Facts on WMP 2011
#41
Posted 29 November 2010 - 10:47 PM
#42
Posted 30 November 2010 - 07:43 PM
#43
Posted 05 December 2010 - 04:29 PM
WRP's revolving door of promoters, and the changing of the schedule (even though some of it was needed/had to be done), has hurt the place more than anything else.
First off, I will plainly and flatly say, I LOVE non-wing sprint cars. That's what I grew up watching, and would still rather watch more than anything else (along with Champ Dirt cars, and midgets...AKA USAC cars)
WRP has a good turn out of them, and they put on some of the best racing I have ever seen. Matter of fact, in 2009 I finally conned a guy into going to WRP. The man was the sponsor of the USAC sprint car champion in 1975, but had stopped going to the races because of 'it's too damn dusty nowdays', and 'they have become 'follow the leader boring high speed parades'. After the sprint feature that first night at WRP, Sam stood up, and announced "That was the best sprint car feature I think I've ever seen in my life!!!". Pretty powerful coming from a man that had seen races from coast to coast for over 60 years!
I personally am tired of people -still- crying for the return of the stock cars. I've got nothing against the stocks, or the guys who run them, but like it has been stated on here many times before, less than 15 cars showing up is a joke. Nobody can fault the guys -who did- bring their cars to run at WRP, the 'fault' lies with the folks -who did not- bring their cars to race at WRP.
And truth be told, the same goes for the winged 360s. Where the hell are they at on the nights WRP has run them? I've been to 5 wing 360 races at WRP...the biggest car count they had was 17 IIRC. And there were no more fans in the stands those nights, than there were for any other weekly show. Sorry, I don't buy the BS of 'If they would run the wing 360s every week, the pits and the stands would be full'....... WRP has run the winged 360 the very next night after LMP has run them. Where were the cars and the fans? Ohio is full of 410-360-305 winged tracks. Is there a law that says the state of OH can't have a weekly non-wing track? The biggest races WRP has ever had, have been the All-Star Speedweek shows, and the Jack Hewitt Classic races.
Speedweek has a 'following'. People follow the series, and go to all of the races, and some of those folks have went for every year, or several years...plus as anybody who knows about sprint cars knows, the All-Stars are pretty much the same as/pretty damn close to, the Outlaws.
The Hewitt Classic, is a 1 day show, is non-sanctioned/open competition, and has only been held at WRP for 2 years. Both years the stands were FULL!! And the racing has been top shelf (just like it is every week).
What WRP should look into, is co-promoting with Gas City, and Kokomo. Then guys could run 3 nights on the weekend, at 1/4 mile tracks, all within 125 miles of each other. (Gas City runs Friday Lawrenceburg runs Saturday, they are 143 miles apart, Putnamville also runs Sat., GC to Put is 126 miles, but WRP is only 95 miles from GC)
Like Landon said, this year, Dean stepped on his winky, when he scheduled the race the day before OSKY (BIG paying race in Iowa), and right before the non-wing nationals at Knoxville. Plus USAC kinda screwed any track running non-wing, when they adopted a 'non-competition clause'. The clause basically said, any USAC driver running for 'National Driving Champion' is not allowed to race 24 hours prior to, or 24 hours following a USAC race, at a track that doesn't have at least 1 USAC date, if that track is located within 200 miles of the track that did host a USAC race.
WRP is within 200 miles of Lawrenceburg, Bloomington, Gas City, Kokomo, Winchester, and Toledo=strike 1
All of those tracks run either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday...which is within 24 hours before or after=strike 2
All of those tracks had at least 1 USAC date, and WRP did not=strike 3, as far as a USAC driver chasing the championship is concerned.
That is why you didn't see any USAC regulars at WRP in 2010, yet WRP still had 30 sprinters on average.
As far as the compacts go.....let um' race! What is their purse....virtually nothing! They have just as many cars showing up as the stock cars did. Folks want to complain about what does and does not put butts in the seats.... the night Jeff Kimes started from the rear of the Compact feature, for a bonus if he won, I counted 28 adults (and several more 'kids') in the section over from us, that had on green and white homemade 'KIMES 31' shirts. That's $336 in admission alone!!! not counting what those folks spent at the concessions.
