The owners meeting...

[carolwicks]

the meeting is open ONLY to track owners and promoters and will NOT be held at Hooters as originally planned. This decision was made so that there is less interference and less confusion. Hopefully this meeting will be unlike others in the past and REALLY work for the good of SHORT TRACK RACING!
perhaps other meetings with invites to the many people who work hard in racing will be planned but for this one its owners only. Please dont feel insulted for not being involved... it isnt personal....Hopefully ALL the track owners will attend and put forth an effort to bring racing back to its glory days! This is what we all want.
carolwicks aka OZ

[Rick Williamson]

the meeting is open ONLY to track owners and promoters and will NOT be held at Hooters as originally planned. This decision was made so that there is less interference and less confusion. Hopefully this meeting will be unlike others in the past and REALLY work for the good of SHORT TRACK RACING!
perhaps other meetings with invites to the many people who work hard in racing will be planned but for this one its owners only. Please dont feel insulted for not being involved... it isnt personal....Hopefully ALL the track owners will attend and put forth an effort to bring racing back to its glory days! This is what we all want.
carolwicks aka OZ

So why are promoters included at all. Should be just owners. And good luck getting around the egos. Less interference and confusion? I think what Carol means is forget the girls.

[carolwicks]

Im only the messenger...

it isnt up to us. its up to them and we need to be somewhat supportive of their efforts. sometimes i swear this message board was motivated by Capt. Kangaroo.... lets allow them to TRY ! we have new owners and new problems and we are working in a very poor economy trying to keep a very expensive sport alive.. we HAVE to make it work or take up some other sport. BS on that!!!. i think this time things will improve. no more doom and gloom please. some of us work damn hard for racing and everytime someone comes on here doubting or insulting it takes a little wind out of the sails. let us continue to at least try. we all know what the problems are and some of you sure have great suggestions for a cure. what we are trying to do is get all the tracks to work in such a way that they all get a piece of the pie and dont end up being parking lots...
carolwicks aka oz

[Rick Williamson]

it isnt up to us. its up to them and we need to be somewhat supportive of their efforts. sometimes i swear this message board was motivated by Capt. Kangaroo.... lets allow them to TRY ! we have new owners and new problems and we are working in a very poor economy trying to keep a very expensive sport alive.. we HAVE to make it work or take up some other sport. BS on that!!!. i think this time things will improve. no more doom and gloom please. some of us work damn hard for racing and everytime someone comes on here doubting or insulting it takes a little wind out of the sails. let us continue to at least try. we all know what the problems are and some of you sure have great suggestions for a cure. what we are trying to do is get all the tracks to work in such a way that they all get a piece of the pie and dont end up being parking lots...
carolwicks aka oz

Carol! the people on here are way out in front of the owners on this one. And have been for YEARS! It's the OWNERS that can't get their act together. Or like I said earlier they can't get their egos out of the way. Look at your own statement. WE HAVE TO MAKE IT WORK. Well what's wrong with that statement? The word WE. It's not WE it's THEM (THE OWNERS) whom have to make it work. Fans, drivers and pits crews have wanted this for YEARS. And they (the drivers) would be very happy to work under ONE set of rules for the cars, the tires, fuel, tech and when a track is going to hold a race for a class of cars. And the others tracks DON'T hold a big race of the same class the same night. We hope this meeting works out. But past history shows not to hold out alot of hope for it to work. Oh by the way Carol, veryone that's in racing WORKS very hard at it. Not just you. Most drivers spend 3 to 5 night EACH week getting thier cars fixed and ready to race. They are there racing EACH weekend unless it rains. Their WHOLE family is there. Or they wouldn't see them much. They have to take money out of the piggy bank to race. They are the show that people come to see. And yet THEY HAVE TO PAY just like the fans to get in! And in most cases to put on a damn good show week in and week out.

[dave41]

greed

i want to keep the cars i have at my track. owners.

[carolwicks]

Rick...

please understand that i am in no way defending owners or anyone else...racing is a freaking mess. all i am saying is that we have an owner, rex guy, who is concerned and aware they need to make some changes. we should at least support the effort & give them a chance. if we send out positive energy instead of continually insulting them maybe they will go there with some new ideas!
ive been around florida tracks for a long long time and i havent had on blinders. i just refuse to be a bitch and always complain. i encourage track owners to rethink and to shock the fans and drivers in florida and make things right... i do not ever give up because as soon as everyone does that we are doomed.
carol aka oz

[UREZ2PASS]

If I was a racetrack owner, I would wear a helmet to that meeting.

Why post about an owners meeting on website forums anyway ? Something tells me they have the ability to call each other and schedule a meeting without informing the whole racing community -

This all sounds like BS to me.

[Osmosis Jones]

I'd shake my head but it makes the screen all blurry.....

Rick, Rick, Rick.....

Even if you had a hundred years, unlimited patience, a masters degree in Communications, a copy of "Racing for Dummies" AND400 talking monkeys who were shown every copy of Stock Car Racing and Circle Track magazines in the known universe and could act as interpretors......you are not gonna bridge this gap and explain how "real" racing works to......well.....you know who.

It just ain't gonna happen.

Rose colored glasses and wishful thinking get filed alongside "Pipe Dreams" in my file cabinet. But think how cool it would be to see 400 monkeys watching a race and going crazy over a blown call by the flagman that was overturned by an "over-involved" track owner whose actions in turn angered the points runner-up team which caused them to leave and run at a different track, who's rules were so different they had to change their car around only to find that their old track scheduled race dates right on top of their new track owner and now even the tires they bought a month ago are obsolete as the five tracks around him all run 5 different compounds and/or makes and their plan to use their rain checks has also failed as the only thing on tap for the next month of racing is labeled "special event" or "NO RAIN CHECKS" by a track owner who had a bad week at the track (the other one that features puppies) and needs to recoup a little green before he boards up the place and levels it for a new sub-division.

