NSS and OSW: Your opinion, please

[oldyeller]

This came up in conversation: I know it likely wouldn't matter to the diehards on this board, but would NASCAR sanction be likely to draw more of a crowd -- both in the stands, and cars on the track -- to OSW and NSS? I know for a fact that it is a little embarassing for NASCAR not to have a sanctioned short track in its home state, but I'm also aware that it didn't seem to make a lot of difference at the last sanctioned track, Jax. But with Ben Kennedy of the France family racing at both tracks this year, and likely next year, it seems like if there is a time to seriously pursue sanction, it's now. I know it's expensive, but would it be worth it?

[AB195]

The FASCAR sanction--was supposed to head that one off, and leave the other in it's path.
So, in answer to your question, and seeing how well THAT thing went, or is kind-of going, I don't know.
FASCAR sanctioning was the route to the future. I think that had they burned a bridge or two, from what i've been told, or seen.

OSW is perfect for another BIG sanctioning body.
and by that I mean ARCA or IMCA, maybe even -----------------is ASA around anymore?

[AJ14]

Tracks just don't seem to gain anything at all from aligning themselves with NASCAR unless they're able to bring NASCAR shows in regularly . Just the name by itself doesn't seem to have much drawing power for the short tracks . Now if the NASCAR modifieds raced once a month at NSS or OSW , then it would pay off . And the other problem is that NASCAR just sells you the rights to use the name and logo ( for a huge amount of money per year ) and then you're on your own . They don't really do any effective marketing for you , and except for making sure you send in your sactioning fee on time every year , they pretty much ignore you if you aren't running recognized NASCAR classes like the mods .
I think ARCA does a fairly good job of sanctioning races , and i think they could bring in some fans . They sanction midgets , trucks , and the touring series . There hasn't been a real true attention grabbing , car count grabbing short track sanctioning body since the ASA of the old days .

[georgep]

IF you had a show that NASCAR wants, CARS, FANS in place. IF you had the POCKETS that NASCAR wants to help Promote THEM. You can get it going. Jax was dirt, St Augustine was dirt both tried way back when and fell just like Flemington did in NJ. They BOTH paved, went NASCAR and CROAKED.
NOW if you where talking a CLAY track and went with DIRT then you get a better deal all around.
My $.02 for going NASCAR is two things that will make it work:
1. Whalen Modifieds
2. Having a NASCAR SOUTH division like Busch North and Winston West.
Look at Lanier in GA.

[Todd McCreary]

i remember K-zoo saying that NASCAR got them and the drivers a pretty good deal on insurance.

as far as i know, that's the only real benefit they get out of it.

[Todd McCreary]

speaking of K-zoo, i see they had 116 cars for their last enduro. NASCAR santioning may not be helping much but it sure can't be hurting them.

http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=1265736

[Jane]

The problem with that would be that then NASCAR drivers could no longer use New Smyrna for practice because as I understood it, they could not practice at any NASCAR sanctioned track and although I have no idea how many drivers do go to NSS for practice, that would hurt money wise to lose that money. I may be totally wrong here but that is how I understood the rules.

Personally, I hate the idea of either track going under and I would love to see both of them back like they use to be in the early 90's when my family first started going to New Smyrna. Boy, we had some great times there and that was when Pete Orr and David Russell would have their Horsen Around cars there and the Burketts and so on and so on. I can clearly see in my mind the night Ronnie Burkett pulled a coil out of David Roger's car because he was mad and threw it away. And Bobby Sears dominated the Mini Stocks although Brian Bellaw tried his best to bet him. We had some great, great times.

Hopefully good times will come again for both tracks, I hope so. But how you get back all that, I am not sure. Alot of phone calls, leg work, bigger purses for big races, etc. Maybe have something like the Blizzard races for the Governor's Cup where you get a guaranteed spot in the Governor's Cup and make it 200 laps for $10,000 to win. You have to make the prize worth something to draw drivers from other states and from our state. Then maybe you would see some of the old drivers who use to come for the Governor's Cup from Five Flags.

What is the answer, I have no idea but I do know that we all need to support our local tracks somehow and help them because just like Hialeah, Thundercross, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, even USA International, it may be gone tomorrow and then what will you do. Say I wish I had helped someway or another.

Since switching from asphalt to dirt this year, I have noticed alot of difference between the drivers that dirt pulls and asphalt pulls. I can say with all honesty that I see far more open trailers at the dirt track and more money put into the racing than how they get there and what they look like. When Volusia started their new Thunder Stock class, I think we had 4 or 5 cars there in the beginning. But then, it started to grow and grow and more people tell me they are building cars to race that class. But it took alot of leg work and caring to make it work. I know the dirt pays more than asphalt but then again, racers always want more money so I have heard that also.

