[QUOTE=OldSchool+;174935]GP,
I will have to disagree with your premise.
The stock market trades on the strength of companies, but also emotion, yet most curiously was propped up by the Fed under BO’s administration. With printed money that reduced the value of all of the money in circulation. Including yours and mine, and the guy with the race car.
Folks out of work are not counted in unemployment numbers once their unemployment benefits run out in three months or so.
When I was growing up there were all two parent households up and down the street with no debt, since there were no credit cards. And there was money to dispose of, on vacations, boats, and stock cars.
Now, the parent/kids I know are mostly single family and on some or a lot of government money just to get along.
Don’t get me wrong, their self imposed loser-prison is by their own hand, but…
By and large, there is less money for people to race with, especially young people. And the cars are more expensive. It ain’t rocket science.
And I still maintain that club racing, while I enjoy it, is not stock car racing.
Am hoping all the local short tracks and stock car racing survives.[/QUOTE]
Economics is a large part, as well as the shift in interests, as well as what the manufacturers are putting out from the factory these days. A 75’ Monte, 78" Camaro, etc. Those were meant to be saved from the scrapyard and converted to backbone class racecars. a 98" Grand Prix, not so much.
As for FL, just like I predicted would happen, too many tracks, not enough cars. It’s simple economics. The only track really doing consistently well through the field is Showtime. And even that isn’t close to the good old days. I knew Desoto was in trouble when 4-17 came online. It siphoned off half of the bomber, class, and the split from the series took the other half that were from Auburndale. Now, they have to take scraps and put on a big Bomber race on the night those tracks don’t run Bombers.
Also throw in the people who left that won’t come back. Using myself as an example, I’d spent my last dime to race when I was in my mid 20’s. Then I got to FL. Wanted to race my mini stock at Desoto, but they only pulled 5 cars. That and John had them on super soft Hoosier slicks. I could run all year on my tires up north,so I lost interest and sold it. Fast forward to 2017’, now I have the ability to run a Super if I so desired. But priorities have changed. I’m 38 and thinking more about retirement than ever racing again. How many guys like that are out there? It’s hard to get em back once their gone, and they aren’t coming into the sport and getting started in near adequate numbers.
Honestly, there is no place I’d rather go than a short track with full fields of 20 plus in every class. I’d pay $50 to watch it I miss it so bad. Nothing in the world compares. But sadly, and this will sound negative, but the reality is, racing is dying, it will not come back, and we are in the midst 3rd longest , almost the 2nd longest economic growth cycle in the history of the republic which began in 2009", and these are the car counts we have. Recession is inevitable, and then what will car counts look like?
