From Today's Orlando Sentinel Sports Section

[MOE #15]

Yes Jane

Steve is a good guy and only wanted to help the track. And the truth is the truth the track needs a lot of help. But only Robert Hart can say if the track will stay open. Not the Orlando sentinal also do not believe everything you read.

[Bigbuck]

Thanks Moe!!

You are very RIGHT on this one tuna. IT CAN BE FIXED but will it I HOPE SO.

Nice having someone agree with me!!!!

[backdoorbob]

Payouts are the #1 Problem. Its not that complicated. Why are the cars at the other tracks on Friday nights?? PAYOUTS. Try paying more and advertising it and they will come!!!! Plain and simple. Its not rocket science.

[Bigbuck]

Payouts are the #1 Problem. Its not that complicated. Why are the cars at the other tracks on Friday nights?? PAYOUTS. Try paying more and advertising it and they will come!!!! Plain and simple. Its not rocket science.

Very good point!!

[Edm]

I will agree that payouts are a problem but does anybody know there is a Sportsman 50 lapper this Friday? This is supposed to be the big event this week at the track and the biggest event for the year for the sportsman cars but yet who knows about it? I just found out today because I looked at the schedule online. I would think that if any "big event" for a class is coming up I would be on the phone/web or door steps. This is the biggest event for the sportsman guys at OSW this year and yet 5 days before the race nobody knows about it. I have seen this time and again for the lower classes. Anyone ever heard the term you can't help those that can't help themselves?

50 lap race at Citrus, 20 + cars?
50 lap race at A-dale, 20 + cars?
50 lap race at Punta Gorda, ?

Racing isn't sick.

I will tell you this, I know there is a big truck race there in December.

[Bigbuck]

EDM, I agree, but here isn't the place to advertise it, I mean it wouldnt do any hurt but theres 7 people on here right now, or at least members. Sorry I did forget the guests but the hit count on this forum is pathetic. But you are right, you have to make it known whats going on.

[Rick B.]

EDM in response to your jab on your post !

If you know about the Truck race I assume it is from the ad on KARNAC that Jack put up, it is no where on the Speedworld website and I have posted and e-mailed a couple general e-mails about the charity events coming up. I invite you to come spend a day with me, as I go around town to businesses and try to get sponsorship, employee nights set up etc. This morning I am sending out e-mails, posting etc about this weekend. I will repeat this from before the list I have from FASCAR office has very few peoples e-mails or phone numbers on it to contact. I am out from usually 8-5 or 6 trying to set up promotions, special nights etc. I work on the Charity tuff usually at night, and it is totaly seperate from the race track stuff. People who are not our doing this can not know how hard it is right now, peope, most businesses do not have money to use right now. So I am trying to come up with other ways they can work with us. I will tell you the article has already in the last two days cost me two possible sponsor deals, they read the article and said they would have to hold off they do not feel safe with it. So now I start over trying to find a couple more chances. So to make it sound like I have worked more on the Charity Truck race than the track is totally un true, in fact it probably has hurt the event that I have not been working on it enough.

[Jane]

I re-read Steve's story and I am sorry it costs you two possible sponsorships Rick. No where does Steve say the track won't be there to support and basically he said that Robert also said that too. Maybe you do only have 30 cars or so but it is 30 drivers who support Orlando SpeedWorld and care for sure what happens to the "ole" girl.

I know Steve and he would never hurt Orlando, heck, he is also an Orlando racer or was with the Classic cars. He is a good guy basically asking the same old question we have seen on this message board over and over. What can be done to bring back the fans and drivers to the track??

Mark is real good about sending out the schedules for the tracks and results and any news. Ed said he knew nothing of the 50 lap Sportsman race. I do get all those e-mails and post them everytime I get one. I really do wish I had a magic wand and could just wave it and bring back the good old days but I don't. I think that will take time for sure and for our economy to get better. Brevard County is not doing well right now with all the space center layoffs and years ago, that is where alot of the fan base came from.

Before I ever went to work for FASCAR, I met some of those workers who said they use to get 2 for 1 deals every weekend at SpeedWorld and alot of them went because of that. It was affordable and they loved it and looked forward to Friday nights. But it did stop but I don't know exactly when or why.

The track has to make money to pay it's bills, employees, etc. and the drivers want to make enough to come back the following week. And the fans, well, they are watching every dollar right now and most aren't doing fun things as much as they use to. It is a big circle for sure right now.

But I for one, am not giving up on Orlando or saying goodbye to her. She has been part of my family for 19 years and hopefully will be for alot more.

[Boneman]

Hey Rick, do you have any plans to follow up with the Sentinal? Another article that paints the track in a different light would certainly be welcome. Even in these times there is no shortage of interesting things and racing personalities at Speedworld to write about.

Are there any proposals in at the Sentinal about expanding the coverage to a weekly article on Wednesday or Thursday, and maybe results on Saturday or Sunday? I hear they are strictly a "pay for play" organization, and that the reporting staff is cut so low that they can't produce much. If that is the case they may listen, and perhaps OSW will have the chance to provide their own copy which would be more favorable.

It looks like it is time to again knock on that door and see what can be done.

