Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Per www.knoxvilleraceway.com they have pulled the plug for tonight.

How are the Sprint Invaders looking for tonight at 34 raceway in W. Burlington, IA?

Dang it!!!!! I want to speak to the Manager!!!!

I wouldn't get to excited about Burlington either, We got a whole bunch of rain over here on the right side of Iowa as well. Could be wrong tho

Still a go for now.

Is that what Knoxville's going to do this year? An indication of a small crowd because of cool wheather, gas prices, etc., calls for an early cancellation? I don't see any reason they couldn't have gotten this show in tonight. Overcast, but it has been dry all day and the forcast this morning was for no rain and the radar didn't show any rain within 100 miles of here. With a paved infield, which not very many tracks

have, it just shouldn't have been a problem. Why, oh, why??

My wife told me if I went to one more Sprint Car race 
she would leave me.................I'm sure gonna miss 
that ol' gal. 

Right call in our opinion. It is freezing ass cold and damp outside and we had access to free tickets (prom night for my bosses kid and he gave me his faimly season tickets) for tonight and we were not going. If fans that don't have to pay weren't coming, how many that have to pay were going to take a pass too? Paved pits or not Knoxville has to make some business case of trying to make the weekly shows profitable. Tonight would have been a BIG loser.

R.A.

S.H.S.

Knoxville made the right call!! We have raced in alot more colder weather both in the early season and the end. But think about it, how the hell could they even closely get the track ready with as much rain as we have gotten this week. All they would have done is tear the track up and tear cars up. Good Call

Pretty much confirms my original statement.

My wife told me if I went to one more Sprint Car race 
she would leave me.................I'm sure gonna miss 
that ol' gal. 

Brian Stickel told me this morning that they didn't think they could get the rigs into the infield. Since so many racers travel several hours and fuel prices or so high, they had to make a decision early enough for everyone.

I'm sure the track looked at the economics of a small crowd as well but the official word is what I just mentioned.

Certainly the right call given the circumstances.

I think it was a bad call big time. They had a stock car race in newton, which I am sure attracted many race fans to this area. They spent how much money advertising for it? I was actually impressed of the nice write up in the Des Moines register about opening night. Come on people at 11:00pm it was 50 degrees still. The world of outlaws cancelled early, what a shame, we could, would have had an amazing night, I bet a few world of outlaws guys would have scrambled to race here tonight as well. Come on Knoxville Raceway, you have an amazing season on the horizon, don't piss it down your leg. I give a hell ya to 34 raceway. So it stops raining in Knoxville much sooner than 34. Then 34 doesn't even have paved pits, and they race? wow, un real. John you are right, they prolly couldn't have gotten the rigs in the pits at 9am. Give me a break, had all day to work on it. Would the dunkins like new help, that would love to actually work and make things happen? Just my thoughts

Jeff

They had to make the call early. A bunch of the guys have to tow several hours to Knoxville. Maybe they could have gotten the show in, maybe not, but it would be a costly tow if they couldn't.

Reports from Newton were they had, at most, 5,000 people in the seats. Not a great crowd, either. I don't know how many would have come to Knoxville later that night. I know some would have but probably not many.

Also, the financial realities of the times have to be taken into account. Tracks aren't in business to lose money. The crowd almost certainly would have been small and the night would have been a money loser.

I still say it was a prudent decision.

John: You must have left off a "1" in front of 5,000 according to the event coordinator on channel 13 "there were between 12,000 to 15,000 in the stands". I really think he was counting the population of Newton AND the crowd but that's his story and he's sticking to it. Earlier in the week he predicted between 25 and 40 THOUSAND. They won't have one event other than the IRL race that will even come close to making a profit. "turn out the lights ....the party's over."

R.A.

S.H.S.

azteca- have the crowds always been bad at the races at Iowa Speedway?

Wasn't a big priority but I guess if the place is nearing its death bed I'll try to get there this summer.

The report I received was from someone who was there (a motorsports insider) who gave me an unbiased estimate of what he saw. I'm sure more seats may have been bought through corporate deals and trade, therefore he higher announced gate, but actual people in the seats was as I stated earlier, 5,000 tops.

Now with Danica FINALLY winning a race, the mainstream media and hucksters will really be upselling the IRL race at the track.

Good Grief...Keith Murphy from Channel 13 will be calling the event the greatest motorsports event in the history of Iowa...oh I forgot, that's what he did last year.

Lumpy: get there this year or next ... after that it will be growing weeds until the France's or one of the other speedway ownership groups buys it for five to ten cents on the dollar.

R.A.

p.s. Don't buy a ticket to anything in advance. Buy from the front gate hucksters the day of the event. All but the IRL race have tons of giveaway tickets (given to sponsors etc.) and many of these are available outside the gate for 1/2 off face value or more. R.A.

S.H.S.

Must be a blue moon, because I agree with John on this one (naaah....we usually agree, just like to fight). Eagle did the same thing basically, they called off the races early Saturday morning because there was no way they could have gotten the track prepped correctly to race that night.

And, guess what?? Some folks complained about that too. "It's beautiful, 72 degrees, why did they cancel??"

A track has to do right by everybody that they can, and it's impossible. So, do they cater to the folks who would have come no matter what; the ones who will complain if they cancel no matter the reason? Or, do they think of the people who are putting on the show; the ones who tow 4,5 or 6 hours to get there only to not have the track runnable? Or worse, say that they DO get the track so it can be run; and then there's holes & gullies everywhere and several people get wrecked, or possible badly hurt?

Sure, there is the possibility that they may have had fewer fans, but personally I doubt that was the sole (or even main) concern that they had.

"That's some catch, that Catch 22!!"

I am lucky enough to work at one of the best tracks 
anywhere.

maybe if the fans were paying over $500 or more out of their wallet to get to the track they would feel the same way.

-Austin Rankin