The folks complaining about attendance....
1-How many people have you brought along with you to WRP?
2-How many of them had never been to a race before?
3-How many people do you know who used to go to the races, but had stopped...and since you brought them, they now come every week?
4-Have those people also brought some of their friends, who too had quit going to the races?
5-Have you brough kids along with you, and then taken those kids into the pits after the races were over, to see the race cars, and meet the people who drive/drove them?
I personally have positive answers for all 5 questions, what about you?
Edited by Need for Speed, 05 December 2010 - 04:33 PM.
#44
Posted 06 December 2010 - 10:39 AM
#45
Posted 06 December 2010 - 01:40 PM
Bob Fricke is an idiot. The LAST thing WRP needs, is Bob Fricke, or anyone else like him!
WRP's revolving door of promoters, and the changing of the schedule (even though some of it was needed/had to be done), has hurt the place more than anything else.
First off, I will plainly and flatly say, I LOVE non-wing sprint cars. That's what I grew up watching, and would still rather watch more than anything else (along with Champ Dirt cars, and midgets...AKA USAC cars)
WRP has a good turn out of them, and they put on some of the best racing I have ever seen. Matter of fact, in 2009 I finally conned a guy into going to WRP. The man was the sponsor of the USAC sprint car champion in 1975, but had stopped going to the races because of 'it's too damn dusty nowdays', and 'they have become 'follow the leader boring high speed parades'. After the sprint feature that first night at WRP, Sam stood up, and announced "That was the best sprint car feature I think I've ever seen in my life!!!". Pretty powerful coming from a man that had seen races from coast to coast for over 60 years!
I personally am tired of people -still- crying for the return of the stock cars. I've got nothing against the stocks, or the guys who run them, but like it has been stated on here many times before, less than 15 cars showing up is a joke. Nobody can fault the guys -who did- bring their cars to run at WRP, the 'fault' lies with the folks -who did not- bring their cars to race at WRP.
And truth be told, the same goes for the winged 360s. Where the hell are they at on the nights WRP has run them? I've been to 5 wing 360 races at WRP...the biggest car count they had was 17 IIRC. And there were no more fans in the stands those nights, than there were for any other weekly show. Sorry, I don't buy the BS of 'If they would run the wing 360s every week, the pits and the stands would be full'....... WRP has run the winged 360 the very next night after LMP has run them. Where were the cars and the fans? Ohio is full of 410-360-305 winged tracks. Is there a law that says the state of OH can't have a weekly non-wing track? The biggest races WRP has ever had, have been the All-Star Speedweek shows, and the Jack Hewitt Classic races.
Speedweek has a 'following'. People follow the series, and go to all of the races, and some of those folks have went for every year, or several years...plus as anybody who knows about sprint cars knows, the All-Stars are pretty much the same as/pretty damn close to, the Outlaws.
The Hewitt Classic, is a 1 day show, is non-sanctioned/open competition, and has only been held at WRP for 2 years. Both years the stands were FULL!! And the racing has been top shelf (just like it is every week).
What WRP should look into, is co-promoting with Gas City, and Kokomo. Then guys could run 3 nights on the weekend, at 1/4 mile tracks, all within 125 miles of each other. (Gas City runs Friday Lawrenceburg runs Saturday, they are 143 miles apart, Putnamville also runs Sat., GC to Put is 126 miles, but WRP is only 95 miles from GC)
Like Landon said, this year, Dean stepped on his winky, when he scheduled the race the day before OSKY (BIG paying race in Iowa), and right before the non-wing nationals at Knoxville. Plus USAC kinda screwed any track running non-wing, when they adopted a 'non-competition clause'. The clause basically said, any USAC driver running for 'National Driving Champion' is not allowed to race 24 hours prior to, or 24 hours following a USAC race, at a track that doesn't have at least 1 USAC date, if that track is located within 200 miles of the track that did host a USAC race.
