Orlando Speed World: Update

[OldSchool+]

Cara,

Sorry about your issues. Keep the faith.

Pick a relatively stable track and adjust the car to their rules, a little at a time if necessary.

You have had the good fortune to race, you have the heart of a racer, and you have 80% of what it takes (car, trailer, spares, etc) to get back on the track.

You can make it happen.

[shorttrackcar1]

Yea don't forget when ozzy showed up the super lates and e mods the best classes for cars were gone not a smart move. At. All. Didn't even get a chance . Bring back butch and Barbra.

[Lurkin]

Here's the parking lot from 5 Flags tonight and they're still coming in.

Bombers, Street Stocks, Modifieds(Which have had a crappy car count all year) a Faster Pastor race, and a demo derby and oh yeah 5$ admission night.

Not exactly a BIG show but well worth 5 bucks in a lot of people's opinion. Maybe he should take a trip to 5 Flags and see what they're doing to get the word out.

[Phil Jacques]

Phil, while I believe your heart is in the right place and there's no denying your passion for local short track racing, I think you're not that informed about what has happened at Speedworld within the last two years. Most of it has happened before you started posting here. For the long of it, search "Orlando Speedworld" and "Ozzy Moya" on this message board. Ever since Ozzy took over Speedworld it has been nothing short of a sh*tstorm and a soap opera. Managers hired and fired before even having races, schedules were put up on short notice, rules not listed, website not updated for months. All of these things were true. I hated it because Iove racing at Speedworld. Not much attention was paid to the oval track while Ozzy pumped money hand over fist into the dragstrip and it flourished. Most of us had written OSW off, at least while Ozzy was in charge. Then a glimmer of hope. Donny was hired and reports of the drainage and infield paving came out. A lot of people, me included, felt that Ozzy took year one to build up the dragstrip and would now focus on the oval. Hooray! Unfortunately it was not to be. In the spring an anonymous donor put up some extra cash for the Sportsman race and a bunch of us headed over to race. Old School was there that night. I pushed hard on here for everyone to come out. Although everyone working there was real nice and we had a fun time, the state of affairs were not good. There were no lights working in turn two at all and the scoreboard was still not working. The crowd, well it was no crowd. To make matters worse, all the drivers who finished outside the top ten got no payout, nothing, nada, zip. To not get even your pit pass money back (when you probably brought four people or more) was a kick in the balls. Even though we had a descent Sportsman field that night, none of those guys outside the top 10 will ever be back. Paying just the top ten tells racers that you only want ten car fields. I know Donny is a great guy with all the best intentions but his hands are tied by Ozzy. The feeling that "they don't care about the oval" comes from Ozzy's actions (or lack thereof), not Donny's. You can have the best deals at the front gate ( like the $5 and $40 family deals), but if you don't advertise who's gonna know about them? Your trying to rebuild a fan base, people have to be informed in some way. On the other hand you can't expect fans to get excited about a show comprised of 5-8 car fields of support divisions with lights that don't work and no scoreboard. The bottom line is this. Ozzy seems to have the money to fix up the track, pay better and bring in some bigger divisions from time to time and PROMOTE THE EVENTS. He just doesn't seem to want to take the risk. Only money will fix this situation. Look at Desoto. It was in even worse shape. No cars, no fans, place falling apart. The right people came in and got it done. Now it is one of the best tracks in the state on every level. Demographically OSW has even more potential than Desoto but Ozzy has to spend the bucks. If not, lease it to someone who will. Nobody hates on OSW but you can't blame people for their pessimism. We've all heard this tune before. But I do wish that Donny can get it all worked out. He is a real good dude and OSW is probably the best surface to race on in FL.

Trust me Scotty, I heard it all, saw it all and watched it all from afar. Just because I wasn't posting, didn't mean I didn't follow it. I am well aware of the giant shit show that has happened...

Quite honestly, I still have my home track (barely) so I could give two shits if a FL track fails, however... It's the whole idea that short track racing is slowly fading away. Don't believe it? Look back 20 years and see the car counts everywhere across the country and look again now. The tracks we still do have, we need to embrace and find a way to hold on to the best we can.

