New Smyrna Speedway Results 5/30

[MJM10]

Thompson Speedway

pits $30
Adult 18
Senior $15
Kids 6-14 $5
5 and under free

Waterford Speedbowl

Adult 17+ $17
13-16. $5
12 and under free

The price of admission cannot be compared to any track I have been to in Florida as the facilities are FAR superior in Connecticut. Everything is paved in the pits, the stands are well cared for and updated as are the bathrooms, there are several food vendors, I can go on and on. As a result of this more cars show up, as a result of that the places are packed on a regular night. I was happy to pay $40 (that was for the pit entry) or whatever is was to get into Stafford every time I went, I've seen better racing in my one year up here than my eight years racing in Florida. I hate to say that because I will be back in Florida racing again soon but honestly I don't want to after being up here.

[OldSchool+]

I was fishing for higher admission prices = higher payouts.

But that is not the case.

Nevertheless, there are mo' people in the stands, and more in the pits, all adding up to a larger pile of available cash to pay deeper into the field.

It is unclear IF bigger/deeper purses brought more cars if there would be enough return in additional fans for the track to make more net cash.

I would like to think so, but there is the period of time that the additional purse will just be another expense--and they know that.

I can tell you that I pretty much do not attend big events that have a admission price greater than $20. I have turned around and walked back to the car & driven away...

[Weftracing96]

We've sorta beat this horse to death, but you only race 5 months up there. Plus, people tend to have a little more money. Just the same, Thompson has cut to a bare bones schedule just enough to keep their NASCAR sanction. Being a Thursday night track doesn't help it either. It's a different area than down here. 100 lap super late model events are very uncommon. They focus more on a weekly deal. Here, they have a big race every weekend somewhere for some class. It's just very different.

[OldSchool+]

Yes.

There are upsides and downsides to everywhere, glad that you get to enjoy that caliber of racing.

[Weftracing96]

Car counts are even down up there, but they are still far superior to what we experience down here. I think a lot of the same factors that affect FL also affect the northeast like the economy, expense, as well as just not enough young people getting into the sport. It's a vicious cycle.

[Phil Jacques]

We've sorta beat this horse to death, but you only race 5 months up there. Plus, people tend to have a little more money. Just the same, Thompson has cut to a bare bones schedule just enough to keep their NASCAR sanction. Being a Thursday night track doesn't help it either. It's a different area than down here. 100 lap super late model events are very uncommon. They focus more on a weekly deal. Here, they have a big race every weekend somewhere for some class. It's just very different.

Hmmm last time I checked the first week of April until Thanksgiving is about 8 months...

As for people tending to have a little more money... This is true... We also have much higher taxes and living expenses... At 65k a yr salary right now that I make, it's equal to me making about 40k down there when all is said and done after taxes and expenses. Live here for a few years and you will get the picture. Don't believe what you see on paper cause it really isn't much "richer" up here when all is said and done.

Super Lates are not a big thing here. Supers to you guys are what Modifieds are to us here. That is an absolute apples to apples comparison. Your Mods are like our Supers. Popular, but not huge like the other.

Thompson cut back their schedule because they were having trouble drawing crowds and cars. Since they did, it's been fantastic. Every indication is we will be back to 12-15 races in 2016 which is directly from the horses mouth, the manager.

Waterford runs 23 oval POINTS events this year with a late start of the season on May 2nd, Stafford runs 24 for POINTS. In comparison, FL tracks have more physical dates, but every division doesn't run every week there like they do here in many cases. So you really can't say any particular division runs more or less than here, because by my count, NSS only has 18 points events for Sportsman just as a small example and I see a similar trend in scheduling at the other tracks also. If anything, when it comes to points events, we run more honestly. More physical race dates for a track does not mean you guys race more so please stop with that bs rhetoric. On top of that, we have just as many if not more special events shows scattered through the season and off season, from indoor races, to races all the way into December.

Stop trying to say you guys race so much more. We all end up right about even in the end.

Thompson is also no longer a Thursday track, it's a Wednesday track and if you think that hurts us, you are an absolute fool. I will be sure to take a picture of the stands next week when we race. Thompson runs Wed, Waterford Thursday, Stafford Friday, Waterford and Seekonk Saturday and everyone has full pits at every race and at least a half capacity crowd depending on the show. A decent number of the larger teams also go track to track every week running for points at every track, some with the same exact car! If you guys wanted week nights to work in FL, it would. Get your heads out of the sand. It works in many parts of the country... There are tracks in the mid west running Monday and Tuesday nights that have good counts and crowds. It's not us, it's you... Stop being so god damn hard headed and pulling excuses out of your little black books every time a suggestion is brought up, it's pathetic.

