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

Hearing rumors through the grape vine that Pevely is going to be cancelled for the same reason as Bulls Gap. I emailed the Outlaws yesterday and they assured me that the race is still on. Anybody else hearing anything about this?

Are we starting to see the handwriting on the wall?

Has Sprint Car racing has priced themselves out of a market?

Are the fans deciding to spend their entertainment dollar and hours in a different manner?

I hope not, but with the price of travel, many people will be forced to entertain themselves a bit closer to home.

Only the strongest of the strong will survive, making it more important for the promoters to give the fans what they want to see.

Starting on time, ending at a reasonable time, and NO fuel stops will be a good way to start.

Purse alone will never be able to make a profit for a race team, now may be the time for them to consider ways to lower their costs a little.

My suggestions are not for the die hard fan, rather the once a month, or new fan.

Retention of the fans is failing big time.

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Duane Davis

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641-751-7777
101 N Center
Marshalltown, Iowa 

IBRACIN's statements about the Woo and Bulls Gap seem to make sense. He says that a track in MO. is set to cancel. If it isn't Pevely how about Sedalia?

Yeah or US 36 I guess. I just can't see Pevely cancelling, that has been a mainstay on the Outlaw schedule for years. I guess we will see.

Sedalia IS on

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Duane Davis

Laser Engraving 
641-751-7777
101 N Center
Marshalltown, Iowa 

US 36 race is still ON as scheduled also.

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Duane Davis

Laser Engraving 
641-751-7777
101 N Center
Marshalltown, Iowa 

Considering who the owner of Pevely is, one would think that every consideration for a meeting of the minds would be put forth. Is the World Racing Group pricing itself out of business as Duane suggest? One thing is for sure, they are not responding to the fans request,

only to a hand full of well funded teams. Fuel stops, dusty racetracks, open reds, single file racing and locked down cars is not what the fans want to see

WaDo

Cheroger, when was the last fuel stop that you heard? Manzy had one and seems to me they always do. Other than that your complaints are old and tiring. The real question that is very valid is how long do we really believe that WRG can hold on financially? I am not an expert but I have looked at their numbers and they don't even come close to making sense. If Bears Stern went belly up nobody should be surprised when WRG does. Is Tony S. ready to step up and buy the Outlaw name?

Rogers comments may be "old and tiring" to a die hard fan.

Die hard fans are being buied every day.

WHO are taking their place?

A first timer to a race that gets underway late, has unnessary delays,filthy dirty (dust and dirt wise) ect. won't be back.

The tracks only have ONE chance to make a first impression.

The tracks are going to have to get over "just being a babysitter" and encourage young people to go to the races.

Kids bring the parents to the races, not the other way around.

People have a need to be entertained to return to any entertainment venue.

I only know 1 promoter in all of sprint car racing that truly tries to entertain and promote his races, the rest simply seem to allow the races to happen.

Terry McCarl should be named the Promoter of the Year.

"It's not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." C Darwin

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Duane Davis

Laser Engraving 
641-751-7777
101 N Center
Marshalltown, Iowa 

The Woo races that I have been to in the last few years have been pretty good. Not all races are going to be exciting just as some of the football and baseball games I go to aren't. I do think that the racing promoters and sanctioning bodies are getting the message. Look at the rule changes in just the last few years for the All Stars. One right rear a night and harder right rears are a good cost saving measure just to name a few.

TonyJ posted this on Sprint Car Forum on Monday: "I actually talked to Sue Marler this evening about a ticket issue, & asked her about this rumor....she laughed, & said it wasn't I-55...they're ready for April 5th! She also mentioned the cancelled race in Tennesee, & it sounded to me like what was originally reported was correct about lack of prep time, which didn't matter ultimately as the LM show got washed out anyway...who knows????"

I do not know TonyJ at all, but I have dealt with Sue and Rayburn Marler since he was part of the team that ran Farmington back in the early 1980's. I really cannot see I-55 pulling the plug on a World of Outlaws race unless they are really being manipulated by WRG. Schrader & Marler have put a lot of effort into I-55 since they have taken ownership. They pack the place for all of the WOO sprint shows and have added more seating this winter. I have not seen the new seating but it is reported to be over 200 more seats. Do the math on the ticket sales for the new seats.

With all of the rain that is going on, I think the only thing we have to worry about is not being able to get to the track if the Mississippi gets too high. Fortunately, the current long-range forecast is for a drop of ten feet between today and April 2.

Sprintfan0, to be honest, I haven't been to a WoO show for over a year. Why? The nearest they come to Indian Territory is about a 5-6 hour drive. They don't schedule OKC SFS, Outlaw Motor Speedway, Devels bowl or other nearby tracks because the Promotors claim they can't make money on their shows. Now, I'm not sure why Shane Carson did ok when he promoted the WoO shows at SFS and Lanny can't and claims the same for Devils Bowl, but I feel that if there were profits to be made, they would be here. My complaints may be old and tiring but they are the reasons I won't drive 5 or 6 hours and pay for a room plus $30+ dollars to see, Fuel stops, dusty racetracks, open reds, single file racing and locked down cars. I have attended on average about 30 races (mostly sprint cars) a year for over 45 years......last year, I didn't attend one race and I bet I'm not alone with my old and tiring complaints. There is a multitude of entertainment choices these days and putting butts in the stands and bringing them back depends on how well they are entertained. Providing an exciting, unforgetable program is every promotors goal but very few accomplish this.

WaDo

ps, correction, I always go to the Chilibowl, so I did attend one race last year, actually 5 nights and hundreds of races. Not one fuel stop, dusty track, (maybe a little at times) open reds, single file or locked down cars. Around 15,000 fans each night and people from all over the country travel and spend about 10 million dollars to be entertained! WOW!