Sure, Ozzy is not the savior, but he isn't the antichrist either. If you guys give a shit about the place, then in my eyes you should make an effort to be part of the solution, not part of the problem? Pickin up what I am puttin down here?

My initial post was to jump in front of the bashers... Most of those on FB have disappeared and have not posted in months... Likely cause they have gone elsewhere which is whatever, good for them I am glad they found some place they are happy. But in the mean time make your own decisions based on what YOU have experienced, not based on what someone said. Remember, personal opinion does not apply to everyone just like my opinion to support the track through thick and thin does not apply to Old School, Lurkin, Katlizzie or any of them if they do not want it to. It's the wonderful freedom we enjoy here in America...

Lurkin, as far as you losing your home track... We have all but lost Thompson as they cut back to 7 races and possibly less next year, and Waterford is up for Public Auction on Oct. 18th at a starting bid of 2.25m... CHEAP for a race track!!! It will likely go away which forces me to find a new place to go. I am not happy about this at all, but the Thompson thing is a direct result of what you see here. People come on a public forum or FB and complain, and it branches out and in less than 5 years, the stands went from really nice looking on a weekly night to MAYBE having 250-300 people... The car counts also began to dwindle because people felt they got treated better elsewhere cause they were allowed to get away with certian thing at other tracks that Thompson wouldn't let them. So everything took a hit.

As a community as a whole, we need to remember that we may compete against each other on the track, but we are one as a racing family and we need to watch out for each other in the end. We may not always agree with what goes on with tracks, and OSW is a great example. But we do need to be proactive rather than just trash them. It takes more effort to be suggestive and help them fix the issues, but in the end it's all worth it...

I have zero affiliation with OSW other than knowing Donnie through the community and on FB. You should all take a moment and send him a message and offer up your ideas... Seriously... He reads EVERYTHING...

[Phil Jacques]

Here's the parking lot from 5 Flags tonight and they're still coming in.

Bombers, Street Stocks, Modifieds(Which have had a crappy car count all year) a Faster Pastor race, and a demo derby and oh yeah 5$ admission night.

Not exactly a BIG show but well worth 5 bucks in a lot of people's opinion. Maybe he should take a trip to 5 Flags and see what they're doing to get the word out.

This is very similar show lineup to what Donnie and I were discussing earlier today. He just isn't sure how to go about it because he has had so many unsuccessful shows this year that he wants to do it right for everyone.

[Jimmy McKinley]

Want something *different* at Speed World that the current generation of race fan in Florida hasn't seen since the early '90s at Volusia when it was paved?

Bring down ISMA (non-winged) and MSA (winged) SuperModifieds in February around Speedweeks, for the nights that New Smyrna's not running. Run a couple of local support classes (Modifieds, Sportsman, and maybe 4-cylinder bombers?). The Supers would bring down out-of-state crowds along with local fans that have never seen them run down south.

Bring in a BIG Super Late Model show, maybe two or three shows scheduled a year to start with - maybe a 125 or 200-lapper, maybe on the Friday night of Governor's Cup weekend. Make it a double-header. Cars and fans will already be here for the Cup, anyways.

[OldSchool+]

Garrity, give that guy a SUDS coupon!

[rhinoracing11]

Reality check, OSW has to get dirty.Yes ladies and men.The ONLY way to get the buzz going again is to make it DIRT. IT WILL BE THE ONLY DIRT TRACK IN FL. WITH BANKING! There are several series to pull from.Speedweeks pull 5x more dirt cars than asphalt, they can tap into all the big leages of dirt racing.And being Orlando teams will tow to race there.Face it the only way to make BIG WAVES is to do something drastic.Dirt would do that.
Rob

[katlizy]

I hate to say this, but there seems to be an audience for the dirt here in Brevard. I wonder if osw can team up with the Melbourne track to cross promote. I would hate to lose my local asphalt track, but would love to see more ppl there

[scottgarrity07]

We could all use a SUDS after this thread! As for your question Old School, nobody knew they weren't paying from eleventh on back. I'm sure if they asked they would have been told so. But, in their defense, if you take the green anywhere I've raced in the past 21 years, FL or elsewhere, you get SOMETHING.