But hey, it's only a theory.

I could be wrong.


O. Jones & Son, Esq.

[Rick Williamson]

please understand that i am in no way defending owners or anyone else...racing is a freaking mess. all i am saying is that we have an owner, rex guy, who is concerned and aware they need to make some changes. we should at least support the effort & give them a chance. if we send out positive energy instead of continually insulting them maybe they will go there with some new ideas!
ive been around florida tracks for a long long time and i havent had on blinders. i just refuse to be a bitch and always complain. i encourage track owners to rethink and to shock the fans and drivers in florida and make things right... i do not ever give up because as soon as everyone does that we are doomed.
carol aka oz

Carol, positive thinking isn't what they need. And I agree with the poster that ask why did you even post the meeting on here in the first place? It's between the owners and not for the rest of us. If Karnac has to post that there will be a meeting on here to tell the owners. Well it means that when Rex called them they most not have picked up their phones to talk to him. End of story. This isn't the place to call a meeting of owners!

[Rick Williamson]

yes I know

Rick, Rick, Rick.....

Even if you had a hundred years, unlimited patience, a masters degree in Communications, a copy of "Racing for Dummies" AND400 talking monkeys who were shown every copy of Stock Car Racing and Circle Track magazines in the known universe and could act as interpretors......you are not gonna bridge this gap and explain how "real" racing works to......well.....you know who.

It just ain't gonna happen.

Rose colored glasses and wishful thinking get filed alongside "Pipe Dreams" in my file cabinet. But think how cool it would be to see 400 monkeys watching a race and going crazy over a blown call by the flagman that was overturned by an "over-involved" track owner whose actions in turn angered the points runner-up team which caused them to leave and run at a different track, who's rules were so different they had to change their car around only to find that their old track scheduled race dates right on top of their new track owner and now even the tires they bought a month ago are obsolete as the five tracks around him all run 5 different compounds and/or makes and their plan to use their rain checks has also failed as the only thing on tap for the next month of racing is labeled "special event" or "NO RAIN CHECKS" by a track owner who had a bad week at the track (the other one that features puppies) and needs to recoup a little green before he boards up the place and levels it for a new sub-division.

But hey, it's only a theory.

I could be wrong.


O. Jones & Son, Esq.

that it was useless to post to well you know who. But it made me feel better.

[carolwicks]

hmmmm

i may be looking thru rose colored glasses and overly optimistic but i dont think there's anything wrong with hoping. personally i think if this meeting doesnt help our situation in florida, then it should be all out war.
im not stupid. i can clearly see whats happened and who is causing it... only a totally blind person couldnt... but should we stop trying? what would that solve? talking rarely works... the talking part is over. time to challenge the people who are hurting the sport. lets give this a chance and if it doesnt have positive outcomes then drivers and fans make it happen. i think we can do that without a track closing.
i get calls every day from people all over the state who are really angry about track owners and why... and i believe them and i cant stand the arrogance and one sided thinking. but now the owners are suffering too with a poor economy... the stands are not full nor are the pits. all of them are feeling the crunch so lets see how they handle it. i will either toss out the rose colored glasses or join in the crusade to make a difference if thats even possible. you can lead a horse to water... but you cant make him drink....
Citrus, Auburndale, DSS, Punta Gorda, and all the others...dont be selfish... there are over 4,000 racers in florida...plenty to go around and make a decent living for all of you. but we will try not to allow you to destroy each other because in the interim you are destroying what we love!
like it or not, whatever they are doing up north is working. always has. the civil war is over so why not take some lessons from those who know!
i will NEVER be on the side of "giving up".... i have been down on my luck and in total despair too many times in my life. i dont cry and whine... i get up , dust off, and make things better. i have a roof over my head, food, clothing, and everything i need to survive. hard work and giving up the idea that i will win the lottery got me here. i am 68 and not in the greatest health but if i give up i am still going to get older & die... until then i will continue to work and continue to make something in my life count... if i win the lottery... then its good too...lol
please stop insulting me and thinking i dont have a clue. i have a clue but i know that if you push people around you just piss them off and they get nasty and stubborn...it has to be a cooperative effort in order to work. ...John, Rex, Kevin, Rick, Mike, and all the rest of track owners who will attend this meeting... i wish you all the best and i pray you will all go there with one purpose in mind... to fix the problems in florida racing. if you dont, you will have fewer and fewer people in the stands to pay your bills and fewer drivers to attract the fans ... its really that simple.
OJ... believe it or not i agree with you!!! I just dont want to discourage anyone who is going to try and fix it...
I also agree the owners should never have posted. they should have just planned the meeting and worked it all out. there are no heros here. all the tracks have screwed up...but one thing ive learned thru the years is that no secret is safe... lol
IS IT POSSIBLE? can every track run the same tires??? our drivers are getting so screwed....John runs Hoosiers, Kevin runs Goodyear, some run American Racers... and you cant run Hoosiers at PGS or Goodyear at DSS... so who suffers? EVERYONE! is there a solution? tell me.
so please... for the one who wears rose colored glasses... how about some POLITE suggestions for the owners to address... they ALL read this board. no need to be nasty... just suggest. AM I ALWAYS WRONG??? jeeez is it so wrong to hope for better and to "never give up?"
if i go to dinner and hate the menu i either eat and never go back or just walk out....but i do tell the waiter why in hopes they will tell the owner and perhaps try to please.. if not... seeee ya.
"You know who"

OJ... i just had cataracts removed and new multi vision lenses put in. "I can see clearly now".... smile