Cannot resist the temptation to chime in here with my .02 cents worth.

Have had this conversation with Duane privately via e-mail and nothing has changed for us in the last year.We choose to attend Lakeside Speedway in KC,KS because they provide the following: Wheel to wheel exciting racing although it is not a sprint type of car but the forerunner of the Nationals at Knoxville---the good old MODIFIEDS ! The National Anthem goes off at 7:30 pm as advertised. We are on our way home usually no later than 10:30 pm and snug in our beds by 11pm.

These guys are some of the best in the midwest providing 3 and 4 wide racing in the turns.They also present 2 other support classes with an average car count every Friday night of 100 cars.

So we choose to spend our social security check locally and have been rewarded with great entertainment. MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK ---- remember those days ?

So that's it ! Nuf sed ? Your friend in racing----- Bud's Bride.

Under the current Promotion at Marshalltown Speedway, I must agree, the Mods and Stock Cars put on a FAR better show than they do 60 miles South of me.

They start on time, and entertain the fan.

I still find it hard to really "like" the tin bodied cars, but they do a far more professional job of racing and promoting than what I am used to seeing.

I have NEVER seen a red flag for fuel at any race under 100 laps in Marshalltown since I first started going there in 1963.

I will be doing more different venues this summer, I hope other venues are as good as I have been seeing for the past 45 years.

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Duane Davis

Laser Engraving 
641-751-7777
101 N Center
Marshalltown, Iowa 

I for one, am extremely excited about the Knoxville season starting. The 410 class is getting stout. Just added Brandon Wimmer to a weekly mix that has already added several newcomers. I remember getting over non-special nights by 10:15 for the most part last year, and the track held up much better than '06. We had winners from 19th and 14th, and charges through the pack on a weekly basis in both classes.

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Knoxville did the best job since I started going there this past season.

IF I were a newbe, I would still not have been impressed when the show started late each and every night last season, EXCEPT the Harris Clash.

Knoxville had a very good program last year, and I hope this season is even better, BUT they are trying to close the barn door AFTER they lost all the horses.

KIDS are the secret to future success, It bothers me to hear that they are a nuisance

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Duane Davis

Laser Engraving 
641-751-7777
101 N Center
Marshalltown, Iowa 

You claim Terry McCarl as the greatest promoter of recent times - now don't get me wrong, Terry throws a heck of a party, and the FRC is one of my favorite races of the year, but would I take my KID there? Not on your life... so tell me, who do you want to promote to? Kids? Party animals? Newbies? Tried and true lifelong fans? The key is you have to be able to give every single one of those groups something and still allow them to live in harmony with each other.

Your arguments of start times and end times are weak at best - concerts, football, basketball, NASCAR, not a one of them starts exactly on time each and every event. Knoxville does a reasonably good job of organizing drivers and staff to start very close to the same time every week, and did a very good job last year of getting through the show in a timely fashion. Seems to me that part of the problem is that everyone wants more and more for less and less - you want the cars to go faster, the racing to be better, the track to be cleaner and the food to be cheaper, but you also want that precious ticket price to stay the same year after year. Maybe you'd like a free t-shirt too?

FWIW, Knoxville does a great job with their JR Fan Club. The kids get a t-shirt, a pizza party and an opportunity to meet with their favorite drivers. If kids are such a "nuisance," why do they continue this program? I for one have decided the crabby old men that sit behind me and don't want me to stand up when things get exciting make the track much less enjoyable... maybe its time for them to go to something a little slower - I hear the hobbies in Oskaloosa are a blast, and evidently Marshalltown is the place to be.

Some people aren't happy unless they're not so....

McCarls races are a very specific race for party animal, he does a great job of it.

I was sure to acknowledge the vast improvements last year EXCEPT the starting at the advertised time.

Knoxville FINALLY pulled their heads out of their asses and got the show over at reasonable times last year.

I have to think my constant comments were part of the reason for the improvements.

I have heard fairboard members comment on the baby sitting service.

My Optimist club had a special last summer in Marshalltown where with less than 36 hours notice, we allowed ALL kids in free. There were over 300 kids at the Marshalltown Speedway that night.

How many kids does Knoxville get as an average for each event?

Marshalltown's is over 200 on a given night.

Do I think Knoxville does a good job of promoting youth? NO I don't. They do a little, but there is so much more that could be done. Kids take the parents to the race track.

The Blue hairs have taken over the grandstands.

Years ago these same fans were 25 yerars old.

WHERE are the young people today? Soft ball? Casinos? Other speedways?Mall? Theater?Adventureland?concerts? the young people are hiding someplace, they sure are not very visable in Knoxville anymore. WHY? I guess that is out of my pay grade to answer, but I have made some suggestions, most of the easy ones have never even been addressed.

I won't live long enough to see sprint cars dissapear, but I think that their venues will be smaller 5 years from now than they are today.

SAD

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Duane Davis

Laser Engraving 
641-751-7777
101 N Center
Marshalltown, Iowa 

Get McCarl to fill the stands in,say, the 2nd week of June on a Monday and Tuesday night,and I'll then agree he should be promoter of the year.

While he does promote more than others do,he is also lucky there is the other race up the road 26 miles later that week,hence the big crowds.

This entire promotion to kids probably needs another thread altoghter but .....

You have to be more specfic to the audience:

0-5 years / why not offer a nursery service (at a fee) for the mom and dads that want to come to the race but can't find baby sitters.

6-12 /  take the kids (in a group) to the pits.  Bring the drivers to the facility.   This is where the promoter can use the drivers, cars, and rigs as props to give the kids an affinity and desire to force the parents to shows down the road.  Give them an option to sitting on hard cold stands all night.

13-15  / make dads bring thier daughters so the boys have a reason to go.

16-18 / figure out a way that the girls will accept a date to the races........