How Much Racing is too much

[Southern Outlaw]

up north they race late April to early Oct. so about 5 maybe 5 1/2 months....

here in Florida we race 10 months yet they race 3-1 more then we do....

WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE GO TO FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Winger]

I've been saying the same thing since I came to Florida but you're the first one to actually make the same observation. They race 4, 5, 6, nights a week if they want. Most run 2 or 3 nights a week or they used to. Rules used to be uniform at all tracks and, if one track got rained out, they just towed to a different track. All they'd change would be the gear, if the track was different. and set up. Friday, Saturday, and Sundays are used for regular shows. One Vermont track runs Thursdays. Special shows are run during the week. They don't run series races on Weekends. They let drivers race their regular tracks on weekends and the series run during the week. That way drivers can get home track points and compete for money races during the week. They always get good fan and car counts at these shows. I think the series and special shows in Florida hurt racing by running on regular race nights. No one seems to want to try week days though.

[Rob00]

up north they race late April to early Oct. so about 5 maybe 5 1/2 months....

here in Florida we race 10 months yet they race 3-1 more then we do....

WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE GO TO FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of us have to work for a living, not easy telling the boss you want to leave early to go racing.

Rob

[tccaz]

Some of us have to work for a living, not easy telling the boss you want to leave early to go racing.

Rob

So then you race when you can and let the other guys race when they can. Don't penalize everyone else because a few can't race every night. Race fans can't go every night but we want to go when we can not pick one from only Saturdays.

[egspeedway]

The northern tracks are much more versatile in their approach to scheduling. Two things I see as different is the population distribution with significant populations being in the vicinity of the tracks. The second difference is that in reading AARN it appears that they have a significant number of top quality cars that are owned by people other than the driver. In Florida it appears that most car teams involve the driver as either full/part owner. Tracks that have had problems with Sat. night racing due to poor promotion etc. are surely doomed to failure if they try to change. It will probably take a new track with deep pockets and excellent management to begin a successful track in Fla. on a Friday night.

[luke81]

So then you race when you can and let the other guys race when they can. Don't penalize everyone else because a few can't race every night. Race fans can't go every night but we want to go when we can not pick one from only Saturdays.

Normally I'd agree with that type of thinking, but that won't work down here. There just aren't enough cars to not maximize your possible car count every night. If 5 guys miss a week you just lost 1/3 of the field. In PA/NY/NJ there are so many race cars within pretty close proximity to the track that travel time isn't always a big deal. A guy can scoot out of work at 5 and jump in the truck and be unloading the car by 6:30, with racing at 7:30 or 8. And they know how to get the program done at a reasonable time so that guy can get home too. Down here so many of the racers live hours away from the track and throw in Friday traffic and the trip just isn't possible. When I come up to Ocala to race it's normally a 2 hour drive, but I guarantee on a Friday it's 3 hours to get there if i'm lucky. I think a lot of guys are in the same boat that just makes it impossible to run every Friday.

[egspeedway]

Normally I'd agree with that type of thinking, but that won't work down here. There just aren't enough cars to not maximize your possible car count every night. If 5 guys miss a week you just lost 1/3 of the field. In PA/NY/NJ there are so many race cars within pretty close proximity to the track that travel time isn't always a big deal. A guy can scoot out of work at 5 and jump in the truck and be unloading the car by 6:30, with racing at 7:30 or 8. And they know how to get the program done at a reasonable time so that guy can get home too. Down here so many of the racers live hours away from the track and throw in Friday traffic and the trip just isn't possible. When I come up to Ocala to race it's normally a 2 hour drive, but I guarantee on a Friday it's 3 hours to get there if i'm lucky. I think a lot of guys are in the same boat that just makes it impossible to run every Friday.

Couldn't agree with you more .From Tallahassee we had at least 100 miles to the nearest track and the short cut was all ant trails (two lane) county roads. We could never run Fridays for a regular show few If any dirt tracks north of Ocala are near an interstate.