People like me are trying to give suggestions because we actually give a flying fuck what happens. Yet you shit on us cause we aren't living there... Who care's where we live? We are actually taking our time and effort and putting it into trying to find ways to help you guys. Obviously there is a reason oval track works in the north east... It's not all about money, it's about fair treatment, friendly atmospheres and appreciation. Show me where that is in FL?


$50 for 8th? Give me a fucking break...

[scottgarrity07]

Kinda hard to argue with the facts you present. I know for me personally I put 10k a year back in my pocket in tax savings FL vs CT. On another note, potty-mouth aside, $50 for 8th is ok in a ten car field, but in a 20 car field it's, well..., what you said.....

[OldSchool+]

"Stop trying to say you guys race so much more."--PhilthyPhil

Sure, if you will stop saying the deal is analogous.

"...you are an absolute fool."--PP

Yes, sometimes I think that, myself! It seems to be a long term challenge.

[Weftracing96]

I think you might be viewing me as a southerner. Negative ghost rider. I grew up at all the tracks you speak of. Yes, you race from the beginning of May on, but the point wrap up most places by mid September and then you go into hit non points special events like the World Series at Thompson, the DAV Memorial at Seekonk, and Oktoberfest at Lee. And I won't agree with your statement that it's all about mods. It's all about mods in CT. They would run 5 Whelan Mod Tour shows vs 1 Busch North show and run SK mods weekly. Other places like Seekonk are about Supers, Star has super mods (totally diff), and stuff up north in NH, VT, and ME focuses on ACT Late Models with uniform rules at almost every track so you can race anywhere. They were great this year again at New Smyrna, and I'd love to see those cars catch on down here.

Im no fool. You claim I am if I think running Wednesday or Thursday hurts you, but then why weren't they drawing cars or fans? Perhaps the fact that they are running fewer shows now is helping to get cars and fans? I have friends that race seekonk in all divisions and the video I saw last week showed the stands to be rather thin. Not close to half full. I think they had 17 supers, sometimes they have less. Used to always be 25 each week. I understand that is great for FL, but not up there. It's still ok, not what it was. Thompson had to drop supers bc they had so few. They used to have 25 also in mid 2000s. Both seekonk and Thompson rake in street stocks. I like a lot of what you say Phil and I agree with a lot of things. Just not everything. Having been involved in both racing communities, I can tell you that a lot of the things that work up there will not work down here. People are stuck in their ways and the northeast promoters know they have to work together or they will only hurt themselves. FL promoters either don't know or don't care.

Another observation, it's much cheaper to start out in FL. There is always someone looking to sell cars and trailers and stuff for pennies on the dollar. Guys want top dollar up north.

[UREZ2PASS]

Easy with the f-bomb. This is a family site bro

[Weftracing96]

EZ, lol. That's just the northern mentality coming out in Phil. I totally get it bc I'm still the same way. 11 years in FL won't take the Yankee out of me. But I've learned to see both sides of the fence now.

[Phil Jacques]

I think you might be viewing me as a southerner. Negative ghost rider. I grew up at all the tracks you speak of. Yes, you race from the beginning of May on, but the point wrap up most places by mid September and then you go into hit non points special events like the World Series at Thompson, the DAV Memorial at Seekonk, and Oktoberfest at Lee. And I won't agree with your statement that it's all about mods. It's all about mods in CT. They would run 5 Whelan Mod Tour shows vs 1 Busch North show and run SK mods weekly. Other places like Seekonk are about Supers, Star has super mods (totally diff), and stuff up north in NH, VT, and ME focuses on ACT Late Models with uniform rules at almost every track so you can race anywhere. They were great this year again at New Smyrna, and I'd love to see those cars catch on down here.

Im no fool. You claim I am if I think running Wednesday or Thursday hurts you, but then why weren't they drawing cars or fans? Perhaps the fact that they are running fewer shows now is helping to get cars and fans? I have friends that race seekonk in all divisions and the video I saw last week showed the stands to be rather thin. Not close to half full. I think they had 17 supers, sometimes they have less. Used to always be 25 each week. I understand that is great for FL, but not up there. It's still ok, not what it was. Thompson had to drop supers bc they had so few. They used to have 25 also in mid 2000s. Both seekonk and Thompson rake in street stocks. I like a lot of what you say Phil and I agree with a lot of things. Just not everything. Having been involved in both racing communities, I can tell you that a lot of the things that work up there will not work down here. People are stuck in their ways and the northeast promoters know they have to work together or they will only hurt themselves. FL promoters either don't know or don't care.

