Why do so many short tracks line up the fast cars in the front? Don’t they realize this is supposed to be a SHOW? Winning a race is supposed to be a contest, not a gift to the fastest time trialer. If we want to see a parade, we’ll go downtown on MLK day.
How can any short-track that time trials and starts straight up, then complain about fan attendance? That shows nothing but contempt for the fan. Several of the traveling races at Orlando’s Winternationals appeared to start straight up, or they started in the same order as they finished the heats. Either way is not an acceptable way to entertain fans.
Real racers want a contest. They want to start in the back, pass the competition and put on a SHOW for the fans.
I’ve always known that the World Series and Winternationals type events are primarily presented for the racers. There can be no other explanation for so many race winners coming off the front row, night after night, year after year, with so many repeat winners. Don’t the tracks realize that catering to the racers like this hurts the fan count all year? How many fans want to come back after they see every February race won from the front row?
TBARA is widely considered the best show in Florida short tracking, and they ALWAYS invert 10 or 12 cars. (BTW they have no mirrors or spotters, but that is for another rant).
Some racers complain that my suggestion “tears up too much equipment”. My response is that they need to learn how to race. Racing is about passing, defending and still finishing. Good racers can do it in cars that are much faster than our local junk. We need to do it too.
In some ways, Winternationals type events point to the future of the sport: tracks supported by high pit pass fees, lots of traveling racers and nearly empty grandstands. Can anyone argue that this approach is the direction we want to go in? It may be an economic reality today, but can’t we continue to try winning back fans in the front gate?
That is SCCA’s model. They don’t even open the grandstands: it is entirely supported on the backs of the racers who pay big money to run and don’t win a penny.
In summary, a consistantly better show will draw fans eventually. Fast cars starting toward the rear will yield a consistantly better show.