20 replies to this topic

[blue by you]

with what is going on in the country now an people losing there jobs an the cost of racing keeps going up an up how many can hang  on......its a shame.

[tonyp]

I'm really afraid that the longer things keep going the way they are in this country we're going to see a lot of teams and tracks be lost for good. The kind of racing that we all love here needs fans in the stands to survive. I know people are making plans for 2021 but at this point I'm not optimistic about anything getting back to normal anytime soon and I think another season like 2020 or worse could spell the end for many tracks. I hate to seem so negative but right now it's awfully difficult to find many silver linings.

[FanJim24]

Tri City and Lernerville had crowds. Granted, Tri City needs more work, but they had butts in the stands. 

[jo73]

Well I'm not sure if many heard this but here goes.

Williams Grove and Port Royal have both up'd the pay outs substantialy. That's a Friday / Saturday that teams out in central pa no longer have any reason to travel. The pay outs and the season that they run, 10 months, will make it very pleasant for guys. The money has gone to the sprints and late models.

Tracks in western pa need to see whats going on around them. As much as I think lernerville is one of the top 5 tracks in the country. If I had a car it would be going east on Friday / Saturday. The 3 divisions of racing that we all have gone to lernerville, me since 68, need to be addressed. Did the grove and port royal align themselves so that teams mite consider doing this ? You betcha, only time is going to tell us if it works.

The slm won't be on the schedule every weekend out east.

[dirtstudent2]

Tracks out east historically take care of the show(racers) and it brings fans into to the stands.

 

Local Western pa and Eastern Ohio tracks take care of what?

Except making sure they get enough money out of the racers who put on the show hoping they can survive with less fans in the stands.

 

 

If i've said it once on here i've said it a hundred times, "It's the Show people, if tracks support the Show(racers), the stands will take care of themselves.".

[D1RT]

You will never see payouts like that for weekly racing in Western PA.
They are too worried about jamming the back gate with 10 divisions a night.
And now you have everyone opening tracks back up to thin the top division fields even more.
Fridays- Lernerville, Thunder Mountain, Bedford, Dog Hollow.
Saturdays, Sharon, Mercer, Hummingbird, Hidden Valley, Marion Center, Latrobe, PPMS,ETC.
Heck someone may as well open Hesston, Thunder Valley, Windber, Ebensburg and Challenger.....

[dirtstudent2]

The greed problem is if our local track owners take All the payout put on multiple less then headliner classes, there so cheap and scared to be real Don Martin type promoters the money which could be applied to a headliner class don't mean squat.

 

They expect to make don't mean squat profit off of racer CUSTOMERS as Vickey once told me, "I provide racers a quality place to race at a reasonable cost".

That means racers in this area are thought about as customers and NOT the private contractors they tout, to be able to put the cost of their accounting on the backs of racer customers via registration fees.

 

For "racers" racing is NOT a hobby it's a way of life.

The problem with so many track owners is their race track is not a way of life but a rich hobby.

They involved with their racing hobby so long as they get type A personality accolades at NO cost.

There not in it for the love of racing but for a cheap rich mans hobby and a place to go and be a big shot with their friends and race track customers.

 

If they were real big shots they'd be involved with horse racing taking their clients to the track for a fixed race and an exchange of money.

The money which gets moved to clients by those horse racing big shots is not even their money it's the money bet by Joe bag of donuts on the favorite when the fixed race brings home a longshot. 

 

That ought to get better then Rush viewing numbers.       

Edited by dirtstudent2, 15 December 2020 - 10:14 AM.

[dirtstudent2]

I have to give Vickey credit because she is now successful with the same business model except she now provides racers quality equipment to race at a reasonable cost.

 

Like it or not it appears to be working for her. 

 

The only problem I have with it is the reasonable cost in my opinion is beyond the pocket books of too many low budget racers.

And it also brings into the mix high dollar racers looking for a cheap trophy and accolades, along with experienced racers seeking a win even though they still cannot compete dollar wise with experienced high dollar racers.

 

 

 

edit:  Arguing against my position and thoughts of speck this speck that racing, it's evident many racers do not think speck this and that racing is not done at a reasonable cost.  I'd never get to see but would like to see racers listed by the percentage of how much of their gross income they spend on racing.

I'd bet most winners though they spend more money spend a lesser percentage of their gross income on racing.

 

Racing is a hobby?

answer:  bull shit

 

 

 

.

Edited by dirtstudent2, 15 December 2020 - 02:07 PM.

[jo73]

They took the hobby out of racing many many years ago.

[Skull]

This area is mired in quicksand. There is variety and quantity in spades, but the quality is inconsistent.