WRP is within 200 miles of Lawrenceburg, Bloomington, Gas City, Kokomo, Winchester, and Toledo=strike 1
All of those tracks run either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday...which is within 24 hours before or after=strike 2
All of those tracks had at least 1 USAC date, and WRP did not=strike 3, as far as a USAC driver chasing the championship is concerned.
That is why you didn't see any USAC regulars at WRP in 2010, yet WRP still had 30 sprinters on average.
As far as the compacts go.....let um' race! What is their purse....virtually nothing! They have just as many cars showing up as the stock cars did. Folks want to complain about what does and does not put butts in the seats.... the night Jeff Kimes started from the rear of the Compact feature, for a bonus if he won, I counted 28 adults (and several more 'kids') in the section over from us, that had on green and white homemade 'KIMES 31' shirts. That's $336 in admission alone!!! not counting what those folks spent at the concessions.
The folks complaining about attendance....
1-How many people have you brought along with you to WRP?
2-How many of them had never been to a race before?
3-How many people do you know who used to go to the races, but had stopped...and since you brought them, they now come every week?
4-Have those people also brought some of their friends, who too had quit going to the races?
5-Have you brough kids along with you, and then taken those kids into the pits after the races were over, to see the race cars, and meet the people who drive/drove them?
I personally have positive answers for all 5 questions, what about you?
i guess their are not many fans like you out there. you may love the non wing cars, compacts, trucks,wing cars, minis what ever, but non of them are putting butts in the stands. i think the economy has a lot to do with it. all the classes at many of the tracks around ohio have lost car counts, blaming one or to classes for the tracks problems is really not fair. dean tried his best to put waynesfield on the map but his reputation from his past promoting has not helped the situation. hopefully the shobe family can get everything back on track.
#46
Posted 06 December 2010 - 02:24 PM
Bob Fricke is an idiot. The LAST thing WRP needs, is Bob Fricke, or anyone else like him!
WRP's revolving door of promoters, and the changing of the schedule (even though some of it was needed/had to be done), has hurt the place more than anything else.
First off, I will plainly and flatly say, I LOVE non-wing sprint cars. That's what I grew up watching, and would still rather watch more than anything else (along with Champ Dirt cars, and midgets...AKA USAC cars)
WRP has a good turn out of them, and they put on some of the best racing I have ever seen. Matter of fact, in 2009 I finally conned a guy into going to WRP. The man was the sponsor of the USAC sprint car champion in 1975, but had stopped going to the races because of 'it's too damn dusty nowdays', and 'they have become 'follow the leader boring high speed parades'. After the sprint feature that first night at WRP, Sam stood up, and announced "That was the best sprint car feature I think I've ever seen in my life!!!". Pretty powerful coming from a man that had seen races from coast to coast for over 60 years!
I personally am tired of people -still- crying for the return of the stock cars. I've got nothing against the stocks, or the guys who run them, but like it has been stated on here many times before, less than 15 cars showing up is a joke. Nobody can fault the guys -who did- bring their cars to run at WRP, the 'fault' lies with the folks -who did not- bring their cars to race at WRP.
And truth be told, the same goes for the winged 360s. Where the hell are they at on the nights WRP has run them? I've been to 5 wing 360 races at WRP...the biggest car count they had was 17 IIRC. And there were no more fans in the stands those nights, than there were for any other weekly show. Sorry, I don't buy the BS of 'If they would run the wing 360s every week, the pits and the stands would be full'....... WRP has run the winged 360 the very next night after LMP has run them. Where were the cars and the fans? Ohio is full of 410-360-305 winged tracks. Is there a law that says the state of OH can't have a weekly non-wing track? The biggest races WRP has ever had, have been the All-Star Speedweek shows, and the Jack Hewitt Classic races.
Speedweek has a 'following'. People follow the series, and go to all of the races, and some of those folks have went for every year, or several years...plus as anybody who knows about sprint cars knows, the All-Stars are pretty much the same as/pretty damn close to, the Outlaws.
