I thougt this deserved a thread of it's own...

[Tim]

Well it's on now....I've been thrown out of alot of places (many will agree)....but I've never been thrown out of a go-cart track. Oh yeah...it's on now! Keeler get the bail money ready!

[Old Sunshine Fan]

Well it's on now....I've been thrown out of alot of places (many will agree)....but I've never beem thrown out of a go-cart track. Oh yeah...it's on now! Keeler get the bail money ready!

HEY TIM.... it don't hurt to get thrown out of a go-track (unless its real early) Try to get your money's worth first. I've been thrown out of more go-tracks than the one's I've been allowed to stay. (might be that when I'm finished, I'm the only one still going in the right direction ? ?) I love those corner shots!...

Good Luck TIm - TURN EM ALL AROUND!

[Tim]

That's right! If you can't catch'em...slow down and let'em catch you.

[Boneman]

OSF, gimme a break. Its the amatures that have to use the chrome horn. Professionals, like myself, will pass you cleanly before you even know I am back there.

I never get thrown out. I'm too busy collecting the winners tickets.

Sorry to hijack the thread. Yes, drivers and marketers should promote.. yadda yadda....

[Edm]

I've been thrown out of more go-tracks than the one's I've been allowed to stay.

I call bullshit on this one, the only place you have been thrown out of is an all you can eat buffet.

[Old Sunshine Fan]

I call bullshit on this one, the only place you have been thrown out of is an all you can eat buffet.

Damn, were you at that buffet in Ft. Lauderdale... I was paying my check and the guy came up to the cash register and said VERY LOUD (in front of a group of me co-workers): "Hey You - Big Man - YOU NO COME BACK ----YOU NO COME BACK"!..... what the hell was his problem... I left some for everyone else.

AND...I aint lying bout being thrown out of go-cart tracks....but then, I've been thrown out of bars, baseball games (that's all I can think of right now). Some people just can't handle a big mouth Irishman. However, I have mellowed in my old age...I'm a real nice guy now (sometimes - usually when in the company of PATCHES).

[Edm]

Well, that is the attitude I've taken to tracks when trying to promote sprint car races - collaboration. While I'm not the promoter and I'm simply with a team that travels, it behooves my team to help out the track promoter because if no one shows up, we're not going back. And when I've gone to tracks to work together on promoting, it's been a two way street - you guys line up your local media and I'll get my driver and some others to help you out.

I've come across tracks that turned a deaf ear to us helping them out and some that were all over it. That's the difference between packing the place and being able to shoot a shotgun through the stands and not hit anybody. We raced in front of both this past year. The first was awesome and the second was depressing.

I'm just disagreeing that drivers have to bring their own fans. The opportunity always exists to make new fans, but there has to be collaboration between the tracks, drivers and touring series, when they are involved. Short track racing needs to have all parties come together for the common good, in my humble opinion.

Back on topic,
Many drivers promote themselves but ultimately it is the tracks responsibility to fill the seats and the pits. As a driver we can take our business someplace else. Its YOUR business therefor its your job to attract the drivers and the fans.

Don't get me wrong, I promote the tracks the best that I can but as a driver my main job is to make sure my CAR is at the track.

[straight up]

ed , you said it best , its the tracks job not ours . we are the show . fans come watch the same car blast the field by half a track each week , they dont come back ! boring show . tech the car fully , or add weight to level the field . fans want to see racing not follow the leader .they can stay home and watch nascrap to see that for free . want car count ? increase the payout to where the last place finisher breaks even for the night . maybe he can afford to come back the next week ! we dont all have unlimited funds . it works very well at tracks up north , check out their car counts and packed grandstands . simple easy fixes but is anybody listening ? but anyhow ed , ill bring a couple rolls of duct tape friday for ya ! i dont wanna get hit with flyin body parts ! and while the rest of em are bumpin and spinnin and whinin , ill be lappin em !

[carolwicks]

depends....

the way things are right now EVERYONE needs to help fill the stands and the pits... I agree drivers are the show but if we dont all cooperate and try to bring in new fans, there wont be a place for you to race or for us to enjoy watching you... during troubled times there are no "special" people. we all need to work together as a huge RACIN team.... Just my silly opinion...
carolwicks aka OZ

[Todd McCreary]

Bring your own fans!



Learn how to put on a show!

you know how many drivers at Slinger who's name i would recognize? maybe two? and the only reason i know their names is because i went back week after week on a three hour round trip on a Sunday night.

even now if i'm up north over the summer, i'll make a 4 1/2hr trip one way to catch a Slinger show. i'm not going there for the drivers. i'm going there for the race.


can it be helpful for the drivers to bring friends and family? heck yah. could we do more advertising of our own? sure. but a successful, well run track will pull drivers and fans. right past other race tracks.





I'm sure I'll get ripped for this but as a marketing person, I don't see any other way.



really?

i always thought the first thing a marketing guy did was ... you know ... market. not complain about other people not doing his job.





It is the racers who bring the fans and not the tracks.



it isn't the racers, per se. it's the show they put on.

or in the case of a pro like Mark Martin, it's a chance to see somebody you've watched from afar ( the show he put on ) for years.




but you have to give them SOMETHING to advertise.


i like getting out at midnight, myself. :3





fans come watch the same car blast the field by half a track each week , they dont come back !


