Owners Meeting Coming Up

[John Berti]

Hey Boneman! Tracks up North have virtually no problems with conflicting big races. They work things out with each other. Fact that so many of the tracks are NASCAR sanctioned helps out with the asphalt tracks. Dirt tracks also have sanctioning bodies also such as D.I.R.T.,IMCA (International Motor Contest Association), UMP (United Midwestern Promoters), USRA (United States Racing Association), USMTS (United States Modified Touring Series), and WISSOTA (WISSOTA Promoters' Association). That's what I meant by dog-it-dog in Florida. Florida track owners and promoters don't care one bit if they run big races opposite each other.

Instead of running independently perhaps it would be best if multiple tracks in Florida joined sanctioning bodies that policed tracks under their sanction to make sure there are no conflicts with big races.

I know a lot about NASCAR sanctioned, weekly tracks up in New England, I worked at a few. I never saw an occasion where tracks ran big races against each other. Stafford Motor Speedway, Thompson International Speedway, Monadnock Speedway, and Waterford Speedbowl, all NASCAR sanctioned tracks worked out season schedules in advanced to avoid such complications.

[WideOpen]

Bla Bla Bla same old crap who is going to show up? Nothing ever comes out of these things.

[carolwicks]

Times have changed...

i prefer to be positive about whatever anyone is doing to promote better racing in Fl. the economy has changed and track owners have suffered the same as any other business. Rex is trying to find a solution and he deserves the respect for taking a chance. if he fails to have a good outcome then at least he tried but if he succeeds in making a difference then BRAVO!
I wish you the best Rex and hope you have a good turnout. i also hope you guys all find a solution that will be beneficial to all of short track racing. we need to pull together for the sake of you as owners, drivers, and fans!
Put your personal feelings aside and do whats best for your sport... in the end you will benefit. WE will benefit. Good luck and God bless...
carolwicks aka oz

[Rick Williamson]

i prefer to be positive about whatever anyone is doing to promote better racing in Fl. the economy has changed and track owners have suffered the same as any other business. Rex is trying to find a solution and he deserves the respect for taking a chance. if he fails to have a good outcome then at least he tried but if he succeeds in making a difference then BRAVO!
I wish you the best Rex and hope you have a good turnout. i also hope you guys all find a solution that will be beneficial to all of short track racing. we need to pull together for the sake of you as owners, drivers, and fans!
Put your personal feelings aside and do whats best for your sport... in the end you will benefit. WE will benefit. Good luck and God bless...
carolwicks aka oz

Carol it's not personal feelings. We all know the history of these kinds of meetings and who the people are that run the short tracks. They WOULDN'T NEED a meeting like this if they could work together. They would have already been doing it. If they could get along.

[carolwicks]

ahem....

rick... i have been involved deeply in this sport for a whole lot of yrs. it IS personal. i want to continue enjoying it....
i know the results of past meetings but that should never stop us from continuing to TRY.... i applaud Rex for not giving up... and i applaud all the owners who attend and try to make it happen.
carol aka oz

[backdoorbob]

TIRES!!!! Get Rid of Don Nerone. DRIVERS AND FANS!!!!!! Hire Rusty Marcus back for OSW!!!!

[Don Nerone]

bend over

Hey bend over.I have been gone for 3 years. wake up.

[Alan Bruns]

Owners Meeting

Thanks to Rex Guy? How soon we all foget that almost to the date one year ago the upstart FAST (Florida All Stars Tour) led by Wayne Anderson called a meeting whuch was held in Lakeland to go over shedules not only for the new series but other premier races as well! That meeting was a success and FAST left with 12 confirmed dates. Seven tracks were represented and for the most part owners worked together giving and changing dates to make it work. Although two dates had to be canceled due to managment changes the remaining have stayed intact. The very guy your praising canceled FAST dates at his track, then knowing the dates would be filled, decided to host two larger than normal payout events on the same dates. FAST along with the co-opertion of Desoto Superspeedway has now changed the original seson endeing date so it's not in conflict with Auburndale. Now he wants to have a meeting so all the tracks can "work together" on schedules and doesn't want any paticipation from any series or association!
FAST is all about helping Florida Racing as a whole; the racers, the tracks, the vendors, and the fans! We will continue to work with all that seek the common goal of better Florida Racing
This is my view point and not an official statement from FAST.
Good luck to Rex, I just hope everything works out for the betterment of Florida Racing

Alan Bruns

[carolwicks]

hi alan...

there is no praise yet. just hope for a better future. if it all works then we can praise. i dont know what rex has planned. and no matter what that is it doesnt mean the rest will comply or that even he will.... i am no pro but i see alot of rain outs that get put on dates others planned ahead of time because there is no other choice.. why not plan rain outs at 2 on sunday. the haulers are already there and settled in & paid for and there and some of the fans that had to work on saturday that would be able to come on sunday... church is over by then and weather usually nice most of the year. we have to do SOMETHING to help make racing affordable for our drivers and a little profitable for the tracks. im babbling because i am so frustrated.... there has to be a fairly easy way to do this and they make it so freaking difficult! No alan... im not praising because nothing has been accomplished yet. im just hoping rex and the rest of them can come to a reasonably smart way to operate! but if greed or egos take over then we are back to square one.

