Some interesting reading from another northerner...

[Phil Jacques]

Sean is a friend of mine, and a pretty smart guy. He grew up in the sport and has seen a lot over the years. He and I share many of the same thoughts so if you don't like me, you won't like him lol Either way, it's interesting to sit down and read this...

Part 1
https://www.shorttrackracer.com/what...sports-future/

Part 2
https://www.shorttrackracer.com/what...racing-part-2/

[Phil Jacques]

Part 3
https://www.shorttrackracer.com/what...racing-part-3/

[RandyS]

Well written.

The question is will anyone listen...

[Beach Bum]

Wow!...

...a short track "white paper". Concise and thoughtful, this article should be required reading for any promoter.

[Phil Jacques]

Fat chance that any promoter will actually listen before it's too late. Their ego's are too important for anyone to tell them they are wrong in how they are doing things.

There are many track owners and promoters doing things right across the country, including a couple series/tracks in Florida, but there are more doing it wrong and that even includes tracks up here. It's not just localized to one specific area, it's everywhere, and if people don't start doing things for the betterment of the sport, rather than in an attempt to gain popularity or line their pockets, we won't have anything but memories to look back on, on Saturday Night's in the not so distant future...

[Groundpounder]

Whats's wrong with lining your pockets?

[jacko241]

Certainly some of the ideas mentioned have merit, but some, in my opinion, in the world we live in today are just unrealistic. First, we must realize that the world has changed since the short track heydays of the 60's, 70's, & 80's. Back then, we had full fields and consolation races, and packed grandstands almost everywhere. Did the owners of ALL of these tracks just suddenly forget how to promote? When a Cup race at Indy, the most hallowed dirt in all of North American motorsports draws 35,000 fans and seats 250,000, there is more going on than poor promotion. NASCAR spends millions of dollars on promotion and fan engagement. Look at the investment they made at Daytona. $400 million dollars. Even with that, and the huge reduction in seating, they are not drawing more than flies to anything but the Daytona 500. Do racers think that the track owners want empty grandstands? Do they think the owners want fields of 5 or 6 cars? Race track ownership and operation take huge financial investments. I have been a fairly successful small business owner for almost 40 years, and I know first hand the cost of employees, insurance, licenses, taxes, upkeep, etc. My Dad used to say, if you see a guy open up a hotdog stand, and he looks like he is doing a good business, 5 more will pop up right next to him. How many race tracks do you see being built? How many have closed? My St. Augustine Speedway is long gone. I won a late model feature there one night in 1998 with a 2 car field, and the track owner paid me the full purse anyway. It isn't just motorsports, all sports are experiencing downturns, but racing has taken the biggest hit for sure. People just are not interested in the same thing. I have raced my entire adult life, and neither of my 2 boys had any interest in it, or my auto business. But I love them dearly and we have great relationships. They just are not car guys. They did like to be at the track for the fist fights though, lol. I believe we will see the truck series go away eventually, and maybe even the Xfinity series as well. If that happens, that will definitely help short track racing. I have said it before, like it or not, if short track racing survives at all, it will be as a pay to play sport.

[Phil Jacques]

I cant really disagree with any of that Joe, the things that just keep continuously coming up in my head are that this is an entertainment industry. At the end of the day, that's what it boils down to. And if the racing on track isn't entertaining, the fans will stop coming, and if the fans stop coming the track makes no money, then it can't pay good purses and then less cars show up and less fans and less money and it turns into a downward spiral.

In my eyes a way to make racing entertaining, is to get the cars closer together somehow. Now, that doesn't have to be by rules, but that does help. Starting the previous weeks winner last every week is something that has been done. PROPERLY instituted handicap systems are also a great way to get some more entertainment. As a racer, I want to pass cars personally. If you're there just to try and sit on the pole and lead every lap, buy a drag car, sorry... Oval racing is about door to door action and if you're too afraid to put your car side by side lap after lap then you might as well just find another sport. At Thompson here, they run heat races, and invert the top 12 in points based on their handicap system and it's kind of confusing, but there are much simpler and effective ways to do it as well. Scott Garrity passed along a very simple system to Kim on how to do it at NSS. I'm pretty sure it went in one ear and out the other.