Now I've seen Plainville Stadium, Riverside Park Speedway, Hialeah Speedway and USA International Speedway closed forever and it sucks. They were all great racetracks. But racing is a business and in business the almighty dollar rules. Like it or not, it's reality. But to think that we are somehow obligated to martyr our money and time as racers and fans in the name of "saving a racetrack" while the owner refuses to take the necessary steps that he is able to do to improve things is foolhardy. Ozzy holds all.the cards. You could spend every last nickel and spare second you have trying to "save Speedworld" and at any time Ozzy could shutter it. It's a business for him, he has no emotional attachment to it like we do. I just wish he'd make up his mind. He knows what to do. He's built up the Lakeland Dragstrip to be successful and he's made Orlando Speedworld Dragstrip very sucessful. But he's sunk a ton of money into both AND spent money promoting both. It's time he either does that with the oval or closes it until he finds someone to lease it who will. I hope this delay in the reopening is because he's aware of the need for marketing, infrastructure improvements, etc. but only time will tell. Thompson may have gone the way it has because of being slaughtered in social media, but that's not the case with Speedworld. Facebook or KARNAC didn't choose to not fix the lights, cut payout past tenth, not fix the scoreboard, or choose not to spend money marketing OSW, Ozzy did. Social media may be the only place people can vent their frustration about OSW, but it is not what is responsible for it's downfall. Remember, Desoto was in worse shape and now is doing well. Hopefully Ozzy takes this respite at OSW and tries to learn from and tries to replicate what was done in Bradenton. It's the only thing that will work. Beating our heads against a wall, repeating the same failed methods will not. Best of luck, Donnie. I hope Ozzy gives you the tools and freedom you need to turn the place around.
OSW is an awesome racetrack and deserves to get that same second chance that Desoto got. (Sorry Phil. I still love ya bro and truly appreciate everything you've done to try and help us down here.)

[Phil Jacques]

We could all use a SUDS after this thread! As for your question Old School, nobody knew they weren't paying from eleventh on back. I'm sure if they asked they would have been told so. But, in their defense, if you take the green anywhere I've raced in the past 21 years, FL or elsewhere, you get SOMETHING.

Now I've seen Plainville Stadium, Riverside Park Speedway, Hialeah Speedway and USA International Speedway closed forever and it sucks. They were all great racetracks. But racing is a business and in business the almighty dollar rules. Like it or not, it's reality. But to think that we are somehow obligated to martyr our money and time as racers and fans in the name of "saving a racetrack" while the owner refuses to take the necessary steps that he is able to do to improve things is foolhardy. Ozzy holds all.the cards. You could spend every last nickel and spare second you have trying to "save Speedworld" and at any time Ozzy could shutter it. It's a business for him, he has no emotional attachment to it like we do. I just wish he'd make up his mind. He knows what to do. He's built up the Lakeland Dragstrip to be successful and he's made Orlando Speedworld Dragstrip very sucessful. But he's sunk a ton of money into both AND spent money promoting both. It's time he either does that with the oval or closes it until he finds someone to lease it who will. I hope this delay in the reopening is because he's aware of the need for marketing, infrastructure improvements, etc. but only time will tell. Thompson may have gone the way it has because of being slaughtered in social media, but that's not the case with Speedworld. Facebook or KARNAC didn't choose to not fix the lights, cut payout past tenth, not fix the scoreboard, or choose not to spend money marketing OSW, Ozzy did. Social media may be the only place people can vent their frustration about OSW, but it is not what is responsible for it's downfall. Remember, Desoto was in worse shape and now is doing well. Hopefully Ozzy takes this respite at OSW and tries to learn from and tries to replicate what was done in Bradenton. It's the only thing that will work. Beating our heads against a wall, repeating the same failed methods will not. Best of luck, Donnie. I hope Ozzy gives you the tools and freedom you need to turn the place around.
OSW is an awesome racetrack and deserves to get that same second chance that Desoto got. (Sorry Phil. I still love ya bro and truly appreciate everything you've done to try and help us down here.)

