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

Its simple. If someone can see the same teams on a weeknight, close to home, why bother traveling several hours to a WoO race on the weekend?

Duh....

As usual, you don't WANT to "figure it out"...

So the organization:

1.  Has the best drivers

2.  Packs the stands at almost every venue  (even with DV)

3.  In your words---went from a "struggling" organization to what appears to be a very successful organization--judging by what it costs to schedule them at a track

BUT---they're still bad at business?  You are a hoot!

Dont know if this has been said but heres my take on this:  Teams dont have to run the Outlaws.  But when they SIGN the contract and get travel money etc, in that contract it says where they cant run.  To avoid this all they have to do is NOT sign the contract.  Outlaws are a business and most successful businesses look out for their interests.  I have no issue with their stance on this.  Seems some of the teams want the tow money etc but do not want to be told what to do.  Then dont sign.  Simple

You might not agree with how WRG deals with their contacted drivers but the measuring stick for good business vs bad business is whether they're turning a profit.  The Outlaws pack the stands from coast to coast and as far as anyone knows they're making money.  The argument here centers on people's philosophy about Whether they should protect their "brand".  Their product is being able to offer the greatest show on dirt and guarantee that their contracted drivers will show up as advertised which is huge for promoters spending advertising dollars.

David Gravel had Brad Sweet on his YouTube channel and went live last night.  Brad made the counter point that corporate sponsors like NAPA want to see their cars on streaming broadcasts.  That point makes sense and I can understand both sides of this debate.  The way I look at it, I worked for the railroad before retiring and had to belong to a union as a condition of employmen.  My job as a Sprint Car fan is to get the most bang for MY buck and attend/stream the best racing possible.  If my company was in contract negotiations that would give me a raise so I could attend more races nobody at WRG cared about my personal circumstances and how much I made.  My only concern was covering admission, gas, meals and motels.  I understand the concerns on both sides but at the end of the day I am a fan of the entertainment called Sprint Car racing and my ability to follow the sport is my main concern.  I don't own, drive or sponsor a car and I stay in my lane regarding the financials.  My career was in transport accounting and I go to races to have fun.  Worrying about the racers and WRG bottom line would be akin to reliving my accounting career.  

Trust me, the races are a lot more fun when we stay in our own lane and approach ithem as another entertainment option.  Probably after going to races since 1960 and getting older forms my opinions as well.  Aside from the tracks still being dirt and the cars front engine open wheel everything else about racing is different than when I started watching them.  

Stan Meissner

It is not that simple.  If I could see them on a Tuesday night and a Friday and Saturday night I would jump at the chance to see both.  

As usual you don't UNDERSTAND that!  

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Agree 100%

He was talking about the average fan. 

He was not talking about you:  Super fan, business motivational speaker, CFO, and track prep specialist.  He meant people with average intelligence like myself.   

The average fan wouldn't go on a Tuesday night if they had to work the next day.  That is a fact Jack!  They would wait until the weekend when they were off to travel to the outlaw show.  Since both will cost about the same to get in.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

In the past the stands were not always packed.  Even now the stands are not always packed.....just saying.  If you remember until dirvision came around WRG was struggling.  I remember reading about the tough decisions they had to make financially.  You don't see that anymore since dirtvision.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Sounds like smart people making smart business decisions......................

Part of protecting their brand is to be able to charge the local track the fee for showing up to display their brand. Why would track A spend the fee to host the outlaws when they can host an event without the WRG fee and still have the same cars show up?

For a promoter to pay the fee they need to be guaranteed they will get something in return they cant get without that fee.

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

Not really......they got lucky.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Only speaking the truth. That is something that is lost in the USA

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Way way way, to fucking late!!!

SO SO wrong.  When the Outlaws used to race the Beer Town Showdown at the now closed Hales Corners Speedway, they NEVER ran on a weekend, it was always either a Tuesday, or Wednesday.  I always had to work the next day and maybe 95% of the packed grandstands did.  I guess I or we were not average.

Touche'

They may be tapping a target rich niche of people who have too many other demands on their Friday and Saturday nights like kid sports and social and business commitments, but would go to a race during the week within 100 miles if it was there. And they will watch the streams every chance. 

Within hearing distance of Tri City Speedway

Cedar Lake had a one day Outlaw show on Monday night for decades before getting their current weekend dates.  I'm no super fan by any means.  I had a lot of rough Tuesdays at work during that time.  Accounting was boring enough with sleep, looking sharp in an office after a late night wasn't much fun.  

Stan Meissner

Kid's sports------this to me, is the #1 reason the weekly shows, and small tracks are dying across the country.  It's been death by 1000 papercuts.  Everyone wants to blame streaming, the Outlaws, etc, etc, etc.  My buddies stopped going to the races when their kids got into 12 month per year baseball, basketball, football, and hockey.  And now, those kids aren't interested in racing, because their overbearing sports schedules did not allow them to attend a race, and now they have no interest.  They won't be interested in racing when they become adults, and they won't be taking their kids to the races but instead will be signing them up for entire weekends of tournaments in their respective sports as they did as kids.  It's epidemic.  I couldn't have taken my nephew to a race over the past 12 years if he begged me.  He plays baseball for multiple teams in Iowa and they don't dare miss a practice, tournament, or a single Saturday----the entire year----or they will be replaced with someone who will commit.  (and this started when he was 5!)  Basketball---winter sport, right?  Wrong----now the entire summer is full of weekend summer basketball leagues just in case your kid hasn't already wrapped every single waking moment of the weekend in baseball.  Football camps?  Why not.  Not just one though---make sure your kid goes to at least 6-8 football camps.  Soccer.  Flag football----yes, flag football has become the latest to completely take hold of our sport's minded parents.  We have actually had fights and police called at the local flag football league in town and there are literally thousands of people that attend to scream at refs and kids in grade school.  

The number of families actually able to attend the races on a Friday or Saturday night is dwindling fast.  When I attend local sporting events, I have friends walk up to me all the time and say "Are you going to see the Outlaws at Beaver Dam this year? I wish I could go again, but we have a basketball tournament in Minnesota"  "Are you going to Knoxville this August again?  Man that was fun.  I wish we could go again, but we have baseball in Detroit"  

Everyone on this forum is good at pointing a finger at tracks, promoters, the Outlaws and streaming services for the failures of small dirt tracks.  Turns out, the entire reason weekly attendance is down is not race related at all.   

I have worked in accounting since 1989. 

A few years ago - you could get away with running those midweek shows.  Not anymore and expect a huge overflowing crowd.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!