Another observation, it's much cheaper to start out in FL. There is always someone looking to sell cars and trailers and stuff for pennies on the dollar. Guys want top dollar up north.

I don't care how long your physical season is. Most of your annual points racers there, do the same that ours do here. They run for points at their track and dabble elsewhere when they can. Just because you have more physical dates, doesn't mean you have more races per division. As I mentioned, NSS has 18 sportsman dates for points, plus 6 or so non points races with World Series etc. Waterford as an example has a 24 race schedule. Each week our sportsman division is raicng for points. Additionally many guys run 7 races at Thompson, some on the Tour, some at Stafford etc. It ALL evens out. This goes for every division. It's not as different north to south as everyone claims. It's all jaw flapping excuses. Our schedules are much more condensed, yes. But as I mentioned, many of our teams run from April 1 all the way through Thanksgiving at points and special events. Again, not much different, just more condensed.

Waterford and Stafford have always had good pull. The big problem at Thompson was management for a number of years. Since the new crew of Josh Vanada and Scott Tapley have come into place, it's gotten to the point where they are now going to expand once again to a longer schedule. It's called rebuilding. Something that if done properly can happen to FL as well. It's not going to miraculously happen over night. It's taken 3 years now at Thompson and we are finally seeing great results. Stafford is now the one starting to struggle. It becomes cyclical. Stafford also likes unique divisions with cars just different enough they can't go many places. It has finally bitten them and big changes are coming. It will now be their turn to rebuild. Every track goes through this at some point north to south east or west. Florida unfortunately has just held steadily mediocre. It's nothing that anyone wants to see but when suggestions are offered to help, don't look at us like we are crosseyed. Things do work here for a reason. Right now, Waterford, Thompson and Thompson are on top of their game here. It doesn't come from just sitting back and expecting people to show up.

I don't know how much cheaper it really is to start out down there. If you were to build a brand new AMF Sportsman, I bet it would cost about the same as building a top notch Limited Sportsman here. I have 22k in my car turn key brand new and that's a little less than some others. You can however buy solid good used cars in this division between 4500 and 6500 bux, not much different than what I have seen on the boards here in the used section. Sure there are some cars cheaper, but how much do you have to put back into them updating fixing or making it better? And where do you end up financially in the end when it hits the track? Probably right on par.

As for Seekonk last week, their crowd may have been thin because of Waterford holding the tour. Remember, this is Modified country. Seekonk and Waterford are both averaging 18 cars per division right now which honestly is not as good as it had been, but there are two contributing factors to that. #1 is that Waterford was not expected to open due to court deals and such and when it was announced it was very late. New cars have been showing up weekly as people have been able to get them ready. As for Seekonk, they went NASCAR, which made a bunch happy but also pissed off many too. It meant some more strict safety rules that a lot of guys weren't ready for and they have chosen to park cars. Slowly they have been coming back. I expect both tracks to be seeing 22-25 cars per division by mid July.

Oh and for the record, World Series and the DAV are now both points paying events as of 2013.

Regarding ACT cars... Thompson Waterford and Seekonk run them now. There is also only 1 K&N (Busch North) race in all of new england all year now. Not 4 or 5 like there use to. Star, Lee, Monadnock all run multiple big modified races with 60-70 cars showing up for each race now in addition to the tour races and the modified racing series that runs all the way up to Airborne, Devils Bowl, and Speedway 51 in NH.

Modifieds and Street Stocks (Limited Sportsmans) still rule new england.

Oh and last thing... Guys do want top dollar here, because we take the extra time to tear down and repair/reassemble the cars every single winter here. Not saying FL guys don't maintain, but I feel there is a bit higher standard here when it comes to that.

[Phil Jacques]

Easy with the f-bomb. This is a family site bro

F is for Family, right?

[Weftracing96]

I still say these places are apples and oranges. There are far more points racers up north. To win a championship up there means something. I find it far less important down here. If you see guys running points at one track and also racing elsewhere, that tells me again that they have better funding than the average FL racer. For my money, Patrick Thomas and Aaron Williamson are the best sportsman guys in FL, and I don't think they are rolling in dough. Curious how many races a year those guys run?

[Weftracing96]

Another point. You aren't thinking of one thing. Dirt! There are zero dirt tracks that I can think of in the entirety of New England. We have plenty down here. That takes away asphalt racers.