Well, first... Regarding payout... I agree and have been telling Donnie, PAY OUT THE FIELD. Even if it's just 30 bux to cover the drivers gate cost for the night. However, if you watched the website closely before this season, you saw a list of payouts for each divisions... Only 10 positions were listed per division... I didn't think that was so difficult to understand but I guess everyone is so use to getting paid for 11th on back, they assumed. But it was right there in black and white.

Scott, you are half getting what I am trying to say. I am not saying go there every week and sit in the stands and watch 10 cars go in circles 3 seconds a part from each other... I am just saying instead of people jumping down their throat constantly. Try to be proactive. If there is a show you may be interested in such as TBARA, SLM etc. Go check it out. Offer suggestions as I mentioned many times before, try to give Donnie an idea of what people want to see there. All too many times I come on here and people just sit and bash the track. The majority of the threads I have seen made on here in the past 2 years have been like that. I see similar stuff about Three Palms too. The bottom line is, it's easier for people to trash it than make the effort to give Donnie a 5 minute phone call and say hey, if you do this, this this and this it would make a more enjoyable racing evening. He's trying, but he is an Auto X and Drifting guy so he does not know the oval track community as well. Ever heard "help me help you"? How about Help him help us...

Dirt might be interesting... Since thundercross closed, there haven't been any good dirt tracks that I know of from Orlando on southward in FL. Just don't think it would be really worth it because he has a successful program coming in other days with drifting and auto x stuff.

[OldSchool+]

Produce or Get Off Da POT!?

"But to think that we are somehow obligated to martyr our money and time as racers and fans in the name of "saving a racetrack" while the owner refuses to take the necessary steps that he is able to do to improve things is foolhardy. Ozzy holds all.the cards. You could spend every last nickel and spare second you have trying to "save Speedworld" and at any time Ozzy could shutter it."--Scott G

Scott nails it again!

Let's look at the facts. Ozzy spends money on dragstrips and not on the circle track. Donny is for all practical purposes is "one of us"--unpaid and without authority. Nice guy, good effort (to be commended) but cannot move the needle.

The question is WHY?

In my experience, there are miles between drag guys and circle track guys.

I grew up on a circle track, later got into drags a little and have made a pass or three down the Bithlo dragstrip. But to wait 15 minutes to watch a funny car blast down a straight line in three seconds is not my bag.

No turns, no rubbin', no racin. Okay for them, not my deal.

Similarly, in my experience, those guys think circle track guys and their cars are neanderthals.

It's okay, but it is a recipe for disaster if the owner/promoter feels that way.

How about this--Mr. Moya, either leave it closed until someone (like Yoho) comes along with sufficient funds, or if you want to have races, decide on the budget you want to spend, let Donny (or whomever) come up with a business plan, and then let them run the deal while you focus on the dragstrip.

A thought--try to talk to another promoter, maybe Robert, to find out what it takes to get the job done, money wise, for a weekly show (that is, excepting the "big money" specials).

[Lurkin]

Ok Donny reads everything so here ya go.

Donny,

5 Flags gets a lot of talk on the Country radio station here because one of the most popular DJ's races out there. How about getting a bomber car for one of the local radio guys and get him or her out there. I'd personally suggest The Monsters as they are the biggest show in the market and the main guy Russ is one of the best self promotion guys on the planet, even if you don't like their show they have the market. Their guy Bubba Whoopass Wilson is a huge race fan and they're friends with the TM ranch guy who sponsors David Russell and is one of the biggest cattle ranchers in the country. Get them to have their annual fan get together out there. I firmly believe this idea alone would yield immediate results. I know they did a half arsed little promotion awhile back and it didn't help all that much but if you can somehow make it worth The Monster's while to push it it WILL help and I believe a lot. Let em hold their fan get together there for free maybe. Of course you're gonna have to have a show to keep the fans coming back...

I suggested this two or three mgr's ago and was told their fans weren't the kind of fans they were looking for. WTF?! Whatya mean not the kind you're looking for? Alive? Paying?

[Cara]

Thank you OldSchool.

[shorttrackcar1]

Dirt no thank you. besides they ever put dirt down there goes there other events no more drifting and what ever they do there .