 

I don't think these track owners are greedy per se, I just think some of them are far too conservative, but it isn't my money or sand box. That there are so many people that think things are fine the way they are makes arguing about the state of racing around here an exercise in futility.  Much less frustrating just to pick and choose what shows to go to than it is to demand more and better shows. It is what it is.

[FanJim24]

We do have some great tracks here and some talented drivers. We are both blessed and somewhat spoiled. The other side of that is that the racers, (owners and drivers), deserve more payout, and have for years. It would bring better racing, and more butts in the stands. 

 

It would also be nice to see promoters bring some of the fun back to the program. I think that Tri City did a pretty good job of that, and next year will be telling if they can address the problems from this year and continue to put on a good and fun show. 

[FanJim24]

As for the future of racing. It's kind of like the future of family farming. The kids aren't all that interested, the cost is astronomical and the government is hostile. 

Edited by FanJim24, 15 December 2020 - 09:53 PM.

[jo73]

If I could somehow explain what local racing has become down here in the south you would think Lernerville's Friday night program was the world 100 or the grove national open. Oglethorpe, because it is the closest, big 1/2 with sweeping corners. The place is lucky to get 100 people. I've yet to see a race there that had actual competition. Been down here now for 5 yrs and I think I have gone 3 times.

[Mod Pro]

So aside from fussing... how do we as a community best help the sport we all love! Couple thoughts:

Work with promoters with community programs... to help the community around them and get eyes on Racing... for instance... work with a food pantry, collect food and have a driver day where teams bring in their cars and haulers and give the food away while allowing the community to interact with the teams

Work with local schools... give away passes to students... maybe one student and parent pass... get them interested... and usually that free pass will buy you a hotdog... and a free pass checked in is a write off for the track as advertising... so not only does the 2 foot piece of bleacher cost them nothing, the loss in advertising is a gain

Downtown so Tri city... on a Sunday afternoon before races, have a park and show of haulers and cars downtown Franklin... loop in some local bars and eateries (assuming theyre open) and have a pre race party downtown with haulers open, cars on street, teams and drivers in uniform and get people interacting with... maybe again allow each team to hand out some free passes for that evening (a good way to measure success of event... how many are cashed in) and if a driver participates, maybe work out a meal at the local restaurant and driver gets in free that evening...

Just a couple ideas... I know things are things here in western pa... Ive been here almost my entire life... but folks... time to hike up the big boy pants and own what we can about our local racing community!

[dirtstudent2]

jo73, you need too/MUST go watch some kart racing down there.

 

It's alive, very healthy and well.

 

Kart racers down south can race for $1000+ to win usually two nights a week or pick and choose which $1000+ to win race they go to on Saturday.

You'll find everything in the pits from haul it in your trunk to traveling fully equipped race shops.

[blue by you]

these posts are all well an good. but the cost of racing it's self is over the top cars....parts..motors...its not about the tracks with out racers you have nothing

[jo73]

Ds2 I've gone to oglethorpe twice for the cart program. It was like nothing I've been to.

[dirtstudent2]

Ds2 I've gone to oglethorpe twice for the cart program. It was like nothing I've been to.

 

I looked at the track in google maps and it looks like a nice track.

I've never been to the Georgia east coast to watch any racing car or kart but been to most tracks around Atlanta over years past.

Dixie Speedway and land fill was my first track down south to get to see a race.  

 

Savana was just too far for a day drive while in school.

 

Did you like what you saw?  

[jo73]

The tracks I have been to oglethorpe, screven, golden isles all have great layouts and nice surfaces. As for the carts at oglethorpe. The track is set up in a way that you can get up on the big track. Box stock, this little guy decided he was racing on that track. It must have taken him 5 mins to make a lap. LOL, I think they finally got him to stop after 3 laps around the big track, hilarious. All in all the kart racing was ok. I was surprise by the lack of cars. Screven has a fantastic surface, the woo slm guys could really get around that joint. I'm hoping to make it over there for the all star sprints they have 2 or 3 dates this year. Golden isles called off there races for 2021 I guess.

[dirtstudent2]

My favorite track in Georgia was North Georgia Speedway.

Found it because it was across the street from what's now called Dawgwood Speedway a kart track.

First time I got to see a big Late race, bloomquest and all were there 1990+ something.

 

Even made a traveling Casino betting drag race one Sunday at Macon Dragway.

They had a man on the inside of the fence pit side giving odd to bet on each race.

It was fast and furious betting like a crap game outdoors. 

 

Here's the google map to the back woods and I really mean back woods track.

 

edit:  forgot the url

 

https://www.google.c...6!4d-83.3502928

Edited by dirtstudent2, 17 December 2020 - 08:22 PM.