Charlotte County "Worst Show in the World"!!

[cfontfan]

First off i was at ccmp and was part of the late model show and i agree there was no reason to start 30 race cars in that race. Maybe if the quality of the cars were better then that might work but 3/4 of the cautions were brought out by the last 10 cars on the track.

O yea why the hell does these race tracks put lap down cars in line with the lead lap cars??? Makes no sense, they will run 5 more caution laps tryin to figure out where the car that gets lapped in 4 laps and brings out 3-5 cautions needs to be in line. So that way hes in the way again and causes another caution instead of maybe getting a "lucky dog" award or maybe just lining up at the back of the line.

It really could of been a good race if the field would have been narrowed done to 24. Anyone ever been to a Lucas Oil dirt late model race??? Ive seen 150 cars show up and 24 make the A main. And ive seen B and C mains that end up being better races than the A mains ever thought they would have been. I would have to bet that the guys Saturday night that were racing for 25th on back would have rather raced for a win in a B main and make a little extra money than get there race cars tore up and finished in the back.

Just a little vent after Saturday night. Some races have to run more than 10 laps green to start to get good.

[Bobby Diehl]

Thanks for those suppot and give ideas to improve us.

First of thanks to those who support us and short track racing. And I am sorry for those who didn't like the way the show went. We did not care for the out come either. But will work on it. Yes there are some GREAT ideas on how to present the show. Thanks for the views. We will try to re look at some of the mistakes we made. I think the Feature need to start at the latest 9:30, but 9 is the target time. The rain has been hard for everyone. From getting the show in or if cuts it short. I can tell you we had a full pits and there was two or three hours of delay. And then on the last two laps were cut sort because of the turn four looked like ,Lake Erie. Having a curfew we could not go past 11:30. But yes the show started to late. We will work on that. As far as Go Carts. The Mini Cups are a very much a part of the Short Track card throughout the County. Granted you may only like Sprint Cars, Late Models, Street Stock (were NASCAR came from), any of the many styles or types of race cars or trucks. Heck some love NASCAR, but some call them a Taxi Cabs. Oh yeah some say the trucks are make to tow race cars to the track. Others says if it has fenders it's not a race car. But, no matter if it is V8, 6 cyl, 4 cyl, two stroke or a single cyl. Heck INDY CARS had 4 cyl OFFY's for decades. So all of them have a place at the track. If you don't like a division go to the rest room or grab a quick conversation with another non supporter of that type of car in line for a drink. Heck call home to see how the family's doing back in other parts of the county. So you who give a view to improve are eyes and ears are open. Call 813-817-7223 and talk one on one to make it better. That's what we want as well. Thanks to the positive people and those who are negative. They are sometimes who have no one at home to talk to. We need to try to make them like the show as well. Just remember hind sight is 20/20.
This weekend we will have V8, 4 cyl, Open wheels, and a Car and Trucks with fenders. We seem to have them all. So for those who care here is the lineup for this week "Greatest SHOW on EARTH":
Lee Memorial Health Systems Family Night
Q AIA and R/S Towing Open Wheel Modified 50 Laps,
Signage Pro Fast Trucks Pro Touring 50 Laps,
Outlaw Modified 30 Laps
Fla Sun Coast Outlaw Street Stocks 50 Laps,
Jim's Amusments Sportsman 50 Laps,
Juniors Trim Shop Road Warrior,
SW Cable Bandelero and Legends,
Advance Auto Parts Mini Stocks
Call for your slabs. Marge in standing by 941-575-7223.

Remember never through rocks when you live in a glass house. Thanks and hope to see the happy ones again this weekend.
Booby "I'm listening" Diehl

[Rick Williamson]

Bobby, before I go any farther let me say I am trying to make this positive. You don't need FOUR 50 lap races in one night in the rain season in one nights races. That's 200 laps for just 4 classes. If you do, do it this way then give the other classes the night OFF! IF you just have to have ALL those classes do features ONLY in ALL CLASSES! But I remember you doing this earlier this year were you had 2 big races Sportsmen 50 laps and LLM's with a 100 lapper. And you also had 7 OVER CLASSES that night. It didn't work! Please stop packing your shows to full. It may sound good on here. That you can draw that many classes in one night. But those of us that have tried to saet through one of those night. See it as a not going to the races night. At least at the track that's tring to put it on. And it's no fun for the racers either. That's what burned me out was getting home at 3 or 4 am and going to work or church a few hours later. Oh AND ONE LAST THING ON THIS SUBJECT. Stop talking to the winning drivers after a race on nights like this. HAVE THE NEXT RACE PULLING ON THE TRACK AS THE LAST RACE LEAVES THE TRACK! Nothing I say again NOTHING in between the races. Good luck for your track this week and the rest of the year. Rick

[ancrdave]

Some thoughts:

Volusia Speedway Park: With no weather to screw things up, started on time... Even with an extra 4-cyl. make-up feature and kid's bike races (took 10 min. at intermission), finished by 11PM... Order of features: Late Model-Modified-Sportsman-Thunder Stock-4 Cylinder... If anyone wanteed to leave after the Sportsman, they could... but they missed the two best features of the night...