If you can get some on track action, and door to door beating and banging, the fans can get into that. People don't want to see a glorified hotlap session... That's boring. We need to start with the on track product everywhere be it Florida, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Arizona or wherever in between. Some tracks do it well, others don't.

Something else that I am a firm believer in, and a lot of the spoiled spoon fed kids with no real talent will disagree, but get these cars off the sticky rubber. Put them on a harder compound, all of them. From Sportsman and Supers to Sprints. If you're afraid to have to DRIVE the car, you don't belong in it. A division like Sportsman should be on a Hoosier 800 tire. Treaded, Harder compound and it will last multiple race nights and maintain consistency and speed while still having enough grip to be comfortable to drive. That particular tire HAS been tested in FL, I know because I bought and sent the tires down for the test myself 3 years ago. I'm not saying that the tire they are on now (I believe it's the 750R?) is a bad tire but just using this as an example. A street stock/super stock car should be on something like the Hoosier 790 or American Racer 705... It's a hard compound treaded 8" tire that will last 2-3 race nights. We run 705/706 here on the street stocks and the guy who won the championship last year bought 6 tires in 7 races. It saves racers money and gets them back to the track more often. Like I said this is not a FL issue, this is an EVERYWHERE issue. Soft tires don't make the racing better, they make the tire guy happier. A lot of tracks across the country have their hands in the tire deal so they try and get tires that last less longer. That's just not good.

Racers spending less, will race more. More racers at the track adds to action on the track, handicapping will increase the entertainment level. Fans love action, tracks love fans. All it takes is effort. No, we aren't going to get car counts like the 60s 70s and 80s, but if we could at least get 20 cars per field, we will really be able to put on a show and get this sport to live just a little longer.

[Phil Jacques]

Something else I meant to add that you touched on is kids...

Tracks don't seem to have any excitement or activities for young impressionable minds anymore. When I was young, there were short intermissions where the kids could interact and be part of things either on the midway or on the track itself. A few tracks still do it I think, but not many. If you get kids involved in something at the track, they will want to come back, and eventually some of them will gain interest in the actual racing too. We have to remember that this is a FAMILY oriented sport. Not ever kid is going to get into it, but if we can at least get some of the kids that come through the gates, to keep coming back for some reason, I think we stand a chance at gaining some new young drivers in the future.

[jacko241]

Phil, I completely agree with you about inversions and the tire deal. The only real chance we have of saving this sport is to get the costs down for everyone. Hard tires should be the rule in all classes. Another gripe I have had is the stupid ABC body deal on late models. That is a huge expense to a small team like mine, in time and money. I have a business to run, and I don't have the time to spend 8-10 hours hanging a body after a fender bender. That was the single biggest reason I sold my super.

[OldSchool+]

I could live with the, let's say, race track atmosphere. Citrus is in fact pretty fancy and now that they have got the speakers at a reasonable volume it ain't bad atoll. (Still no summertime grandstand money from here until the backstretch stands are available at a reasonable cost, but that is another story.)

We keep banging the same drum, harder tires, inverted fields, cheaper expenses for the racer... And yet, ask yourself if the late models are becoming more sportsman-like or vice-versa.

"People don't want to see a glorified hotlap session..."--Phil

Pretty much sums it all up.

Meanwhile, I am thankful that Robert ("I'm Craaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzzy") Yoho gets it.

http://showtimespeedway.us/

[Phil Jacques]

Whats's wrong with lining your pockets?

Nothing... That's why I work two full time jobs lol

But, to emphasize on my point... You can line your pockets now, and have no long term security/stability, or you can take a little less now, and make it up on the back end and be ensured that your business will last for years to come.

[Weftracing96]

Tried suggesting a handicap system at Desoto. I was looked at like I was high.It was hard enough years back I remember to talk the drivers into double file restarts. Sad state of affairs, but all your ideas are good Phil.

[OldSchool+]

All of his ideas are good?

(remember drifting...?)

[Weftracing96]

Well, at least in this thread as it were.