Reality Check

[georgep]

Lets have a Reality Check to sort of end the 2008 Season. Yes I know there are a few tracks running and some special shows but most of the tracks are down.
Unless you are on the moon the economy is in the toilet and swirling in the bowl. Speaking for myself our sales across all the Leatherique International system is down $3.6 Mil from 2007. Some of my friends who run model trains at my house have lost most of their 401k and IRA accounts.
The Orange Krate is still sitting in the trailer since August due to no physical help and lack of funds for hobby spending.
I am sure that others have the same story or worse to tell. Our normal plans at Leatherique are to have a big pow wow during turkey weekend to plan the advertisement and give away budget for the next season. This budget is in the area of $250,000.00 every year. That will happen but the budget will be 60% less in 2009.
How do the STANDS look at your track, Healthy (80% full) getting the flu (50% full) or on life support (under 25% full). What about the pit area? Car count better or worse than 2007? Who is running the shows? Owner? Promoter? Or are the inmates running the asylum?
Now is the time to make a battle plan for 2009 as to what must be done to keep this sport alive. Even NASCAR is in DEEP CRAP for 2009 but just not saying it YET!
Look at the fact that the Big Three is on the edge of going under and the only REAL HOPE is Chapter 11 reorganization of debit for them to survive. Take them out and NASCAR is back in the Stone Age OR the playing field gets VERY LEVEL.
My 2009 will start at the 2nd annual Modified reunion with or without or car, probably without as of today. Then we plan on Zephyrhills, again no car just a vendor. That takes us to March and no plans after that. We will try and make a show a month for the business but again the economy will tell us what we are doing.
What are YOU thinking about for 2009?
Just thinking out loud
George Pavlisko

[Joe]

Survival is a good word right now. I got laid off from the Star-Banner in October, only to get my job back on a full-time but temporary contractor basis. I had a racing travel business that is still ready to go, but the lack of demand has caused me to put the brakes on.

Best case scenario: My job returns to a permanent full-time status, I cover Speedweeks and continue to expand the racing coverage in the only central Florida newspaper that is interested in it.

Worst case scenario: I'm back out of a job come January. Anyone hiring? Then I will try to push forward with the racing tour program.

Keep in mind, coming soon, I will have 2-night Daytona Bud Shootout and ARCA packages with an oceanfront hotel and choice seats starting at just $150 per person. (Of course, that deal is just for you Karnacians. You can even sit with me. That itself is worth the price of admission.)

At the tracks I go to regularly (Ocala, Inverness and East Bay) car counts and fan counts still seem to be good.

[AJ14]

Hard to believe that newspapers don't want coverage of auto racing . I've never understood how racing can rank second or third in popularity with fans , but not even register a blip with editors . Of course most newspapers are just barely hanging on , many plan to quit printing the paper and just publish on-line .
George , you're right about everyone having to work together to save racing , but the best way is for everyone to make an effort to go to a nearby short track every week . same goes for racers . Take your car to the local track just to increase the size of the show . But the reality is , it costs money to do either one , and while gas prices are finally down , and some racetrack gate prices are down , racing is a luxury for many people now .
I still think short track racing is going to have to totally re-invent itself to survive . We're gonna need a new mindset regarding rules , cars , race lengths , and most important we need to get the fans involved just the way Robert Hart got the racers involved . Fans need to be stopped going in , or out of the track and asked some carefully thought out questions regarding what they want to see and experience at the races . And not just once a year , but different fans each week .

[ancrdave]

Oddly enough things are really looking up for myself and my family... I recently was tapped to operate a merchant account for our business which brings me 5% commission on all sales on top of my regular salary... It also looks like I'll be getting my own telemarketing room by the first of the year, so if anyone out there in the Orlando area has some good phone skills and needs a job, let me know... This on top of our mortgage being paid off last month is giving us much needed extra cash... So much so we bought a "new" used car this week... Once I get my K-Car repaired, I'll just continue to drive it until it pukes its guts out... I can do without all the luxuries like air conditioning and a radio...
Hopefully the price of fuel will stay down... That will really help the racers and fans in 2009... Speedworld has just gone thru one of its worst years ever as far as car/fan turnout... I think some tweaking is needed, but there have been a lot of steps taken in the right direction recently... I also think New Smyrna would be much more of a money-maker running just a couple of special events a month with the weekly show being strictly at Speedworld... Just my opinion, but a 5-6 car race can actually be pretty good at OSW but looks pretty sad most of the time at NSS...
Of course, what will happen with Rusty leaving? He will truly be missed simply because he CARED so much for the track, the drivers and the fans... It will be hard to find someone willing to work as hard as he did for what they want to pay... We'll just have to see on that one...

