Coming Together...Can We Do It?

[BJ Cavin]

As Americans, we are a mix of all sorts of opinions. We have deep political and religious opinions that divide us, and some of us love to butt heads on just about any subject. But when something threatens us as a country, we come together and we fight side by side, putting our issues aside to defend the common good. We may not agree on how to defend our country, but we defend it regardless. Racers and fans are just a supportive of their pastime, so why can they not come together in much the same way?

As racers, race fans, promoters, owners, and sponsors, we find the very existence of our favorite pastime threatened by a sour economy, new options for family entertainment, and many differing opinions. But instead of circling the wagons and coming together, we seem to remain divided along various lines and therefore are losing the battle to preserve the sport we love.

I could come up with dozens of reasons as to why this is, but none of that really matters. Pointing fingers and assigning blame will NOT help short track stock car racing survive. Instead of blaming each other, I suggest that we explore ways to become one and win the war that circumstances and our times are waging on racing, especially at the local level. If we cannot do this, then all of us can share the blame when we run out of places to race.

There are all sorts of dividing lines between promoters and racers, fans and race track managements, and even between differing tracks with differing rules. But it seems to me that the biggest dividing line is between asphalt and dirt, despite the fact that many racers have roots in both types of racing. For some reason we have created a situation where we are either one or the other, and neither side is very accepting of the other.

I have seen this division first hand many times. First of all, despite the efforts of message board operators, the dirt racers gravitate to one message board while the asphalt racers gravitate to another. Any crossover between the two sides normally results in the appearance of elitist attitudes, or questions as to why someone from one side would give a toot about the other. I have asked dirt racers and fans why they do not visit the message boards at Real Racin' USA, and the usual response is that it is where all of the asphalt folks hang out, so why go there?

Asphalt racers and fans have the same attitude toward Florida Flagstand's message boards and chat area as well. Florida Flagstand's website was originally set up with asphalt racing included, but few asphalt racers or fans participated and the asphalt areas were dropped. Do we have to be separate? Would we not be stronger if we were just racers and race fans instead? Some of these website divisions are based in old battles instigated by people with axes to grind, but why are we living in the past? Can we not forget those old battles and start over with a new attitude?

I have also seen this division at the track. When some of us from Ocala Speedway visited Orlando Speedworld for the Charity Truckers 200, some fans and others made it a point to outwardly question why people from a dirt track would come to a race at a paved raceway. Never mind that a good friend had invited us to come, and that we were all there to support a worthy cause. For some reason supporters from the dirt racing side are not supposed to come to an asphalt track and enjoy a race run on pavement. And not that long ago at Volusia Speedway Park I saw a well known asphalt fan questioned as to why he was there. I suspect he was there to see some racing, so why question it?

I spoke very briefly with Jack Smith at Orlando and told him that I have a few ideas as to ways to bring the dirt and asphalt worlds together in Florida. He said he wanted to hear my ideas and I expect that he and I will have a conversation on that subject sometime soon in 2009. Bad blood and old battles have created walls between us that need to come down and I hope to work with Jack and others in order to encourage that process to begin very soon.

Short track racing is racing no matter what sort of surface we choose to race on, and racing is threatened by a variety of different circumstances. Unless we can come together and fight for racing's sake, it will no longer matter whether we race on dirt or pavement, because we will no longer be racing.

I am looking for opinions and ideas as to how to bring us all together. I have my own, but all of us together are smarter than one of us alone, so why not share ideas? And perhaps by sharing we will tear down some walls, open some doors, and therefore strengthen local short track racing. So post some ideas. Don't point out more differences or give excuses as to why they exist. Let us come together by being open, honest, and trusting of each other. Our sport depends on it!

[ocalasp76]

Racin' Be Racin', Dudes And Dudetts.....

Well, all I can say is that I enjoy the best of both worlds.......I work at a dirt track one night and race at an asphalt the next night. Have fun with everyone at both tracks. There are some who race dirt on Friday and then race with me on pavement Saturday night. Go figure
-----JIM-----

[andre]

Something like this can help:

http://bangornews.com/detail/96282.html

André

[Todd McCreary]

Instead of blaming each other

*shrugs*

practically all problems are, in one way or another, because of 'people'.

and there's only so many times you can get burned before you start to get a really bad attitude.