The Hewitt Classic, is a 1 day show, is non-sanctioned/open competition, and has only been held at WRP for 2 years. Both years the stands were FULL!! And the racing has been top shelf (just like it is every week).
What WRP should look into, is co-promoting with Gas City, and Kokomo. Then guys could run 3 nights on the weekend, at 1/4 mile tracks, all within 125 miles of each other. (Gas City runs Friday Lawrenceburg runs Saturday, they are 143 miles apart, Putnamville also runs Sat., GC to Put is 126 miles, but WRP is only 95 miles from GC)
Like Landon said, this year, Dean stepped on his winky, when he scheduled the race the day before OSKY (BIG paying race in Iowa), and right before the non-wing nationals at Knoxville. Plus USAC kinda screwed any track running non-wing, when they adopted a 'non-competition clause'. The clause basically said, any USAC driver running for 'National Driving Champion' is not allowed to race 24 hours prior to, or 24 hours following a USAC race, at a track that doesn't have at least 1 USAC date, if that track is located within 200 miles of the track that did host a USAC race.
WRP is within 200 miles of Lawrenceburg, Bloomington, Gas City, Kokomo, Winchester, and Toledo=strike 1
All of those tracks run either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday...which is within 24 hours before or after=strike 2
All of those tracks had at least 1 USAC date, and WRP did not=strike 3, as far as a USAC driver chasing the championship is concerned.
That is why you didn't see any USAC regulars at WRP in 2010, yet WRP still had 30 sprinters on average.
As far as the compacts go.....let um' race! What is their purse....virtually nothing! They have just as many cars showing up as the stock cars did. Folks want to complain about what does and does not put butts in the seats.... the night Jeff Kimes started from the rear of the Compact feature, for a bonus if he won, I counted 28 adults (and several more 'kids') in the section over from us, that had on green and white homemade 'KIMES 31' shirts. That's $336 in admission alone!!! not counting what those folks spent at the concessions.
The folks complaining about attendance....
1-How many people have you brought along with you to WRP?
2-How many of them had never been to a race before?
3-How many people do you know who used to go to the races, but had stopped...and since you brought them, they now come every week?
4-Have those people also brought some of their friends, who too had quit going to the races?
5-Have you brough kids along with you, and then taken those kids into the pits after the races were over, to see the race cars, and meet the people who drive/drove them?
I personally have positive answers for all 5 questions, what about you?
Great Post.
#47
Posted 06 December 2010 - 09:00 PM
i guess their are not many fans like you out there. you may love the non wing cars, compacts, trucks,wing cars, minis what ever, but non of them are putting butts in the stands. i think the economy has a lot to do with it. all the classes at many of the tracks around ohio have lost car counts, blaming one or to classes for the tracks problems is really not fair. dean tried his best to put waynesfield on the map but his reputation from his past promoting has not helped the situation. hopefully the shobe family can get everything back on track.
I never said there were any fans out there like me....not sure where that comment came from, or what you mean by it.
The only WRP class you didn't mention was Modifieds.
The economy surely has a lot to do with it. Tracks all across the country are feeling the crunch. Perris Auto Speedway in California, recently felt the sting of low fan counts for some big races.
I didn't blame any class for the problems at WRP, again, not really sure where you are coming from with that comment.
I have heard of some of Dean's past issues, from several different people. Both at Limaland back in the 70s and 80s, and from Eldora from a few years back. Might have something to do with some recent WRP problems, I don't know. I have also heard from some non-wing sprint car folks, that they really liked that Dean paid out in cash, and not a check....and not by a check that was mailed to them, like USAC does.
No matter who is running the show, I hope 2011 is a real break out year for WRP!