[fred23]

Word on the street is that ROBERT HART himself is going to manage OSW. I have also heard that they might "rotate" 3 or 4 of the classes between NSS and OSW....just what i've heard nothing in concrete

[georgep]

The big THREAT is that NOTHING gets done. You have everything in Florida to make a great race season. Weather (warm and wet but mostly just warm) No stupid groups going track to track to try and close them for the good of some bird or something. What is missing is PT Barnum to get butts in the seats. My business is going back to what worked in the 1960's and 1970 's go meet the people and press the flesh. We sat back and enjoyed close to 50 years of just plain GROWTH and dropped almost all our in person things we did.
Example: 1985 46 weekends of shows and seminars in 15 states. 2007 Three shows, 2008 One Show. 2009 Looking at about 15 , getting old.
Remember the days of the THRILL SHOWS and the REAL traveling shows that ran at Tampa Fairgrounds and how you waited in line for hours BEFORE the stands opened to get a good seat? Now get there by the end of warm-ups and you get any seat you want. Find out WHAT CHANGED and you answer the question of how to fix it.

[flvideo]

these are strange times

Well my reality is strange in these times. You would think that with the economy like it is that video would be considered a luxury, but I am busy as any thing. I have to work 7 days a week to keep up, and I still get behind sometimes. Thats kinda my fault I guess. I shoot our church services and distribute them in the community and also send a 60 minute service to the Phillipines each week. That takes 1 full day and part of another. Then tuesdays I donate my time to producing a documentry on my community. I make a little off that but usually what I make just covers the supplys I use.
I travel with the UDLMCS and I shoot at ccmp when I am not traveling. The racing doesn't really generate much but I love it. Almost every day I'll get a call from somewhere with another job for something, a film transfer or an edit,,or a shoot. Or I had a old racing buddy call the other day and order a video from 2006. He wore his out. Well they along with Social Security is paying the bills. Diesel prices have gone down a little and thats taken a little pressure off. When I travel to the far reaching shows with the UDLMCS it cost a fortune. My fuel bill for Sept was $700. That may not sound like much to you George, but it was choking us. I could make a payment on a new truck for that and have a little left over. All in all we don't have anything to complain about. I am doing what I love and, allthough meeger by some standards, I'm able to pay the bills and have a little left over. Sorry to ramble. I got started and cudn't stop. Thanks for listening. Bob...

[georgep]

Well my reality is strange in these times. You would think that with the economy like it is that video would be considered a luxury, but I am busy as any thing. I have to work 7 days a week to keep up, and I still get behind sometimes. Thats kinda my fault I guess. I shoot our church services and distribute them in the community and also send a 60 minute service to the Phillipines each week. That takes 1 full day and part of another. Then tuesdays I donate my time to producing a documentry on my community. I make a little off that but usually what I make just covers the supplys I use.
I travel with the UDLMCS and I shoot at ccmp when I am not traveling. The racing doesn't really generate much but I love it. Almost every day I'll get a call from somewhere with another job for something, a film transfer or an edit,,or a shoot. Or I had a old racing buddy call the other day and order a video from 2006. He wore his out. Well they along with Social Security is paying the bills. Diesel prices have gone down a little and thats taken a little pressure off. When I travel to the far reaching shows with the UDLMCS it cost a fortune. My fuel bill for Sept was $700. That may not sound like much to you George, but it was choking us. I could make a payment on a new truck for that and have a little left over. All in all we don't have anything to complain about. I am doing what I love and, allthough meeger by some standards, I'm able to pay the bills and have a little left over. Sorry to ramble. I got started and cudn't stop. Thanks for listening. Bob...

That is a lot in anybodies book, including mine. That is why we stopped running around. $450.00 in fuel for ONE trip when it was $4+ a gallon cured me from running around. Got gas yeaterady for $1.41 that is more like it. This leftover from $.25 per gallon is having STICKER SHOCK if you know what I mean?

[oldyeller]

---Word on the street is that ROBERT HART himself is going to manage OSW.---

That would last about a week.