Increasing car counts

[chit pants]

http://mandeepauch.com/2015/10/22/85-ideas-every-racetrack-should-try/

[Sunny]

Sunny, I did not take it as a bash. I just wanted you to know that there are 3 SATURDAY NIGHT tracks VERY CLOSE and more or less running the same classes. When Shangri-La 2 was running every week, you can add a 4th track within 30 minutes of Thunder Mountain. Your list of tracks run on 3 separate days and 1 track runs a few times a year. And like Ron Hills said, If you can only afford 1 night of racing, then you can bring in I-88 Speedway, PennCan, and Blackrock into the mix.

Duly noted, Gomer.

[Indian]

Sorry if my post seemed a little harsh, it wasn't meant to be. I just have a hard time being PC and not cutting straight to the chase at times.

[Yoda]

Listen to drivers and crews, their gripes are very likely valid concerns that need to be addressed. Also promotors and staff need to cool it with the "my way or the highway" attitudes. One thing that really bothers me is how uninformed the staff usually is about things going on at the race track, and are unwilling to help as they see you as the problem.

[thejet61]

Listen to drivers and crews, their gripes are very likely valid concerns that need to be addressed. Also promotors and staff need to cool it with the "my way or the highway" attitudes. One thing that really bothers me is how uninformed the staff usually is about things going on at the race track, and are unwilling to help as they see you as the problem

BINGO!! WE have a winner!

[dirtfan07]

I agree with most, if not all, that has already been written but here's what I'll add:

The internet will be the death of local stockcar racing. Two reasons #1) the constant complaining, bashing, crying, etc. #2) More importantly than #1, now you don't HAVE to go to the races to find out what happened. The results will be posted online within hours and any drama is sure to be the subject of at least 2 threads on here. I've only been to Chemung twice in my life but I know all about the drama there!! Used to be you had to go to get the whole story; not anymore. As a fan, I didn't wanna wait til the Gator came, we just made sure we were there. Now, its a lot easier to check the computer when I wake up than it is to make sure the weather is gonna be good, convince the wife, coordinate the kids, pack the car, pay for gas/admission/food, get dirty, carry the kids back to the car, get home late, wake up unable to open my eyes cause of the dirt, deal with wife b*tching about car/house/bed being filthy, and kids are crabby the whole next day. Just saying, its not easy for ANYONE to get to the races so promotors gotta do something to make people WANT to go.

Closely related to above is maybe something no one has thought of.... the announcer?? Back in the Steve Post days at Penn Can, he was a master MC and the place was packed. Sure, he got fans riled up but it was part of the show. Not to go all WWE on racing but their needs to be some "show" aspect to accentuate the race aspect. Also, my biggest pet-peeve as a fan is when I have to hear the name, hometown, religious preference, political affiliation, and every sponsor that I can read myself for the drivers who are starting in the front. Duhh, I already know who they are from the past 35 years of attending. I wanna know about the guy in the back cause he's new to my track and I have no idea what his story is. 

[dan19n]

ask0329, reply # 24,,,,, well said,, hurrah to you. Now if other folks will read this and the PROMOTORS (does any tracks have these guys?) will read this .... everyone will be happy.

[Claychamp123]

I'd say put a surface down that is easy on tires.
Create a level playing field by enforcing tech evenly and regularly.
Do not play favorites.
have good and fast concessions.
pay better 8th through 20th so the guys that fill the field can justify coming back.
Perhaps pay concession "track bucks" or certificates good just for the following week for drivers who finish in the last half of the field to bring them back.
Also run the show off so its all done by 10:30....some of us have to work in the morning!

It would help if pit stewarts, security and tech guys treated you with some respect instead of acting like jerks to the teams that just put their heart and souls and most of their pay check into that beat up car. A little courtesy toward their paying customers who are also putting on the show should be the least they could do.
JMO but in this day and age its tough because young people have so many entertainment options.

[outkast24]

Andy, back 40 in the mud. Lol. Years ago at Utica Rome we were parked so far back in an uncut field I was tossing crickets and grasshoppers  out the window of the truck on the way home down 31. Not talking one or two. Like a couple dozen. Everytime we opened the door to the truck they'd hop in.

[scarz247]

Love it there is a lot of very good concerns and ideas here, now just have to figure out how to get the tracks to listen.I remember back in the 80s and 90s all the tracks had  decent car counts, i still think the biggest car count problem is the cost,come on falcon transmissions and quick changes in street stocks?need to get back to the junk yard classes,something the average joe can afford and people in the stands can relate to like the old days.I realize that all the rear wheel drive v8 cars are gone but there are plenty of v8 rear wheel drive trucks out there how about factory stock truck class?or maybe use a metric frame and put a mopar body and engine in it,the same for ford ,amc, buick,olds and all the rest and call it the muscle car class or something like that.Just have to get people intrested in racing again,but thats just my opinion

[matt_s86]

This is an age-old question that even a lot of successful promoters can't give a clear answer to.

I think there are three types of tracks now.

Legendary/Historical tracks - usually have a decent car count.  Guys will continue to race there regardless of track conditions or payout cuz they want to be part of the legend.  These tracks also typically host a premier division. (Ransomville, Canandaigua, Fonda, A-S, etc.)
Special Event tracks - get decent car counts because of the novelty of the venue, scarcity of events, or big crowd (Weedsport, Rolling Wheels, Little Valley)
Sportsman tracks - sometimes struggle with car counts, aren't as "polished" as the bigger venues, rely much more heavily on a local crowd both gates.

