OSW packed????

[UREZ2PASS]

For the math challenged -

If every driver had 10 fans at the track in the stands, 100 racecars would equal 1000 fans in the stands. At $10 a ticket the track would bring in $10,000 in ticket sales. The concession stand would bring in at least $5 per person for a total of $5000. The beer drinking fans would bring in even more cash.

At some point, the drivers could ask for higher payouts and the track would have revenue to support the higher payouts to draw more cars. Fans in the stands means marketing opportunities for businesses - that's sponsorship dollars for the drivers.

Again, EVERYONE plays a part in rebuilding racing. Be lazy, get miminum wage at the payout window and keep bitching.

[Winger]

Ureze, you are correct about drivers needing to promote themselves. Race tracks need to promote the tracks and programs. A handful of cars will only bring so many fans to the track. It's also hard for a driver to get sponsors when the potential sponsor isn't really getting anything for his money. Good teams put sponsorship proposals together to show potential sponsors. Often one of the elements of this package are fan base numbers and pictures of the car at the track with a nice crowd in the stands. They have to be able to show the sponsor what kind of exposure he will be getting for his investment. So, in short, all of these elements; being the drivers, track owners, promoters, and fans depend on each other. Can one exist without the other? Yes, they have before, but not the way we know it now. When racing started it was just a bunch of guys that got together and raced against each other on a track cut in a field. So you had drivers and a track. No fans, sponsors or promoters. That all evolved into clubs and into businesses as we know it today. That could probably still happen today if a bunch of drivers got together and wanted to do something like that. However, OSW is not owned by a car onwer/driver. It's run as a business and should be run as one. It needs to be promoted by the track owner. Part of that promotion is getting the drivers to come to the track. Once that happens the drivers will want to promote themselves, more will come and the fans will come. It will mushroom. Right now there appears to b a problem with car counts and the quality of show. There has to be a reason for that. OSW must determine what the issue or issues are and fix them. Ignoring them will not help. Until the issues are identified and rectified, nothing will get better. I don't believe the surface is the issue. If the track is run the same, I don't believe it will make much difference if it's dirt or asphalt. However, it has to be realized that it is much more expensive to race on asphalt than dirt and take that into consideration.
So let's look at what the problems are with OSW. I'll start with just a couple items I can speak of personally. I've only been there a few times but I really like the facility. However, the traffic is the main thing that keeps me away. That is my number one complaint, as a fan. If that one thing was fixed would I go to the track? The answer now is no because the program isn't entertaining enough for me with too many classes and low car counts. My next suggestion would be to cut some classes to consolidate the driver base and increase car count in the classes that remain. If traffic and quality of program was fixed, I would go to the track more. How do you go about changing these things. I think the only answer to fixing the traffic problem would be to change nights of racing. I'm not convinced Saturday night is the answer and I think Sunday's should be considered. How do you increase car counts? I already stated cutting classes or consolidating them and increase the payouts so more cars want to compete. Cut the expenses by cutting practice time, and required purchases of tires, fuels, etc. It will cost more initially but I believe it will pay off in the long run. These are just a few things that I'm pointing out. There are others that I could mention but I'd like to have others comment on what actually is broke and needs fixing. Is the officiating fair, facility appropriate, etc.?

[Winger]

UREZ, we're on the same page. You posted your reply while I was typing mine up. The only difference I see is I say you have to provide the show before you provide the fans. Someone has to take a loss to increase the car count first and, in my opinion, increase the payout first. So that should be the track owner. How he does it is up to him. IMO, he should go out and get sponsors to increase the purse. He needs to do it first then the rest will come.

[Mike C]

Increased purses are the answer . If OSW , or any short track , paid $3000 to win every week in every class do you think you'd have people scrambling to build race cars ? The pit areas would have to be expanded . Is a much larger purse across the board realistic ? Yes , i think it is . There are several possible ways to accomplish it .
One , the track owners would need to reach into their pockets and pull out some cash . If the track owner bit the bullet and kept the payout high for one full season , he would have a much larger car count and fan base by the end of the year . Some track owners have the money to do exactly that if they felt strongly about it . But i don't know of any who are that commited to saving racing .
So the alternative is to do it the way NASCAR , and for that matter Tony Stewart at his tracks do it . Do you think the purses at those places come out of the pockets of the owners ? Not hardly . They don't even come from the gate in NASCAR .They come from corporate sponsorship . And corporate sponsorship comes from a hard working marketing person who is paid well for their time and effort .
And also quit dumbing down the racing and the race cars . Give the fans a reason to come to the racers .

[Boneman]

Increased purses are the answer

FASCAR increased purses in a big way for 2011. It has not had a big effect.

Your figure of $3000 to win in every class is an exageration intended to make a point. The purses are no where near that level of course, but they are certainly more on par with the the competiting tracks in Florida.