Some race car shows on Sat. morning in Wapak at Wal-Mart etc, and maybe at Indian Lake would help draw some attention to WRP. Having T-102 broadcast from those race car shows, letting the T-102 crew in for free, and having them do some broadcasts from the track. Getting the Wapak, Sidney, St. Marys, Celina, Lima, and Bellefontiane newspaper's sports directors to come to the tracks (both the kart track, and the 'big' track), heck, let them and their wives in for free each week. Passing out buy 1 admission-get 1 free passes at the camp grounds at Indian Lake, working with the Waynesfield Lions club, church groups, fire dept, eateries/bar, bars from the Lake (bring your WRP admission ticket to xxx bar and get a free beer/bring your reciept from xxx bar and get $2 off admission to WRP) etc, etc, might help too. Making positive contacts with local, and somewhat local businesses, will help everyone involved. Have High School 'date nights', bring your 'date' to WRP, get in for 1/2 off (big deal if X amount of the people got in for free, you still got paid by X amount of people, who would not have come to WRP otherwise...even have the tickets passed out at the HS, give a freebie to the principal too....), try to get the high school kids to go to WRP, instead of the movies with their dates. Signs of some type, on Rt 33, that the fabulous ODOT don't have a problem with.
Doc Dawson was from Waynesfield, maybe WRP needs to add another signature event, like a Doc Dawsom memorial race.
It's time to hustle, and rattle the bushes. That's what it's going to take to get butts in the seats.
Edited by Need for Speed, 07 December 2010 - 12:20 AM.
#48
Posted 07 December 2010 - 11:26 AM
#49
Posted 07 December 2010 - 11:43 AM
#50
Posted 07 December 2010 - 07:37 PM
I don't think re-packaging the same show will work IMO !!! There are businesses that support race teams in this area, and some who don't and are not doing to. It would be a good place to start with the known businesses that support racing !!! ( MOST OF THE BUSINESSES IN THIS AREA THAT SUPPORT RACING HAVE THERE NAME ON A 360 SPRINT, E-MOD, OR STOCK CAR ) So for the known businesses that support racing in this area, WAYNESFIELD DOES NOT SUPPORT THERE EFFORTS TO ADVERTISE !!! So if they want to get involved at waynesfield they have to spend more money to put there name on a compact, truck,or mini sprint.... so 50 people can watch them go around the track !!! ( not much advertising value there !!! ) Waynesfield is ignoring this businesses efforts to advertise. Not a smart business move to ignore the businesses that THAT YOU KNOW FOR A FACT) that are supporting racing in this area !!! There is a racing advertising community ( the ones that support tracks and teams) they are being left out ! If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got !!! It has not worked in 5 years, what is wrong with trying something different I ask ? Bottom line ,there has to be butts in the stands for advertising to be sold at the track or with a race team. O buy the way the Woo had record attendance for the 2010 year !!! There is still growth at short tracks across this country, alot due to nascar out pricing themselves. Race fans are showing up to watch local racing at short tracks, so don't look at the empty seats at nascar events and think all tracks are crying poverty. A lot of them are doing quite well !!!
So you are saying wizz on the businesses' that are on cars in all classes that run at WRP, unless they are on a winged 360, mod, or stock car?!?!?!...... Do you honestly think that a business that is already sponsoring 1 track, has the extra money (considering today's economy) to sponsor another track, or that they even want to? Thats ! Much like the rest of your post.
Limaland has been around for 70+ years (and was closed for a while), and Eldora has been around for 50+ years. But the big track at WRP has been around for less than 10 years. Not to mention the huge shot of money Ken Langhals put into Limaland, and NBC/UNO pumped even more money into LMP when they bought it (plus NBC/UNO had a 10 year improvement plan), and the big shot of money that Tony Stweart pumped into Eldora once he bought it.
I promise you, Allentown Speedway, and Eldora Speedway, were not anywhere near the showplaces they are now, when they were less than 10 years old.
#51
Posted 07 December 2010 - 09:12 PM
#52
Posted 07 December 2010 - 10:05 PM
#53
Posted 07 December 2010 - 11:01 PM
I also said a few years ago, that WRP should work with LMP, to run the 360s -non wing- on Saturday nights, to give the fans a little different program, and to give the LMP cars a place to race that's close together. Have seperate points and champions, but also run combined points and a 'series champion' to entice guys to run both tracks. As far as I know, Dallas Hewitt is the only one to run both places, with the same car.