Rusty and I use to make thousands upon thousands of free tickets for Orlando and would go wherever they would let us to give them out and promote Orlando. Did it work?? Out of 10,000 free tickets, we would usually see about a 15% turnout of the takers but that was 15% more than what we would have had if we had not done the tickets. And out of that 15%, if only 50 came back for the following week and paid, you have won 50 new fans. So yes, it did help.

Ron Dicandio takes racecars to local schools here in Brevard and I have gone with him several times. You should see those kids faces as they lite up seeing a race car and talking to the driver. We gave them tickets and hoped they could convince their parents to give us a try and hopefully they could. But your future is in those kids and getting them to love racing like we do. Out of my four kids, my daughter Kimber and son Alex did race and loved it. My oldest son comes every now and then with his son and Josh never did really care about it. But now I have my grandchildren interested in racing and hopefully someday they will. We just need more and more of those kids.

Racing keeps them out of trouble, you do it as a family so it can bring you alot closer and it is fun. Much better than hanging out at the local mall or getting into alot of trouble you don't need. And if you look around at your local track, see how many generations are there together and racing like Chad Pierce, Tim Russell, Tim Walters, Jr., Bobby Orr, Rich Clouser, and so on and so on. Where did they get that love to race - their family.

I could probably write a book on this subject and go on and on forever. I have told Orlando that I am willing to help them in any way I can and I would do the same for New Smyrna. I love both tracks and would hate to see either one of them gone.

[ronabneysr]

nascar hope it is better tonight than last night

the one race earnhardt was in was so boring just fast forward it and truck race from iowa was even worse

if race tonight aint no better will watch weather channel and sleep

[Rusty the 50/50 Guy]

We went NASCAR here this year. The biggest question we got about the sanctioning deal was...When is Jr coming or Kyle etc etc.

It is very costly and it is not a yearly expense it is weekly. There are some benefits of course, they do offer more insurance and National recognition!

The folks at NASCAR have been great and they know that times are tough for everyone.

Doing the sanctioning deal is kindof like putting a pearl paint job on a Viper...you have a great car, it just makes it a bit better ...ohh and some like pearl and some don't get my drift LOL

[andre]

Na$car is like the tall voluptuous blonde of stock car racing, everybody want to go with her, but nobody can really afford it.

Any sanction will do zit to you if you do not have a solid program, and if you do, maybe you do not need a sanction so badly after all..

[fred23]

I have been a little under the weather the last couple of days so since I wasn't doing anything I thought I'd do a little cypherin......I got a 2010 and 2011 calendar and split the year up and low and behold I got it to come out even.

I have NSS starting racing on Sat April 3, 2010. They will have 23 weeks of racing that would end Labor Day weekend September 4, 2010. I figure this is good for NSS because they don't get rained out much because of the sea breeze and they can hit the hotels and condos at the beaches for tourists. They also still have the Clyde Hart on during the Fourth week. THey could start having THursday night practices the last 3 weeks of March. THey could also have a "No Points" week the first week.

I then have OSW starting racing on SATURDAY September 11, 2010 (great day to let ALL first responders in free). Even OJ!! THis is good for Rick and OSW because he does a great job of hitting the schools in central florida. They would race, amazingly, 23 weeks until March 25, 2011. Now they would have to take a few weeks off here and there for the GOV CUP WKND, CHristmas and New Years, and then again for Speedweeks. I thought that they could race on Saturday Afternoons from Thanksgiving through SPeedweeks. College football is basically over the first week of December and it does get a little nippy for us Floridians when the sun goes down. OSW could still have it's JULY CRASH A RAMA and it's Speedweeks for the 600 group.

Now I understand that it would be hard to have to pay bills on the properties while they sat unused but if I am not mistaken, this is about how they have to do it up north because of the winter. We just have to do it because of the rain. Even if they can fix the weepers, which I hope they do, I would be willing to bet they would of had at least half the number of rainouts if not more because of it actually raining on Friday evenings in east Orlando. Even the threat of rain has to keep a great number of racers and spectators alike from making the trip IN FRIDAY AFTERNOON TRAFFIC to OSW. I Live basically in Downtown Orlando and I have had it take me longer to get to OSW on a Friday evening than to get to NSS on Saturday.

Well just my two cents, tell me what you think......