Obviously there are anomalies out there...tracks in their own little world that pull 150 cars or the flip side, gorgeous top shelf tracks that can't get anyone to show up.  But for the most part, I think they fit into those categories one way or another.

Each track faces different challenges.  It's been proven time and time again though, purses don't always bring cars.  Racers are going to race where they want against who they want.  If they want the best competition they'll seek it out, even if it's at a track that murders tires and pays poorly.  Those racers are there for the glory and prestige. Then there's the weekly warrior...the local racer who races locally in front of his whole family and wants to be king of his home track.  And finally, there's the sportsman racer who just wants to know that if everything went right for him one night, he might pull off a win.  But he's not gonna spend insane money or make a ton of sacrifices to run up front.  He's there for the ride. 

The type of show you're running dictates who you'll get.  If you're bringing in a tour or touting some race as the biggest and best, you're looking for the pro types.  If you're running racing in a small community with lots of local support and don't need to rely on outsiders, you'll get your same guys whose family raced there for generations.  If you're just putting up a sensible purse, don't have a ton of rules, and make it easy for racers to just show up, you're getting sportsman type racers.

I guess the point is you need to understand what your track is and who it can realistically draw then promote based on that.  I've seen guys "get a deal" on a track, walk in, and honestly have no idea where they're at other than the point their GPS brought them to.  Without understanding who your crowd is, and racers, you can't realistically set prices, rules, advertising, anything really.  Just thinking as I type, I don't see a lot of fan (or driver) surveys taken anymore.  I would think that would be some valuable information.  Social media helps promoters connect and know what people want quite a bit more nowadays, but maybe some surveys would be helpful...if you could get the right people to fill them out.

[Michael Bonesky]

A lot of great ideas spread here on this topic, everything that I could add has already been said almost. Fully agree with Googles about a shorter season or a season with breaks. Look no further than Oswego to see how thats done, by the way a two division track with full fields in both classes using social media in a very positive and pro racing way.
Cutting race teams cost is major, and doesn't have to be done by constant idiotic rule changes that only cost the teams more in the end. Stop charging the support classes the same amount to get into the pit area when there is a special event in town like the WoO Sprints. No 4 banger support driver and his crew who have probably left work early on a Tuesday because a greedy promoter has tagged them onto an Outlaw show as a full points event deserves to be charged 45.00 dollars to get into the pits when all the track pays them to win is $10.00 and free Big Mac from the local McDonalds.
Secondly, and this may seem really odd and off the wall, but as a promoter don't be afraid to help a struggling team. It won't take long to recoup your loss and a little good will goes a long way. I remember story's of Lancaster's Ed Serwacki doing this, just by slipping the guy 100.00 or buying him a couple tires, or even a few free passes for a team down on their luck. The late Alex Friesen did this often as well. In the end your only putting money back in your pocket.

[Modules]

I don't think that there's a huge decline in the amount of racers at most tracks. The biggest problem I see is tracks run way to many divisions. Others have used the example of tracks having 80-90 racers for 5-6 classes. Those 80-90 racers used to be spread across 3 divisions.  Tracks need to condense the amount of classes being run and you will see the counts go up in the classes you do offer.

[RacinInTheBlood1]

I agree with everything "ask" had to say. Just to add a little bit, I think we forget about the kids in the stands a lot! They are extremely important and the future of our sport. Put yourselves in the shoes of parents with kids under the age of, let's say 13....

Fireworks, games, autograph sessions, giveaways. And these things need to happen at tracks more than once every year.

If the kids want to keep coming back to your track, the parents will keep bringing them back. It's hard enough to keep kids happy these days. If you keep butts in the seats, you will get cars on the track. They work hand in hand.

Also, staying on the subject of our younger racers, every track should have at least one class for kids ages 7-13. I know that a track has re opened 5 minutes from my front door but we will have to travel this year because our oldest will be racing. Not everyone can afford to race Friday/Saturday and then take their kids to race on Sunday's.

[ask0329]

Heres another freebie for any promoters that happen to be reading. Most all tracks have facebook and twitter. Ever hear of periscope? Its a live feed app that streams online or smartphones and works in conjunction with twitter. Obviously you dont want to have the races broadcast online but have a dedicated employee to go in the pits before the races maybe with the announcer, do some interviews. During the races, show some of the work being done on the cars. During intermission would be a great time. The fans would be able to see this on their phones from the stands as well as people at home. Key being, DO NOT show the racing action. Another idea to go along with this, follow one driver throughout the night in the pits via periscope. Have an in car camera in their car. The next day upload to youtube. That way people who followed said driver in the pits via periscope can see that driver on the track throughout the night. The next day, cause you dont want to lose fans at the track.

And yet another idea i had, Have a "sponsor night" for the drivers. If you have 4 classes you do this on 4 different nights. One class each night. Invite the sponsors of the drivers to your track. Let them set up a booth/table/e-z up, do free give aways, contests demos. Allow them to talk to the fans, drivers and crews who may stop by the booth(s). I know if i was sponsoring a racear and a track allowed this, i would hope my driver is racing at that track vs one that dont. Who knows, maybe a sponsor may want to advertise with the track the following year. Or maybe a friendly rivalry, where the sponsors are adding to the purse of that class for the night. Possibilities are endless.