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Topic: Badlands Farm
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Page 9 of 9 of 161 replies
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June 28, 2018 at
03:09:30 PM
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Joined:
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08/08/2016
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Posts:
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89
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Reply to:
Posted By: Murphy on June 28 2018 at 01:47:42 PM
Well, if we're being honest.....
In 2016 I went to Badlands 6 times. One of those times I bought a ticket. The other 5 times I had been given a ticket. In fact, there were so many tickets being given away that at one race I gave a man and his family 4 of the extra tickets I had. Before doing that, I had contacted half a dozen friends and found they all had been given free tickets. Two times I was given tickets by strangers as I walked in through the parking lot. I think a lot of free tickets had been given out to bolster the crowds.
On 2 occasions I tried to talk the security guards into letting me out to grab a jacket out of the car and then come back in. Both times I was told I'd have to buy a new ticket. They said it was due to "insurance regulations". Several people I know faced the same hurdle when needing to go out and get a jacket for a kid. I know of folks who never went back because of that. I'd also note that I always seemed to be hasseled by the security guys at the north end. A lumpy, balding guy in his mid-fifties wouldn't seem to be the guy smuggling in contraband or foreign fruit, but they singled me out most every time.
I didn't go to the concession or beer stands, but from where I sat I could see that the north concession stand was always very congested and slow moving. I did heard a lot of grumbling about warm beer- which should be a federal offence by the way.
The bathrooms on the other hand were spectacular.
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Yes, you did have to work to find a way to have to pay to get in! I took my camera to the car after sunset almost every night I was there and it was never a problem, as long as I had a ticket stub. Not sure what they would have said if I didn't have one as the night the CC scanners were not working, I didn't have a camera but, I have parked on both ends without ever being hassled. Never bought beer either, but as I recall the "beer dudes" hawked beer directly to the consumer in the stands (or was it just pop dudes?). In my drinking days, I do remember beer from the beer dude not always being the coldest. Having spent time in-line at the north concessions stand, it didn't seem to take any longer than the lines at Jackson or the checkout lines at Park Jeff. Agreed, the bathrooms are spectacular! 
They did have security checking ID’s upon entry to the midway area and putting wrist bands on people IF they planned to drink. Never needed a wrist band, but could that have something to do with the issue of leaving and having to pay to get back in? I can’t think of any reason why this would be a standing policy at any facility with on premises parking.
This goes to show you the damage inconsistent policies can cause.
Thanx,
Bruce
"support your local track and stay positive"
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June 28, 2018 at
03:43:12 PM
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Joined:
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06/10/2015
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2420
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Reply to:
Posted By: TBSprintFan on June 28 2018 at 01:30:28 PM
Again I told you earlier that Chuckie is not and was never my guy, never went to a race there while he owned it. Plus you never did answer my questions regarding Knoxville. I don't expect Knoxville to move to Sunday nights but let's just play devil's advocate for a bit (because isn't that what you are doing for Huset's right now), do you think Knoxville could pay their same payout as it is right now if they raced on Sundays all season long? Do you think they would get the same amount attendance of fans? Do you think they would get all the same cars there on a Sunday night? You know that the answer is NO to all the above questions that I asked and asked you in a earlier post that you never did answer. But my answer to your question regarding my way on running the track is that it sure as hell would not be on a Sunday and I would not step on the toes of Knoxville and Jackson. If you and others think that I am being negative that's fine but all I am being is being realistic. There is no easy or good answer to any of this because if there was somebody would have made some sort of offer on the track and it would be open by now.
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Point taken, and no, Knoxville would not probably be successful on Sunday nights, for all the reasons that you mention. I do believe though that the market for Knoxville and the market for Sioux Falls are completely different. Sure, Des Moines has a huge market less than an hour from Knoxville. Way larger than Sioux Falls. But the past has proven that sprint car fans are not abundant enough in the Des Moines metro area to make a difference......Friday, Saturday or Sunday night. Especially for supporting a weekly show. That is not the case however in the Sioux Falls market area. Sioux Falls has a fan base that has supported a weekly Sunday night show. And I happen to believe that it can, again. I think we agree that the stagnant purses the previous 15-20 years contributed to the downward spiral at Husets. There is still a large base of sprint car fans to draw from, though. Maybe the next owner will again choose to continue on Saturday nights, if there ever is a new owner. I just doubt that other than a couple special events, that 410 sprints could be the weekly draw on any other night than Sunday. I think the Jackson-Knoxville connection would hold up better than a Jackson-Husets connection would, which then leaves Husets pretty much on it's own any other night but Sunday. Other classes, maybe. I also believe that sprint cars are the draw in that area over other classes. Knoxville can pay the weekly purses needed because of the windfall of cash from the Nationals. Husets/Badlands can not. So in that respect I believe it is tougher to draw car count there. And there is no reason for Knoxville to give up Saturday night. Jackson chose to switch to Friday nights in order to work with both Knoxville Saturdays and Husets Sundays. Sunday would never work at Jackson, because if you think about it, Jackson has to draw race teams from further away than either Sioux Falls or Knoxville. And also have to draw any fan numbers appropriate enough to operate from further away.
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