like a broken record bottom line is The classes with the biggest car count class are crate engines not built engines they have proving it . Somebody said an earlier post in order to win new Smyrna you are going need a built Engine .that makes no sense if you make the whole class crate engine only then everybody’s the same . Anyway times of changed it’s never going to be the same like it used to be back in the good old boy days time marches on and nothing ever stays the same.