But instead of circling the wagons and coming together, we seem to remain divided along various lines and therefore are losing the battle to preserve the sport we love.

i can't speak for the dirt boards but we seem to have a pretty strong consensus here.

most people on here would like to see:
full field inverts
tightly and well written rule books ( a good example of a poorly written rule is any DOT tire rule which says that a tire can't be "wider than 70 series" or what have you. the 'series' doesn't have anything to do with how wide the tire tread is, it describes how tall or short the sidewall of that tread is. but i see rules written like this all the time )
work towards standardizing rule books statewide or regionally
tech enforced to the book rather than made up on the fly
tech working with the racers rather than using the book as an excuse to get on your high horse and treat the racer like crap




When some of us from Ocala Speedway visited Orlando Speedworld for the Charity Truckers 200, some fans and others made it a point to outwardly question why people from a dirt track would come to a race at a paved raceway.



mostly i see asphalt guys jealous of the success the dirt tracks have had over the last 5-10 years. getting the asphalt owners to emulate the dirt track example is another whole kettle of fish though.

why they'd have been standoffish just because you're from Ocala ... i dunno, you've got me.

were you there Friday or Saturday? pits or grandstand side? Ron and I didn't do the Saturday night show.

[Jane]

Over the years BJ, I have interviewed a number of drivers who have run dirt and asphalt. They would tell me dirt was more fun but cost more to run than asphalt because of the wear and tear on the car which I don't really know if that is true or not. Where I come from, Mississippi, there are no asphalt tracks only dirt although a few brave drivers have tried asphalt over the years in different series and they loved it. But I don't know why anyone would treat a dirt racer any different than an asphalt racer and for me, they all have my respect.

But I do agree that if we don't start supporting our local tracks whether they are dirt or asphalt, we are going to no longer have local short track racing. I have seen dirt cars at times come to Orlando and New Smyrna and race. But I don't remember ever seeing an asphalt car at the dirt track and say there is an asphalt car. But when the dirt cars have come, they have raced and hopefully had a good time which is what we are suppose to do in this sport, have fun. You ain't going to get rich racing locally so you better have fun.

I have never seen the two worlds that far apart - asphalt or dirt however drag racing seems to be the one that no one understands. I started out loving drag racing in high school when my boyfriend raced at Orlando Dragway. I never even thought about round track racing. When I lived in California, they had round tracks close to me but they were all dirt and dragways. I did get to go to the drags a few times (I had small kids then and did more kid stuff) but never got to go to the dirt track in Santa Maria or Ventura.

The only thing for me different in dirt racing and asphalt racing is when the cars go sideways which they do in dirt, I think they are out of control and about to crash which I know now is not the case. It took me awhile to get use to that and not sit with my hands clinched afraid of a crash. But I enjoy both dirt racing and asphalt racing and have many friends today who race dirt but I knew them from asphalt - Rob Underwood, Rich Pratt, Mike Bresnahan just to name a few.

I am not sure why you were questioned at the Truck race since many of us go to both tracks at one time or another but the heart of it all is that we all love racing whether it is dirt or asphalt and if we don't all work together, we will eventually have nothing to go to.

I would love to hear your ideas also since I do so much work on karnac and with Jack the last 14 years. I have gone all over the state with karnac covering races and interviewing racers and doing my best to help keep racing alive and well in Florida. So when you can, I would love to hear your ideas.

Take care and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Jane

[Frasson118]

The dividing line between Dirt & Asphalt fans is nothing new at all. Nor is it unique to Auto racing. I consider myself a Football fan, but I only watch the Pro's, not College. Many more people watch the College games, but not the Pro's. It all comes down to preference.

Even within Auto racing, there are very few fans that support both Oval tracks and Drag races. How many of you Karnacians also consider themselves a fan of Drag racing? Not many, I'm sure. BUT, it is a sport with a tremendous following, huge National exposure, top-notch professionalism, and a VERY exciting product... yet it's not for everyone.

Another example is Road racing.... it gets a large amount of participation, yet very few paying fans. Exciting to do, yet boring to watch.

I don't think this is a problem that CAN be fixed. You can't change what people like or dislike. But you can expose them to something different, and hope that they come away with a new appreciation for it. One trip to the Gatornationals back in 1990 completely changed my opinion of that sport, but if I hadn't tried it, I still would not really be a fan of it.