Dirtinacircle: 'I have no clue'...LMAO at that!
What is the answer to WRP's woes then, you claim to know it all.........
Sell it to UNO, run it like LMP, run the exact same show-2 nights in a row-less than 25 miles apart.....oooh, exciting
The track hasn't been properly promoted...simple as that! WRP has 8 non-wing sprint car regulars alone (not to mention modified, truck, mini-sprint, and compact regulars) that live in Miami, County. One of them, was this year's Non-Wing champion, (and another one of those Miami, Co residents was the Compact champion) yet, there has never been any kind of story/results/schedule/etc/etc about the track, or any of the guys or the cars in the Troy Daily News, or the Piqua Daily Call. Nothing in the Dayton Daily News either. WTH not? That's the promoters job!
The Sidney Daily News did run an story on Brandon Ferguson this past summer, but no mention of WRP anywhere in the entire article.
The biggest turn out (crowd wise) has been the Jack Hewitt Classic races, (non-wing sprint car), and the All-Star Sprintweek (410 winged sprint car).
Both years, before (and after) the Hewitt Classic, the IndianaOpenWheel website was buzzing with 'excitement'. People from Indiana skipped going to their regular track that Sat. night, and made the trip to WRP, saw a hell of a race, and talked positively about the track, and the action. This year, Lawrenceburg scheduled a big non-wing race directly against the Hewitt classic, yet WRP's stands were nearly full.
This year's weather was screwy. Cold and crappy early, boiling hot in the middle, mixed with some drenching storms (or at least were going to be, according to the weather guessers) and then cold again later in the season.
LMP was catching hell for cancelling races early, only to have the nasty thunderstorms be a 'no show'. The weather forced some promoters in the midwest/plains states, to fold for the entire season...in July!
Sure, some tracks had good years, but most have felt the sting of the poor economy and bad weather. If you don't believe that, then you're the one that 'has no clue'.
#54
Posted 07 December 2010 - 11:48 PM
#55
Posted 08 December 2010 - 08:18 AM
The track hasn't been properly promoted...simple as that! WRP has 8 non-wing sprint car regulars alone (not to mention modified, truck, mini-sprint, and compact regulars) that live in Miami, County. One of them, was this year's Non-Wing champion, (and another one of those Miami, Co residents was the Compact champion) yet, there has never been any kind of story/results/schedule/etc/etc about the track, or any of the guys or the cars in the Troy Daily News, or the Piqua Daily Call. Nothing in the Dayton Daily News either. WTH not? That's the promoters job!
The Sidney Daily News did run an story on Brandon Ferguson this past summer, but no mention of WRP anywhere in the entire article.
This is something I can speak on with 100% knowledge of. The promoter did his job as far as making sure there was info sent to these news outlets. He hired me to do it. I send results and stories out to every local news outlet I can. Thus far the only one that prints the info with any regularity is the Indian Lake News Current, which is a weekly paper. The information was sent week in and week out, but I can't force them to print it.
#56
Posted 08 December 2010 - 08:19 AM
#57
Posted 08 December 2010 - 09:15 AM
#58
Posted 08 December 2010 - 11:47 AM
#59
Posted 08 December 2010 - 06:24 PM
#60
Posted 08 December 2010 - 10:00 PM
This is something I can speak on with 100% knowledge of. The promoter did his job as far as making sure there was info sent to these news outlets. He hired me to do it. I send results and stories out to every local news outlet I can. Thus far the only one that prints the info with any regularity is the Indian Lake News Current, which is a weekly paper. The information was sent week in and week out, but I can't force them to print it.
Many pardons Gerry.....
Like Dr. Speedy reminded me, Troy, Piqua, and Sidney, are some sorry newspapers.
I will take it upon myself to light a fire under the sports editors , regarding putting something on the sports pages besides stick and ball, and NAPCAR stuff.
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