Racecievers: These things should be used by EVERY track... Volusia uses these in all classes and lining up cars is never a problem... plus they are a tremendous safety factor... Drivers can buy them or rent them from Taylor Racing Products... If they save you from being in one crash during the year, they more than pay for themselves...

Too Many Classes: Why do you have to run 9-10 classes each week with most of them having less than 10 cars? Also, why 3 classes of V-8 Bomber style cars and 3 of 4 cyl. cars... Too many classes that are mostly the same thing with too few cars... If you have a class that consistently has 5-6 cars or less, then you need to do away with them... Who you gonna have mad at you, 5 people?

Mini-Cup Cars: I love these cars WHEN THEY PUT ALL THEIR SILLY DIFFERENCES ASIDE and show up with some decent numbers... This looks like it happened at Charlotte Saturday... They really do put on a good show, especially at smaller tracks like Charlotte, Citrus and Auburndale...

Weather: If you have a weather delay, adjust the show accordingly... If the majority of your fans are there for a big LM, Sprint race etc., give them what they want as soon as you can... The fans who want to stay for the eight 4 cyl. classes that have 5 cars each can hang around until the sun comes up or they fall asleep...

[Bobby Diehl]

Thanks for the imput.

It alway nice to get good advise. We will work on it. But, Dave we have to have that many classes to stay open.
Bobby DDDDDDD

[ancrdave]

You don't need tons of classes to stay open... 3-4 classes a week with a good car count+move the show along & get the crowd home at a decent hour+good concession food at reasonable prices = A good crowd who are happy with the product they are seeing... Remember, most of these folks have and never will own, drive or work on a race car... they are there to be entertained - nothing more...
Take Bloomington, IN Speedway (a Friday night track by the way)... They run 3 classes: Sprints - avg. 25-30 cars, IMCA Modifieds - avg. 20-25 cars and Street Stocks - avg. 15-20 cars... If they run a special show (LM, Midgets, Mini Sprints), they drop one of the other classes... Play to a packed house every week and the crowd is outta there by 9:45-10PM...
It will work... One big draw like LM, Sprints and Modifieds... Then one class of V-8 stock Cars, one class of 4 cylinders... Then how about a class of cars that are strictly 6 cyl FWD... This has been tried up north and in the midwest with huge success... There are a lot more old Ford Tauruses and Chevy Luminas around than there are Monte Carlos and Camaros

[Rick Williamson]

It alway nice to get good advise. We will work on it. But, Dave we have to have that many classes to stay open.
Bobby DDDDDDD

Bobby I just don't understand how your statement can be true. Small cars numbers in ANY CLASS are boring period end of statement! I can't remember when Auburndale would have 5 or 6 Sportsmen. Even a class like OWM's or LLM's isn't good for a track. With only a few cars. Get over the idea that you "need" All those classes and alot more in the pits and stands will go home happy. And part of the way to help do that is like you and Rex do with the Sportsmen. In other words you race a class one week and the next week that class races at the other track. Do that to 3 or 4 more classes please. And one other very good reason to do that IS...........the class that races at one track and don't want to do the 2 hour trip to the other track. Can go on VACATION and not miss a weeks racing at the track they love so much. Gee what an idea. People need family time together and that Doesn't mean at a race track each weekend for 9 months a year.

[Osmosis Jones]

Yep. It's a long one.

When ya lives by the back gate...ya dies by the back gate.


He needs that many classes because, like ALMOST every other track owner/promoter in Florida, that's where he is making his money.


I keep hearing about these great crowds at CCMP but the handful of times I have been there over the past couple of years, I could have swung a dead cat around and not hit anyone. There were a lot more fans than Desoto but still the word to describe it would have been...."sparse".

The more classes you try to squeeze into one curfew regulated program the more folks you can charge that jacked up pit fee.
"Remember to call early for your slabs!!!! We MAY run out so you better HURRY"
.....I never saw all the "slabs" filled up either, so....I saw a scheme like this described in a advertising manual before.