The best thing we can do to bridge this gap, is to load a few friends into the car, go somewhere different, and hope for the best. I've converted a few fans, and had others that have no interest at all in ever going again.

You can't change peoples preferences, but if you give them more options, at least they have a larger pool of experiences to choose from!

[andre]

But I do agree that if we don't start supporting our local tracks whether they are dirt or asphalt, we are going to no longer have local short track racing.

Yep! That's a fact. And all across North America is the same. But it works both ways too. Promoters will have to start supporting their own business too. They will have to understand they are not running a racing spectacle, they are running a business that present racing and it should be run accordingly.

If promoters do not present what the fans wants, fans won't go. Feature races run with 5 or 6 cars will not do the job, dirt or asphalt. As a promoter, you can go to every message board, newspapers, radio, tv, an so on to get the people to go to your track, if your racing or racing facility s**ks by lack of something, either car count, officiating, timing of event, lack of minimum equipment, concession problems, light, restroom, you will end up with empty grandstand very quickly.

You cannot sell expectation of great racing, not having it and rely on fans to come back. You cannot sell a Bomber class as the main event and expect race fans to swallow that as the show of the year. Race fans are very forgiving because they love their sport but they are not dumb. If you want a top notch crowd, you will need to present a top notch event. End of story. Too many things today competing for the entertainment dollar....

In order for local racing to survive, it will have to reinvent itself and fast. Many of you here remember the way it use to be. Well, I do too and I can also remember that not all of it was so great. Racing has change because of some needs. It use to have next to no rule. That needed a change, and it changed. Motors prices went out of reach, needed a change, it changed with ruling and also Spec and Crate motors. And we can name many things and moves like these. Now it is time for a big change again.

What will be the next and the right move??? This has been discuss here over and over and over again. And nobody seems to really move in any direction. This will need a team effort, everybody will have to work in the same direction. Beside that, I do not see it being very successfull. And this apply everywhere, not only Florida.

A great show will attrack great crowd week in week out. I see it every week end of the summer, some race track are empty and it is being blamed on everything, economy, weather, region and so on, and 60 miles away the other race track is full.....makes you wonder does it??????? Just look at what is being presented on both, you will have your or shall we say...''the'' answer.

Thanks for reading,

Your frozen race fan from Québec,

André

[Todd McCreary]

A great show will attrack great crowd week in week out. I see it every week end of the summer, some race track are empty and it is being blamed on everything, economy, weather, region and so on, and 60 miles away the other race track is full.....makes you wonder does it?

this ++

[BJ Cavin]

Andre is correct. Racing needs to reinvent itself! I've noticed that the crowds at the tracks tend to get older and older, and through my own kids and their friends I have found that stock car racing does not appeal to their sensibilities. They see it as "old fashioned" and therefore want nothing to do with it. They would much rather go and see some souped up Japanese cars go at it in a drifting competition than go and see a stock car race at any level.

Someone pointed out to me one night at Ocala Speedway that there were tons of kids there. That may be true, but they are there because their parents or grandparents brought them. When those same kids get old enough to gain independence they go and do other things while mom and dad go to the track. The only kids who are staying put are the ones that are actually racing.

I would venture to say that the sport of stock car racing has already lost an entire generation of fans, and is in the process of losing another one. Unfortunately, I cannot see any plan that could successfully market stock car racing as it is today to our youth. They simply do not get into that sort of thing.

[andre]

I cannot see any plan that could successfully market stock car racing as it is today to our youth. They simply do not get into that sort of thing.

Hi BJ,

Did you ever attend a Drift show? I had a chance to attend a couple of Driftmania shows here in Québec in the last 2 years.

The beat of these shows is tremendous, non stop action, boom boom boom. Cars sideways, noise, smoke(lots of it), colors, whole nine yards.
They show up with their own sound system(not noise system), their outstanding announcers, DJ that knows music, beautiful & young models, tents and catering for sponsors, cars show, vendors and...and...and. It's a festival atmosphere. There's something for all tastes. It's fun to be there and be part of it. And naturally they pack the place.

That's what has been lost throught the years in short track racing, that special atmosphere. And the few one(s) that keep it still pack their place.