[Bigbuck]

UREZ, we're on the same page. You posted your reply while I was typing mine up. The only difference I see is I say you have to provide the show before you provide the fans. Someone has to take a loss to increase the car count first and, in my opinion, increase the payout first. So that should be the track owner. How he does it is up to him. IMO, he should go out and get sponsors to increase the purse. He needs to do it first then the rest will come.

Winger, again, we agree 100% Right on. I still say it might pay for someone to try contacting some of the car owners that used to drive. I know phone #'s change, trust me, I'm constantly calling customers that have changed their 3# but a lot haven't either. I personally hate calling people to remind them their renewal is due after sending 3 renewal notices in the mail, but I do it, know why? because I love that $180- $600 renewal! Do I get an ear full sometimes, sure. Do they hang up on me sometimes, sure. Do they bitch at me sometimes,sure. But know what, If I get just ONE renewal in 10 calls for the min. of $180, thqat still isnt a bad days pay. If the track got just ONE car a week back, with the fans and support people in the pits, thats 40-50 a week, not all that bad right? I have several friends that used to race and maybe they're BSing me but they all say noone has ever called them. Just a little, "Hi, we miss you, what can we do to get you back"? I know nothing about promoting but I guarantee That would be one of the first things done. Hey, maybe 5 gals of free gas the first night back, maybe free pit pass the first night back, thats called investment, they say its a business, businesses do thin gs like that to promote their produck. A $1 coupon off on a sandwich is a good idea but I guarantee not one new person showed up to save $1 on a sandwich, the focus needs to be on drwaing in new (and old) fans and drivers. I like all of your ideas Winger and a lot of others too. I've been told I have no right to voice an opinion because I'm only a fan, well somebody better start listening to the fans as well as the drivers because there arent very many left. Again, I do not intend this as negativity, but if someone doesnt agree with me I'm saying it anyhow. Its my sport dying too.

[Bigbuck]

UREZ, we're on the same page. You posted your reply while I was typing mine up. The only difference I see is I say you have to provide the show before you provide the fans. Someone has to take a loss to increase the car count first and, in my opinion, increase the payout first. So that should be the track owner. How he does it is up to him. IMO, he should go out and get sponsors to increase the purse. He needs to do it first then the rest will come.

Winger, again, we agree 100% Right on. I still say it might pay for someone to try contacting some of the car owners that used to drive. I know phone #'s change, trust me, I'm constantly calling customers that have changed their 3# but a lot haven't either. I personally hate calling people to remind them their renewal is due after sending 3 renewal notices in the mail, but I do it, know why? because I love that $180- $600 renewal! Do I get an ear full sometimes, sure. Do they hang up on me sometimes, sure. Do they bitch at me sometimes,sure. But know what, If I get just ONE renewal in 10 calls for the min. of $180, thqat still isnt a bad days pay. If the track got just ONE car a week back, with the fans and support people in the pits, thats 40-50 a year, not all that bad right? I have several friends that used to race and maybe they're BSing me but they all say noone has ever called them. Just a little, "Hi, we miss you, what can we do to get you back"? I know nothing about promoting but I guarantee That would be one of the first things done. Hey, maybe 5 gals of free gas the first night back, maybe free pit pass the first night back, thats called investment, they say its a business, businesses do things like that to promote their product. A $1 coupon off on a sandwich is a good idea but I guarantee not one new person showed up to save $1 on a sandwich, the focus needs to be on drawing in new (and old) fans and drivers. I like all of your ideas Winger and a lot of others too. I've been told I have no right to voice an opinion because I'm only a fan, well somebody better start listening to the fans as well as the drivers because there arent very many left. Again, I do not intend this as negativity, but if someone doesnt agree with me I'm saying it anyhow. Its my sport dying too.

[UREZ2PASS]

Winger, very well said. The only thing I can add is that I do not believe any track owner today will invest the kind of money it takes to rejuvenate the racing program. If I owned a track, I don't think I would have the confidence to make that kind of financial commitment either. We need to find a way for EVERYONE to work on rebuilding the show without an astronomical amount of financial risk.

[Chmracing]

I'll do the promoting if you can pay my bills and work for me too.. plus I have to work 50+ hrs a week to keep up with no help only thing that saves me is I work a lot of weekends.. so I can't make it to the track also race sportsman it's not like they or running every week... @ osw and nss with a field of 5 cars dose it pay 400 to the winner?

[Bigbuck]

The only bad thing about going to OSW on a Friday night is the traffic. I4 traffic sucks.

Doesnt racing start at 8? Is traffic all that bad at 7? I don't know, just asking.

[shane sutorus 3]

dirt

back 90's when my dad raced we ran on dirt.. dirt is the best but the crappy part is the dirt we ran on was right next door to osw....you tell me whech is still there ...by the looks of it they are doing something right to still be open ...