FULL.

FIELD.

INVERT.

it's really not that difficult.

yeah, you need decent tech and race direction too. but if you do a full invert you're going to have passing whether you want it or not. and as best i can tell, most of you don't want it. :3



Try to get your money's worth first. I've been thrown out of more go-tracks than the one's I've been allowed to stay.

buy one ticket at a time. $3 would almost be worth it.

[flraceguy]

Ok ok.. I will open my big yap... For one thing it isn't the sole responsibility of the Driver's to bring fans in... Like it has been said, it IS and SHOULD be a combined responsibility of the Tracks, drivers, promoters, series, and all of the above listed marketing partners... Whether you be the track or racer, we all have marketing partners... Some know that, some don't...

I know of many drivers in lower divisions that have oodles of people that come to the track just to watch them. Actually, I see more of those fans that MAKE it every week then alot of the Top division's fans... I can give you a couple of examples at NSS in Strictly stocks last year and Super stocks this year. On average he had 10-20 people in the stands EVERY night, not once in a while, EVERY night for the last couple of years...

Now one of the problems that causes poor fan attendance is poor car count and/or a poorly produced show... We all know this, but that problem needs to be addressed by all parties involved, not just the drivers or the track separately... Fair and accurate track management decisions that relate to all racers needs to be abundant and straight across the board, not here one minute and gone the next. A better payout would help, but that isn't necessarily the fix for all evils... All racers would like to have the chance to make more money at the track, but many racers don't do this for money, they do it for the fun and sport of it. I know as well as many do, that there have been some good as well as poor decisions made over the last couple of years at our local tracks.

enough for now, maybe just maybe more later...

[flraceguy]

Bring your own fans!



Learn how to put on a show!

you know how many drivers at Slinger who's name i would recognize? maybe two? and the only reason i know their names is because i went back week after week on a three hour round trip on a Sunday night.

even now if i'm up north over the summer, i'll make a 4 1/2hr trip one way to catch a Slinger show. i'm not going there for the drivers. i'm going there for the race.


can it be helpful for the drivers to bring friends and family? heck yah. could we do more advertising of our own? sure. but a successful, well run track will pull drivers and fans. right past other race tracks.





I'm sure I'll get ripped for this but as a marketing person, I don't see any other way.



really?

i always thought the first thing a marketing guy did was ... you know ... market. not complain about other people not doing his job.





It is the racers who bring the fans and not the tracks.



it isn't the racers, per se. it's the show they put on.

or in the case of a pro like Mark Martin, it's a chance to see somebody you've watched from afar ( the show he put on ) for years.




but you have to give them SOMETHING to advertise.


i like getting out at midnight, myself. :3





fans come watch the same car blast the field by half a track each week , they dont come back !


FULL.

FIELD.

INVERT.

it's really not that difficult.

yeah, you need decent tech and race direction too. but if you do a full invert you're going to have passing whether you want it or not. and as best i can tell, most of you don't want it. :3



Try to get your money's worth first. I've been thrown out of more go-tracks than the one's I've been allowed to stay.

buy one ticket at a time. $3 would almost be worth it.

You know T-Mac.. I have to agree about Slinger... Everyone knows that they ALWAYS produce a great show and have an awesome turnout. I know, not only have I been there as a fan but I was fortunate enough to race there a few times( I used to drive South several hours one way to get there)... On top of that, my Mother and Father went there when they lived in Milwaukee in the Late 50's and early 60's... She used to tell me about the crowds, the cars, and Slinger... and she can do it still today and my Mother is over 70... So yes a track can CREATE and produce a show that is long lasting...


One thing about fans, they don't want a show to end early especially a poorly produced one, and they sure don't always want the races to end at 4:00 in the morning... Myself personally if I am at the track I WANT to be there whether as a fan or in the pits... But I am a true diehard short track race lover... I myself hedge toward the early morning endings but I be a diehard...

Yuppers T-Mac all successful marketing or sales folks want everyone to do everything for them... Bullshi%.. Whether in marketing or sales, (they are the same) truly successful people in that never stop doing it... If they do they loose the edge to someone else... Don't forget that is their JOB....

I like inverts... Like that or not, it makes it for a more exciting race... Racers may grumble about it, but ALL racers are EGO freaks.. and we all LOVE to see a grandstand full of people watch us do well...

OK two minute break time...

[straight up]

ok ,how can you show value to a sponsor if the track has no fans due to lousy show ? full field invert ? great idea but with 5or 6 car field in one lap the cheater cars are a half a lap ahead . add weight each week till field is level , since we dont tech em .sell them and build houses ? does your employer and track owner know your telling his few racers to go elsewhere ? sometimes a track ownerhas to forget his greed and profits for a while to rebuild his fan base and car count .lower admission prices and higher purses than other tracks will bring back fans and racers .how long did it take to piss off the fans and racers ? 1 year ? 2 years ? the racer has suffered and given plenty ! now its time for the track owners to give a little .and most important , run the big races last , start small and build up to the main events . keep the fans in the seats and spending money at the concession stands . three quarters of the few people in the stands leave before the junker classes . run heats as well . go back to single file restarts , save the racer money . every lil bit helps !