André

[Joe]

I, as a member of generation Y, am not convinced that a generation has been lost. Andre is right, though. If the sport wants to attract a younger audience, it needs to market itself to that audience.

Price. Promotion. Positioning.

For one, create specials for college kids, who typically have a little discretionary income and are always looking for action. Kids can get in for $5 with a student ID. Make beer cheap (it helped save live jai-alai, another dying sport, in Ocala).

Go past newspapers and radio and get on facebook, linkedin, myspace and twitter. And don't just create pages. Search every student within a 50 mile radius who claims to like NASCAR or racing of any kind, and befriend them. Then create online specials with those pages and get viral.

Now comes the positioning. Race fans know the difference between a good show and a bad show, but newcomers don't. Whatever you have as a product, get an announcer who presents it with some zest. Sell it as death-defying, crazy action. Hope for some wrecks and controversy. A fight always works too.

Did I mention I'm available for hire?

[SpeedChic529]

lol Joe....BJ's too popular and isn't going anywhere. He's really built up a fan base....people love him and are thrilled to have him back in the announcer's booth.Not to mention, he's a great writer with great connections.
~Cindy

[Benny The Mule]

BJ, You know as well as i do too many people in this world lack the capacity to have an intelligent conversation about many things. and the dirt vs asphalt like in many other sports one side thinks theirs is the best and the other sucks, and vise versa....that's why most racers and fans are still concidered rednecks.

I myself will tease about someone elses preference but not (intentionally) be hateful about it.

I left my native Fla a few years ago and came to NC where dirt and asphalt is still thriving well..not fabulous....but well.

I can choose from many track both asphalt and dirt from south NC to upstate SC and have plenty of choices of what i get to see that weekend.


I support all circle tracks around here, they need to survive.

As Joe mentioned generation Y.......where is generation X at? I think it's already gone by the wayside and there isn't much hope at all for Y for exactly the reasons he said...entertaing drift shows, boom boom music, hot girls and so on.

As like many other states and regions it's the same up here too, qualify and start the fast cars up front so once they go green they look like their tied together SNORE!

Dirt is the same way but through heat races, BUT, when the track changes or a guy picks the wrong tire compound there is more opportunity there to see some mixing it up.

It has to be made excitng again but unfortunately i think times are changing, many interests have gone in other directions for all ages.

I'm only 40 something and can remember $7.00 grandstand admission and $1.00 beer (can) at the consession.

[Todd McCreary]

so anyways, here's a little "slice of life" from a racer who was "trying to come together" with some race tracks this month.

i posted questions on one tracks message board for the tech director. not only did i never get an answer, i see that now all of the questions that everyone had asked have been erased. i have no idea if they're just clearing the decks for the new year or what's going on. the upshot is, i got no clarification, so i won't be taking my car. neither will Ron.

with another track, i posted questions to forums and actually talked to a director of some sort. i explained my question to him, he said he thought there was an exemption in the rule book, i replied that i was pretty sure that there wasn't an exemption, he said he'd check it over and call me back. he never called me back. i double checked the rule book, there was no exemption for my case. i never got an answer of any sort off of the forums. upshot is, i didn't take my car to that race.

with a 3rd track, i asked if i could just take my car a shake it down. told them i didn't care if i started at the back, if i had to start a half lap down, if i wasn't allowed to collect points/money/trophy/whatever. the answer i got was that they didn't want me to come.

so i said screw it and hitched a ride to Inverness for some spectating action. which, never having been to Inverness before, i have to say that they know what they're doing. not counting the figure 8 race ( which was the only disappointment of the night ) they had at least 18 cars in every class and they put on a show. passing on the outside, crossover moves, warning guys and penalizing guys for trying to/taking other cars out.

GREAT JOB INVERNESS.

as for all the rest of them, this is a hell of a way to start out 2009.

[Frasson118]

Citrus never seems to get enough credit for having their shit together. The rest of the Florida Asphalt tracks could learn a lesson or 12 from those guys!

I read a racing paper article that was written about the opening day races of 2005 (?) which stated they had 189 cars in competition that night. This was with one Touring class added, but one Regualr class being left out.

Some of these tracks take a full month of competition to ge 189 paying cars through the gates!