How Would you Change your Home Track if You could to make it better

[Jane]

We all like to complain about the tracks but if you could, how would you change your home track to make it better. Would you lower the gate prices, lower the food, change the bathrooms, the program, what??? Instead of complaining about things, let's see how you would change it to make it better.

Come on guys/gals, let's hear it.

[Cara]

Lower pit gate prices, raise payout, not change rules half way through the season, have rules ready when they said they would be not just a few weeks before the season starts, make rules clear about everything including tires, make pit restrooms larger and nicer, pave back pit area and add lights with speakers, schedule practice times and keep them.

[Jane]

Thanks Cara - that is what I am looking for. Honest answers to how you would like to see your home track improved.

[ocalasp76]

Lower pit gate prices, raise payout, not change rules half way through the season, have rules ready when they said they would be not just a few weeks before the season starts, make rules clear about everything including tires, make pit restrooms larger and nicer, pave back pit area and add lights with speakers, schedule practice times and keep them.

I pretty much agree with all the above....except.....the first two are unrealistic. You can not lower prices and increase payout....
However, if you only pay the top three or five finishers in each race and no tow money...then......you can do the first two on the list.
PLEASE PLAN ON A LOT OF SECURITY IF THE LAST ABOVE STATEMENT IS ADOPTED AT YOUR TRACK..
----JIM----

[Cara]

So do you like it when they change rules on you halfway through the season and not to your advantage? In regards to payouts, you can get companies to sponsor races which helps with the payout. They did this when I worked at OSW. I realize they did lower the pit gate fees which has helped but everything else went up except payouts. When we started with our car there was practice every week now it is if we can get there on Friday night early enough since the banderleros race at 7 pm.

As I have already been told that if I didn't like things at my local track then I should find another place to race at, well, we just might be doing that. You can tell which tracks are listening to their drivers by their car counts.

Remember, this is just our opinions about things and as a female driver I know no one will listen to me. Just venting...

Sorry Jim that you feel if my ideas are put into motion that we need security.

[AJ14]

Not only for my home tracks , but most of the short tracks i've been to in Florida . They need to concentrate on appearence , freshly painted walls with pro lettering , weeds around the grandstands and pit areas eliminated , grass and trees planted , non rusted fencing and support poles , speakers that ALL work , and spotless restrooms and food areas . Movie theaters , baseball parks , Disney , and of course Martinsvile and Bristol . They are the competition , and all of the above already have all of the above .
All of these take money of course , but they are considered the cost of doing business in most entertainment venues .
Regarding the suggestions by others here , let me say that i agree completely , and there is a source for money at these tracks that isn't being used effectively . That's ad and sponsor money . Why aren't the billboards all sold at most tracks ? Why aren't there three times as many billboards at all local tracks ? Why aren't well known companies that participate in NASCAR buying ads and billboards at local tracks . That my freinds is where the money comes from for increased purses , lower gate and food prices , and track improvements . I remenber the small billboards that Volusia used to have outside the track . Almost all were national companies , must have been 50 of them . Fifty times a yearly rate of say $500 or $1000 would sure help produce the above ideas . And that's not even mentioning the large billboards . Why aren't the major national sponsors being contacted to buy ads . And if they they are , why aren't they buying any . This isn't meant to disparage anyone at any track , it just bothers me that the big companies aren't being used at the local level . For that matter , why usually only one locak car dealer ? Wouldn't all of the local dealers need to advertise ? To hell with exclusivity . Give each of 5 or 10 dealers a break on the ad prices and get em all involved .

[Round D' Round Racer]

OOPS, I Think Someone Made a Boo Boo

"Sorry Jim that you feel if my ideas are put into motion that we need security"

I might be wrong, but I think he (Jim) was speaking about HIS last remark about only paying the top three positions. (That's the way I read it, but what the hay... perhaps you can read better than I.)

Round D' Round Racer
So. Ga (I read slo, and understand slower)

[georgep]