I guess what I'm saying is this: If your crowds have been SRO just about every week, as the CCMP "Army" would have us believe, then why would you "have" to have that many classes to stay open? Doesn't that say right there that you rely on the entry fees from these "racers" to stay open?

One more thing. Okay...maybe three.

What advertising/promotional manual has ever advised telling your buyer/fan to not pay attention to what you have to sell? That's like saying, "Our races are boring so please go watch a movie while we cater to someone else. Oh, hey...if you don't mind come on back later and MAYBE we'll have something for you to see.".....make your product so damn exciting that they'll be afraid to go to the bathroom until the races are over so they don't MISS anything!!!! Geez....come on, man!!! You keep saying you want input...(that's iNput, BTW)....but, really....what have you changed in your program that was due to someone's suggestion or criticism? I have seen post after post on here and other boards begging for tracks to cut the number of classes and get the fans out of the stands at a decent hour. With a curfew like yours, one would think this would be an idea you would embrace. Man, I would be freaking livid if I had waited all week (or two) to race only to be told "Sorry, but we screwed around so long with these little go karts and that unnecessary intermission that we can't run your division....again. Here's a few Bobby Bucks for your trouble" Three divisions, Four tops. You hear it time and time again. You guys really need to listen to the masses for a change. I mean, they are the ones who are paying to either race or watch, aren't they?

Lastly.....how long have you been running CCMP now? How many nights have you had to deal with the threat of rain or it's after affects?
You have GOT to have a pre-plan for that sort of a problem.
You can't predict when it's going to rain but you can damn sure have a plan for dealing with the problems that it causes with the track and/or the program. Have a game plan and STICK TO IT! Come hell or high water THIS IS HOW WE ARE GOING TO DEAL WITH IT!!! Everyone from the racers to the fans to your employees will appreciate consistency and fairness across the board.

Oh well. Take all this as negative or positive, Bobby. Or Racefan99 or anybody else for that matter. Sometimes the answers to problems aren't shiny and sweet and delivered by clueless sheep. Sometimes it's just about biting the bullet, looking inward with a discerning eye and changing what you think and believe in.


OJ

[MW68SS]

One of the best run tracks ever Sunshine Speedway - Mini Stock, Street Stock, Sportsman, Modifieds, Figure Eights. 5 very distinctive classes exciting races packed stands and heats and features in 3 hours. Autograph sessions and Ride-Along program before the races start. Sure do miss that place.

[ocalasp76]

Bronson

At Bronson they run 4 classes every week with a figure 8 bus race every now and then. Some nights,like this coming Sat., they have something special like 'skid cars'. We start at 7:30 and are almost always done by 10:30 or 11. No alcohol served which is a good family atmosphere.
Pits are clean,no slab charges,good food,friendly staff and fair racin' rules for everyone. The four cyl. Hornets run a kidney bean race.....The crowd loves it and it's always the last race of the night.

Racin' is good at Bronson.

-JIM-

You hit the nail on the head OJ......

[flvideo]

If you like racin

You can't convince me you wouldn't have liked the Mini cups Sat. They put on a good show. They are not Go karts at all. I was looking at one Saturday, Danny Scofields in fact, and they are every bit as well built as any stock car. Their cage is more elaborate than most you;ll see especially the side bars and the halo. They are precision built. I put a pic of the finish Sat as well as the first 3. The winner, who won by maybe 6 inches was David Poulan. Driver of Late Model in the UDLMCS, second was a young boy who is driving for Danny Scofield, owner and father of Jeff Scofield driver of the #07 SLM who campaynes all over and has won several late model championships. Danny bought 4 of them. The little gal of the #05 is cinda ray who drives the #05 Fast truck and does well. They aren't toys and they put on a good show. I have all ways gotten excited about watching 2 snails race if they are competitive. Just another take for what its worth.. Bob...

[Rick Williamson]

A lawn mower is a lawn mower is a lawn mower.

[flvideo]

Whats a mini cup?

They have a Tube Chassis,
Adjustable Suspension, Coil
over Shocks, Disc Brakes,
Rack and Pinion Steering

ENGINE: Honda GX - 390
4 Stroke OHV Single Cylinder
389 CC Horsepower
Electric Start - Clutch

BODYS: Chevrolet - Ford
Pontiac - Dodge

CHASSIS: 1.125 by .085 Mild
Steel - Mig Welded
Upper & Lower Control Arms
Caster - Camber -
Toe Adjustment -
Movable Pedals

[flvideo]

I ain't never seen a lawn mower like this.

[RSB]

Yuck!

Hate em!!!!!