[Rick Williamson]

there is no praise yet. just hope for a better future. if it all works then we can praise. i dont know what rex has planned. and no matter what that is it doesnt mean the rest will comply or that even he will.... i am no pro but i see alot of rain outs that get put on dates others planned ahead of time because there is no other choice.. why not plan rain outs at 2 on sunday. the haulers are already there and settled in & paid for and there and some of the fans that had to work on saturday that would be able to come on sunday... church is over by then and weather usually nice most of the year. we have to do SOMETHING to help make racing affordable for our drivers and a little profitable for the tracks. im babbling because i am so frustrated.... there has to be a fairly easy way to do this and they make it so freaking difficult! No alan... im not praising because nothing has been accomplished yet. im just hoping rex and the rest of them can come to a reasonably smart way to operate! but if greed or egos take over then we are back to square one.

those dates canned weren't for rain. It's just Rex working both sides of the road

[Rick Williamson]

if

Thanks to Rex Guy? How soon we all foget that almost to the date one year ago the upstart FAST (Florida All Stars Tour) led by Wayne Anderson called a meeting whuch was held in Lakeland to go over shedules not only for the new series but other premier races as well! That meeting was a success and FAST left with 12 confirmed dates. Seven tracks were represented and for the most part owners worked together giving and changing dates to make it work. Although two dates had to be canceled due to managment changes the remaining have stayed intact. The very guy your praising canceled FAST dates at his track, then knowing the dates would be filled, decided to host two larger than normal payout events on the same dates. FAST along with the co-opertion of Desoto Superspeedway has now changed the original seson endeing date so it's not in conflict with Auburndale. Now he wants to have a meeting so all the tracks can "work together" on schedules and doesn't want any paticipation from any series or association!
FAST is all about helping Florida Racing as a whole; the racers, the tracks, the vendors, and the fans! We will continue to work with all that seek the common goal of better Florida Racing
This is my view point and not an official statement from FAST.
Good luck to Rex, I just hope everything works out for the betterment of Florida Racing

Alan Bruns

Aian, it will work if it's Rex's idea. I think more people remember that happening last year then just you (owners?).

[carolwicks]

just for the record...

i was not referring to rex about the rain date.... more than one of them have done that and i do NOT want to point fingers at any track owner because they have all done alot of good things and they have all made some serious mistakes. all i want is to see a better future for them and for us and especially for the drivers. and in mentioning that i would like to see the drivers take more of an interest. whether you like them or not Wayne and Dickie are working very hard to do just that...sometimes the drivers overlook things just so they can race. if they "settle" then why would anything change. they actually have the most efficient weapons... ;-)
whether we agree or not doesnt matter as much as the fact that we do care and thats a good thing.
carol aka oz

[WideOpen]

there will never be a working relationship between any of the track owners and the only reason Rex is doing this is so he can be called a hero! why not he has been called everything else!

[Frasson118]

Carol touched on something important. Why AREN'T these "big" races scheduled with a pre-planned rain date?

Promoters (in this area) always say that "Sunday shows won't work"... I say BS! If the teams are already there, and the fans know that they will race the next day in case of rain, they will PLAN for it, and deal with it. Personally, I LOVE a Sunday make-up race day. There are plenty of times where I could make it the next day, but probably not in a month or so for the rescheduled date... and I'm sure the teams are in the same boat.

The cost of returning to a track are MUCH higher than just staying an extra day, if needed.

I have trouble supporting an event that doeasn't even TRY to do everything possible to get the show in on that weekend. Does it always pay off? Of course not. But, say i went to Columbia tonoght for the FAST Series. It is almost 3 hours from home for me. In case of rain, would I be more likely to stay overnight til tommorrow, or return in a month? No question about it.

I think this is one of OSW problems... there is NO confidence from either fans or racers that EVERYTHING possible would be done in order to get the program in. We KNOW it's going to rain in the late afternoons, but it almost always clears up, and dries out before the 8:00 starting time. PLAN for it... DEAL with it... don't let the rain force a cancellation, just realize there will be some delay and some help needed to get things back in order on the racing surface. Nothing worse than showing up at a track, with the sun shining, only to find out the show was cancelled hours ago (except for the time I drove all the way to Ocala, only to see a sign on the gate that said "closed for Bristol Nascar race".... on a beautiful night).

Sunday rain dates are good for almost everyone that had plans to be there in the first place. Beats the HELL out of coming back at a later time, and there would be FAR less conflicts from track-to-track, and Series schedules.

[Rick Williamson]

Carol touched on something important. Why AREN'T these "big" races scheduled with a pre-planned rain date?

Promoters (in this area) always say that "Sunday shows won't work"... I say BS! If the teams are already there, and the fans know that they will race the next day in case of rain, they will PLAN for it, and deal with it. Personally, I LOVE a Sunday make-up race day. There are plenty of times where I could make it the next day, but probably not in a month or so for the rescheduled date... and I'm sure the teams are in the same boat.

The cost of returning to a track are MUCH higher than just staying an extra day, if needed.

I have trouble supporting an event that doeasn't even TRY to do everything possible to get the show in on that weekend. Does it always pay off? Of course not. But, say i went to Columbia tonoght for the FAST Series. It is almost 3 hours from home for me. In case of rain, would I be more likely to stay overnight til tommorrow, or return in a month? No question about it.

I think this is one of OSW problems... there is NO confidence from either fans or racers that EVERYTHING possible would be done in order to get the program in. We KNOW it's going to rain in the late afternoons, but it almost always clears up, and dries out before the 8:00 starting time. PLAN for it... DEAL with it... don't let the rain force a cancellation, just realize there will be some delay and some help needed to get things back in order on the racing surface. Nothing worse than showing up at a track, with the sun shining, only to find out the show was cancelled hours ago (except for the time I drove all the way to Ocala, only to see a sign on the gate that said "closed for Bristol Nascar race".... on a beautiful night).

Sunday rain dates are good for almost everyone that had plans to be there in the first place. Beats the HELL out of coming back at a later time, and there would be FAR less conflicts from track-to-track, and Series schedules.

Amen Jerry well said!