Since you Asked

When I was thinking of buying a track last year, (came back to my senses) this was what I wanted to do.
1. Start First race at 8:00 pm PERIOD
2. Gates open at 5:00 pm Practice at 7:00 pm
3. NO Dolly Parton Pay off. If you paid $800.00 to win then 2nd was $750.00 If you paid $1000.00 to win then $900.00 was 2nd. Last place was 2 times the entry fee INCLUDING one pit pass.
4. Delaware restarts up to the last 5 laps.
5. Rules LOCKED IN for 3 years, accept Safety changes.
Each class would have (3) reps to propose class rules to the track for consideration. They would need 90% of the owners to sign that proposal so that it could be looked at and discussed. (Remeber that the rules must be FAIR and should be voted on or set by the people paying the bills THE CAR OWNERS)
6. Track would not own or control prices on TIRES, FUEL, PARTS
7. Track would make money on Concession stands and the FRONT GATE not the back gate.
8. Family Pricing Admission of ONE ADULT is $15.00, A couple would have been $25.00 A family of 4 with kids UP TO 15 $35.00. Under 5 FREE.
9. Back gate Pit crew WITH track license $20.00, No Track License $30.00
10 ANNUEL License $100.00. You would get (2) Free regular night Grandstand seats each week. (If purchased at the start of the season)
The whole thing is to put butts in the seats and make it worth coming to the show.
To make the show FLOW Better
1. Must have (12) cars in the class to run heat races. Less than 12 cars you would run (2) features at 10 laps. The purse split in half and paid over the (2) feature races. Race one DRAW race 2 100% Invert.
2. (2) yellow rule bring out (2) yellows in the same race that are YOUR FAULT it was not your night so go to the pits.
3. HANDICAP the "A" main by POINTS. The heat race gets you on the "A" main and the top 10 in points that make the main are INVERTED with the balance of the field set by your finish in the heats. To keep it honest points for the heats where 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 then 0 to the tail.
The last major thing would have been an extra distance race or double points show once a month.
That is my $.02

[Boneman]

My local tracks would be well served by presenting a more interesting and varied show. Sprint cars and figure 8's are my favorites, but anything new and flashy would help, including motorcycles.

There is not much to be gained from promoting our present show. Its certainly difficult to hook new fans to a sub-standard program like we putting on. I love racing and won't miss a night of it, but established fans like me are not the goal, a more varied and exciting show will attract and retain new fans.

Fix the darn speakers. Customers at a movie theater or a ball game would not tolerate that for a second, how can we expect race fans to be any more forgiving?

[AJ14]

There are a lot of good ideas there George . Somewhere there is a race track , and racers , and fans , that should be sorry you changed your mind about buying a track . You could probably have made a go of it with that kind of thinking .

[Edm]

Combine some of the classes for better car counts.
Not raise the purses but pay better through out.
Lower the pit gate or find cheaper tires.

NOW, $540+ for a set of 10" tires that only last 2 races. This is piss poor, at least switch the Fascar Sportsman to decent 8" like every other sportsman in the state to help save some $$$

[Rick Williamson]

It's been said before and I will say it again..................race 4 classes NOT 7or 8 classes. Example ONE 4 cyl class (for beginners, and not allow the same people to run that class for 10 to 20 years as Adale does). A Mini Stock class. A V8 bomber OR Street Stock class. A Sportsmen Class. And Have a feature race each week like OWM, Lates or Super Lates, Figure 8's or Sprints. Stop the Scramblers like Adale, the Cadillac trucks at DeSoto. To watch 4 trucks go around the big track at DeSoto is about the dumbest thing yet. And racing HAS TO BE OVER WITH AND NONE by 11PM PERIOD!!! Citrus does it each week! Yes they have to but ALL tracks should have the same rule and stick to it. Oh and one other thing if there is a travling series at your track let them run at or near the start of your racing program. Why? Because they had to drive 2 to 4 hours to get there and the same amount of time getting home. Getting home at 4 AM SUCKS!

[ronabneysr]

if i could help my home track

now i have been around long time drove race cars owned race cars ..know lot drivers know lot owners .. now money is tight .. and the people that has money knows how to keep it ... and people in congress and big wigs know how to steal it

some of race tracks have been around a long time and 90 % of all race tracks are wore out so it's hard to get bite and get up on out side and get it on and pass so most of time it's follow the leader till you can run over or slide under them ,,, and ain't any owners got the money to repave there track and spend two or three hundred thousand fixing up there place so they just do the best they can

and thank god for them that they give us a place to go to what would we do if we did not have a race track to go to .... ever body can't fish -

so maybee if drivers quit bitchin about how bad they got it and get out of that recliner and work on your race car put on good show quit spinning out on ever lap and race fill up grand stands with people race track owner could make some money and people would go home and tell there neighbors man i went to car races the other night they were so good had so much fun

you ought to go with with me next week they ain't got to be super late models or sprint cars ever week or modifieds --

just a few weeks a go i saw a street stock race the last 10 laps door handle to door handle bumper no dirty driving had my hair standing up on my head

and i don't usually even watch that class cause it's so late cause you race so many classes

you ask what race track can do how about what can the racers do to fill up the stands then you will see what the owner will do THANKS FOR GIVING US APLACE TO GO AND TO RACE AT

[Edm]

To watch 4 trucks go around the big track at DeSoto is about the dumbest thing yet.

LOL, try watching a 1 legend car race at OSW and heres the kicker, victory lane photos after the race.

You should have seen the look on the faces of my friends from out of town.
I was embarrased because I talked OSW up, huge short track fans too.

[Trash Inturn4]

Victory Lane..... We only need the winner to be in victory lane, not 2nd and 3rd place finishers. The other night when the Sprints ran at Desoto, one of the races had 4 cars in it, with 3 of them in victory circle afterwards (thats 75% of the field)....lets move along the show.