[Lurkin]

Maybe you should go back where you came from.

[Southern Outlaw]

Maybe you should go back where you came from.

Ok I will...oh wait a minute I am...born/raised in Jacksonville...FLA-RI-DUH...

Have raced all over the south and mid-west along with every dirt track in Florida along with 2/3rds of the pavement tracks...

FLORIDA has always been 20 years behind when it comes to racing!!

[Winger]

The northern tracks are much more versatile in their approach to scheduling. Two things I see as different is the population distribution with significant populations being in the vicinity of the tracks. The second difference is that in reading AARN it appears that they have a significant number of top quality cars that are owned by people other than the driver. In Florida it appears that most car teams involve the driver as either full/part owner. Tracks that have had problems with Sat. night racing due to poor promotion etc. are surely doomed to failure if they try to change. It will probably take a new track with deep pockets and excellent management to begin a successful track in Fla. on a Friday night.

I'm not sure what you mean by population being in the vicinity of tracks up north. Afton, Thunder Mountain, Penn Can, even Lebanon Valley are not close to any significant population. The Valley may be 1/2 hour + from Albany. The others are much further.
As for top quality cars, that is accurate. Many drivers actually race for a living. Because they race at so many different venues, it's easier for them to get larger sponsors, although getting any sponsor isn't the easiest anywhere. Of course the tracks pay much better up there so that provides an incentive for more car owners to get involved.
I agree when you imply a poorly run track on Saturday won't prosper on Friday. Changing nights won't help that.

[luke81]

I'm not sure what you mean by population being in the vicinity of tracks up north. Afton, Thunder Mountain, Penn Can, even Lebanon Valley are not close to any significant population. The Valley may be 1/2 hour + from Albany. The others are much further.

They may not be near big cities, but they're near enough population that are racers or race fans which is the key difference in my opinion. It doesn't take much to fill a race track, figure what's a good turnout in the stands? 2-3 thousand? And another 300-400 in the pits and you've got a show. All of these tracks are within an hour of 100,000 people I think so you only need a few percent of them to show. Every small town up there loves racing and they go, and then buy race cars. When I raced at Woodhull in NY we drove through a small town called Addison right before the track and those people would sit on their lawns on Saturday to watch the haulers go by, and then they'd pack up and go to the track. It's just what dang near everyone in the town did. And racing was big deal to them. When people have that kind of love for it you can build a fan and driver base from nearby, which lends itself better to Friday racing.
That loops back around to your second point Winger about the sponsors. When the populations shows up, and the people care, there are sponsors. It's a big deal for a business up there to own or sponsor a race team, at least way more so than it is down here.

[Lurkin]

I wasn't really talking to you Outlaw, but I'm born and raised as well and raced all over(the country) blah blah blah etc etc too (all the dirt and all the paved in Florida since we're comparing dick sizes) and since you're running down my home yeah, why don't you go somewhere else?

Since we're so far behind then it should be easy for someone with such a vast knowledge of racing to stand out, yet you don't.

At least you've either improved your English or have someone proof read your writing, that was smart.

[luke81]

I wasn't really talking to you Outlaw, but I'm born and raised as well and raced all over(the country) blah blah blah etc etc too (all the dirt and all the paved in Florida since we're comparing dick sizes) and since you're running down my home yeah, why don't you go somewhere else?

Since we're so far behind then it should be easy for someone with such a vast knowledge of racing to stand out, yet you don't.

At least you've either improved your English or have someone proof read your writing, that was smart.

Yep, this is the Florida know-it-all attitude. Instead of telling people to go away why not look at what other parts of the country are doing, who are doing it much better? It's not about "running down" your home, its about accepting that racing is FAR more successful elsewhere and then figuring out why.

[Lurkin]

This isn't the rest of the country, it's Florida. Does it need to be different, yes. Do you need to look up North to see how it's done? No.

[rhinoracing11]

Wayne ,lets run thos Midgets on Sunday!!!!