[Edm]

If you know about the Truck race I assume it is from the ad on KARNAC that Jack put up, it is no where on the Speedworld website and I have posted and e-mailed a couple general e-mails about the charity events coming up. I invite you to come spend a day with me, as I go around town to businesses and try to get sponsorship, employee nights set up etc. This morning I am sending out e-mails, posting etc about this weekend. I will repeat this from before the list I have from FASCAR office has very few peoples e-mails or phone numbers on it to contact. I am out from usually 8-5 or 6 trying to set up promotions, special nights etc. I work on the Charity tuff usually at night, and it is totaly seperate from the race track stuff. People who are not our doing this can not know how hard it is right now, peope, most businesses do not have money to use right now. So I am trying to come up with other ways they can work with us. I will tell you the article has already in the last two days cost me two possible sponsor deals, they read the article and said they would have to hold off they do not feel safe with it. So now I start over trying to find a couple more chances. So to make it sound like I have worked more on the Charity Truck race than the track is totally un true, in fact it probably has hurt the event that I have not been working on it enough.

Hey Rick,
Thanks for the reply and I can see how it could be taken as a jab but it wasn't intended that way. Your promoting for the charity event works VERY well. You raise a lot of money for a great cause and have a great car count.

The 50 lap sportsman race this Friday is the biggest sportsman race of the year at OSW and yet nobody knows of it. As a racer at what I like to call my home track this is VERY discouraging.

Last year Sherri Krom (sorry if I mis-spelled it) promoted a race at Punta Gorda. I don't know her from anyone but I had pms and e-mails letting me know about the race, asking if I was coming and offering help.

I see several sportsman racers on Karnac and several more on Facebook. Racers are not that hard to track down and this call all be done from home and not cost anything.

[modracecar#8]

well that article sure didn't encourage people to come to the track that's for sure I have had two people already call me that read that article asking is the track was closing and you want to know how I first read that article I was in las vegas last week and stumble across it on the Internet so it not just people here in Orlando area reading it .we all know what it going to take to fix this. MONEY need to advertise all the time not just one time .need to get payouts up . need a rulebook strictly enforced. when you get your license you should have to sign a paper saying you have read and understand your class rules. work on getting tire cost down. work on getting fuel cost down the fuel went up when the gas prices went up 2 years ago. and the gas came down but the race fuel never came down . now I have only bought one car out this year and decide to to take a break to finish up my new e-mod and my late model and I need to put the super stock back together if I didn't take a break it would never get done we do it all ourself from building the car to the motor so it a lot of work and I hope to have all three cars race ready soon and also my brother is currently working on a website for us to show what we go threw and what we are up too Froehlichmotorsports.com its not done yet but a work in progress check in time to time we do it as a hobby and for the fun of it .thanks

[carolwicks]

data bases...

pgs speedway is working very hard to gather a huge data base. drivers info, vendors etc. it will be put on discs etc so if anyone leaves the track they cant take the info with themand leave the track with their pants down....
we try to call the drivers ... it is time consuming to gather the info but there are ways to simplify. the drivers REALLY appreciate the calls. every track should be doing that. if the staff are overworked, and many are, then get a volunteer who will do it for a free pass. it is well worth the cost! i would follow up too because alot of people say they will do something and they dont.
the data base should have name, address, phone, cell, email addy, class, car # and an emergency #...maybe even a bday so the announcer can wish the driver a happy day. all the little courtesys mean alot. oh and dont forget sponsors names so they can be mentioned when a driver is in the winners circle. a printout can be passed out in the tower so the announcer knows each driver, class, car & sponsors... we need to familiarize the fans with the drivers...makes racing alot more fun...
i think this is really important....
carol aka oz

[Jane]

Carol,

If you use speednet at your track, it does that for you. You have to put all that in before a driver can pull a pill to race. You have the address, phone number, cell number, e-mail, etc. all there. And I think it may have an e-mail program in it also, but not sure. But it is a great program for all that info on the drivers.

[Frasson118]

Man, am I sick of hearing "it's the economy".... I say BS.

Last I knew, Citrus, Polk, Marion and Columbia Counties weren't exactly the hotbeds of Floridas economy... yet the tracks in those counties pull in plenty of fans, and better than average fields of cars. Columbia being somewhat of an exception... the dirt track does real well, but the asphalt track struggles. Why someone hasn't figured out how foolish it is to run CMP against North Florida Speedway, is beyond me

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here, is the FACT that OSW has a far-reaching reputation of bailing out early. Calling the races at 2;30 in the afternoon, because of sprinkles in the area, is just foolish. Nobody is going to bother, if the track itself doesn't.

When is the last time it was still raining in Orlando at 8:00?

This past Friday night, probably 2 dozen racers showed up at the Little 500 Kart track, on a perfectly dry night. Why wasn't OSW open... where these guys would have PREFERRED to be? If I had longer than about a 1/2 hour tow, I sure wouldn't bother heading to OSW just to find the gates locked on a sunny Friday night. Even as a FAN, I don't bother. I would rather haul 2 hours to Ocala, because I know that they would do EVERYTHING possible to get the show in. Might be some delays, maybe imperfect track conditions, but DAMN I got to see some racing.

I realize that getting TO the track can be a problem.... so here's a suggestion: NO practice sessions for the upper-level divisions BEFORE 8:00. This will allow a later arrival time without feeling behind the 8-ball if everyone else has had a few practice runs already. That track is MUCH easier to get to after 7, than is is to get there by 4 or 5. Run the practice sessions in between features for the lower level classes (which, in general, come from a much closer distance than LM or Mod teams do). Have Mark pump the hell out of the top drivers in the fastest classes, and excite the fans about the upcoming feature race for that division.

Both the racers and the fans need to KNOW that OSW will try everything possible to get the show in. Right now, everyone seems to know that the plug will get pulled at the first sign of rain, and who's gonna bother with the expenses of hauling out there for nothing?

[UREZ2PASS]

How about this -

Shut the hell up people. Go race - Go watch - or just shut the hell up.

Oh, and have a nice day.